New to this site and New to LED's

Hello all, Im new here and im loving this site.. Lots of knowledgeable people and alot of great info! I havent grown anything in 5 years and have just gotten my Medical license so i can have 6 plants flowering and 6 in veg. , I also am waiting for my caregiver licence and have 3 people all ready to let me grow them the 6 plants that they are allowed so ive got a legal 24 flowering plant grow in the planning stages... I plan on at least 4 mothers of various strains although i can have 24 plants in veg but i dont need that many in veg. I have always grown with 400 and 600 watt digital HPS and MH lamps and when i was getting done with my last grow LED's were just starting to come out and there was not alot of real world information on them. Im wondering what the lumen output is on these or is that even important with these lights? Also im assuming that the Red/Purple Lamps are for Flowering and the clear and blue lamps are for veg so what would i need for say a 4X4 area? Ill be using a drip hydro system and a cooler running light will help keep the environment right in the sweet spot but ive heard lots of praise for these but equally as much trash talk about em... Maybe i should just run a 400 watt HPS/MH along with some LED panels for supplemental spectrum correct lighting.... Need some advice! I would be interested in seeing how the light per watt ratio is....
thanks
-Zepplin490-

I suggest you rephrase your question like this, you are planning on flowering 24 plants at a time, you will be growing this style(sog, scrog, lst, supercropping, topping, naturally, or whatever), your flower room/rooms will be this size(you planning to have 24 plants in a 4x4, 6 plants in 4 4x4s, or 24 plants in a 12x12 or what), what led would they suggest to fill that area, and links to similar grows as what you are planning. If you decide to go led after that I suggest you read supras diy thread and save yourself a ton of money with a panel you can easily upgrade as the new technology comes out every few months. Just like if you were planning a hid grow you need to find a led grow similar to what you are planning that fits your timetable and meets your yield requirements. I say hid with supplemental led would be your best bet as many people have had success with that combo.

And your buget for initial lighting investment

PetFlora said:

You remind me of me 5 years ago. Alas, I took a $360 bath buying a r/b ufo90. Even though the diode choices are intended to hit the peak PAR it has done little, even when used for side lighting last grow. One day I might yank the led panel out and replace with a more worthwhile panel

Fortunately for you, leds have advanced by leaps and bounds

In the beginning of selling lights for horticulture, the science was manipulated (fitting a square peg in a round hole). Since the public lacked knowledge, we bought into the R/B spectrum maximizing PAR peaks is all one needs. HPs growers scoffed, and rightfully so. Alas, they have not bothered to keep up with the led advancements and still skoff

The advancement of white leds (and COBs) over the last 2 generations (with quantum leaps to come) has changed the mj growers game, but manufacturers seem to be the last to know, plus they no doubt have HUGE investments in R/B diodes, which still have a place, just not so much in horticulture, or mj specifically

There are 3 basic ranges of whites; Cool white (6000K+) Neutral white (4700-5500K) and Warm white (< 3500K)

The right combination of these is essential to maximizing both veg and flower.

I leave the rest to you to research, but there's a great DIY community in the LED forums

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in your opinion do you feel that red is not needed for flowering?

3000K is red, but white (pinkish actually) to the human eye

midgetaus said:

in your opinion do you feel that red is not needed for flowering?

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