Recommendation on lights

Nsparky1

Nsparky1

Member
Hi everyone, hope all are enjoying 420! haha.
I am harvesting my 2nd grow and thinking that I would much rather grow my own vs buying from whomever with whatever nutrients they use.
My first 2 grows where in a makeshift grow room, approximately 6'x8'. I didn't want to invest alot of money on a room if I was unsure if I wanted to actually commit. I want only enough for personal use.
This room is in a basement with mylar wrapped walls, fan for circulation, and heater (when needed) to maintain an ambient temperature of 70-74, light cycles of 18/6, and broad spectrum grow lights bought from Home Depot, soil from Fox farm with super soils added of worm casting, bat guano and bone meal (integrated with FF soil) and mosquito bit (had a horrible infestation most of this grow).. and growing autoflowers of LSD,Gelato, Banana.
I am looking for recommendations on lights. Way back in the day, hubs used metal halide and insist that's the way to go, but I'm sure technology has made a better system.
Soooo.. whatcha use?
 

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Billy the Mountain

Billy the Mountain

Well-Known Member
Nsparky1 said:
Hi everyone, hope all are enjoying 420! haha.
I am harvesting my 2nd grow and thinking that I would much rather grow my own vs buying from whomever with whatever nutrients they use.
My first 2 grows where in a makeshift grow room, approximately 6'x8'. I didn't want to invest alot of money on a room if I was unsure if I wanted to actually commit. I want only enough for personal use.
This room is in a basement with mylar wrapped walls, fan for circulation, and heater (when needed) to maintain an ambient temperature of 70-74, light cycles of 18/6, and broad spectrum grow lights bought from Home Depot, soil from Fox farm with super soils added of worm casting, bat guano and bone meal (integrated with FF soil) and mosquito bit (had a horrible infestation most of this grow).. and growing autoflowers of LSD,Gelato, Banana.
I am looking for recommendations on lights. Way back in the day, hubs used metal halide and insist that's the way to go, but I'm sure technology has made a better system.
Soooo.. whatcha use?
Click to expand...
Any contemporary LED would be a quantum leap from your current light

Migro.com and cocoforcannabis.com both have some empirical light reviews that may help
 
Herb & Suds

Herb & Suds

Well-Known Member
Couple thoughts
New digital ballast allow MH AND HPS in the same setup
The reason I mentioned this is it reduces your need for an auxiliary heat source during lights on
LED are great but may actually make it necessary to heat the room even during lights on
So many choices lol
 
Friendly_Grower

Friendly_Grower

Well-Known Member
For explosive growth people say hanging an naked HPS down in the canopy is a good way. I will agree that naked HPS bulbs do really well. It's almost like watching plants grow in real time. I have never hung one vertically but I had one horizontal in a hood with no glass.

You will find that the subject of "Lights" is somewhat a political nuke around here. I was taken aback the first time I had a stalker about my choice of lighting for the flower room.

I run Hortilux Eye in the main flower room. I understand double ended HPS are better. I am brand loyal to Hortilux so I'll take the back seat on HPS and single ended bulbs but in the tents people here suggested that for a 2 foot by 4 foot floor-space I would do okay with the MarsHydro Sp3000
So far they seem okay. I didn't know how high to hang them but I find I can park them at the top of the Tent and control the light with the knob on the controller.

Also there are "Give Aways'" on this site so look for them and put your name in there. You might get lucky and pick up a promotion light for free!

With lights people site LEDs as being less heat and better footprint.. HPS shines all over so that footprint is a bit wide. With LEDs people say the heat control is better than HPS.

It's really on you and your style of growing. For most LED is just fine. Personally I call myself a craft grower and my flower room is my construct. I'm cool with HPS and COB LEDs in there. I do however, need to build it out proper come Summer. It needs to be ready for next Winter's grow.

Good luck! I'm sure you will pick the right light for your "Craft Growing."
 
Billy the Mountain

Billy the Mountain

Well-Known Member
chuckeye said:
If cost is a factor, you can't go wrong with a 600w MH/HPS with a parabolic reflector.

Cheers
Click to expand...
That's certainly true for the initial cost, but not over time.

Running costs quickly wipe out any upfront savings.

If the environment requires the additional heat, an HID makes sense, otherwise an LED is far better choice in 2022
 
Herb & Suds

Herb & Suds

Well-Known Member
Friendly_Grower said:
For explosive growth people say hanging an naked HPS down in the canopy is a good way. I will agree that naked HPS bulbs do really well. It's almost like watching plants grow in real time. I have never hung one vertically but I had one horizontal in a hood with no glass.

You will find that the subject of "Lights" is somewhat a political nuke around here. I was taken aback the first time I had a stalker about my choice of lighting for the flower room.

I run Hortilux Eye in the main flower room. I understand double ended HPS are better. I am brand loyal to Hortilux so I'll take the back seat on HPS and single ended bulbs but in the tents people here suggested that for a 2 foot by 4 foot floor-space I would do okay with the MarsHydro Sp3000
So far they seem okay. I didn't know how high to hang them but I find I can park them at the top of the Tent and control the light with the knob on the controller.

Also there are "Give Aways'" on this site so look for them and put your name in there. You might get lucky and pick up a promotion light for free!

With lights people site LEDs as being less heat and better footprint.. HPS shines all over so that footprint is a bit wide. With LEDs people say the heat control is better than HPS.

It's really on you and your style of growing. For most LED is just fine. Personally I call myself a craft grower and my flower room is my construct. I'm cool with HPS and COB LEDs in there. I do however, need to build it out proper come Summer. It needs to be ready for next Winter's grow.

Good luck! I'm sure you will pick the right light for your "Craft Growing."
Click to expand...
I can run anything I want and I chose 600 watt open bulb
:blsmoke:
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
Billy the Mountain said:
That's certainly true for the initial cost, but not over time.

Running costs quickly wipe out any upfront savings.

If the environment requires the additional heat, an HID makes sense, otherwise an LED is far better choice in 2022
Click to expand...
The power cost in your area makes a big difference on returns from electrical savings with LED's. And then if you have to run a heater there is no savings. I did the math on replacing my 600 watt HID with a quality LED and it would take 4 years to reach a break even point on electricity savings.
 
Friendly_Grower

Friendly_Grower

Well-Known Member
Oh I understand the Watt Per Gram philosophy.
I'm a craft grower. I grow for my own personal needs. I do not have cost and production pressures because there is no profit component to my growing.
I too can use what I want and I have 4 1k HPS in enclosures with four companion COB LEDs for a blended spectrum in the Flower Room which is intended for Winter Growing my medical cannabis.
I am working with tents for the Blue Dream project. So, for that I have three MarsHydro SP3000 LED in Zeny 2x4 tents. If I am lucky I can grow some of that gear come winter.

I don't know about you but when it's cold and the nights are long I find it therapeutic to be in bright light and warmth. So I like what I am doing and I found that it's good for the mood during the long dark periods of Winter.
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
Friendly_Grower said:
Oh I understand the Watt Per Gram philosophy.
I'm a craft grower. I grow for my own personal needs. I do not have cost and production pressures because there is no profit component to my growing.
I too can use what I want and I have 4 1k HPS in enclosures with four companion COB LEDs for a blended spectrum in the Flower Room which is intended for Winter Growing my medical cannabis.
I am working with tents for the Blue Dream project. So, for that I have three MarsHydro SP3000 LED in Zeny 2x4 tents. If I am lucky I can grow some of that gear come winter.

I don't know about you but when it's cold and the nights are long I find it therapeutic to be in bright light and warmth. So I like what I am doing and I found that it's good for the mood during the long dark periods of Winter.
Click to expand...

Nothing like the glow and warmth of the HPS in the middle of the winter. Wearing eye protection of course. Plants sure like it. Maybe you can get better results with LED. But how much and how much more work is it? With an HID just stick it X inches above the plants. Seems like there are all these parameters people are striving to hit with LEDs.

I just stick my plants under the light. Walk away and let them grow. It works out every time. That's in a small tent and not any significant sized grow where every little improvement makes a difference.

It's been working for decades and providing me with all the personal use cannabis I need.

Buy a new light? Why?

:weed:

:peace:
 
Friendly_Grower

Friendly_Grower

Well-Known Member
It is a nice feeling that outside it's frightful but the HPS is soooooo delightful.
Points for knowing that song.
I have always been for blended spectrum. I know that. HPS needs more blue and for the most part LEDs have needed more red.
Only the Sun is the absolute Master.

I do however, know the worry of hot light in small space. That is why I quit growing for a decade. It was unsafe where I lived.
I hope the LEDs are safe in the tent for Summer. I need to be sure. I have my eye on it.
I know my CFL rack was this last winter and that is four compact florescent bulbs. It puts out a bit of heat.

So I do both types of lights now I guess. Mix and Match. It puts the craft in Craft Grower. A little artistic freedom.
 
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