Purchasing New Lighting

[LJ farming]

What are your suggestions for lighting? I am currently running 2 HID 1000 watt HPS lights in a 4x8 tent and they seem to be working great! However I am in the process of building a 10 light room. It will probably take me another 4 months to complete at the rate I’m going but that’s the plan. I also potentially will add 2 lights each grow over the course of 3-4 grows instead of flipping the switch on 10 lights because up until a couple weeks ago I had never grown anything but outdoor. My first 2 light grow seems to be going well but I am a little less than a week into the 12/12 flip so still lots of time for feast or famine.
So my question is are the new LEDs really all they claim to be? Can they TRULY out produce a 1000w HPS? My mentor has been burned 2 times buying LEDs over the past 4-5 years that promise to out produce 1000W HID/HPS lights and I don’t think he will try a third time for another decade or so. I have different situation than him in that I currently only have 2 lights and I would really like to try one of the new BEST LEDs out side by side in a test before I go purchase 8 new lights. The cost savings in the long run could be huge if the yield and quality are in fact the same or better. But the pain my ears will feel of him telling me I told you so even after purchasing just 1 is not worth the $1000 gamble if they truly are still no where near a HID/HPS. I’m sure there are many arguments and opinions about this subject but please keep it as factual as possible and let’s keep the opinions to a minimum. I’m about to spend the price of a new standard car on my grow room and fewer financial mistakes will make me a much happier farmer and allow me to dedicate more time and resources to my grandchildren. Thank you in advance for any help offered.
Peace out,
LJ

 

[zachrockbadenof]

well .... led's def save on elect. BUT if u r in an area with cheap elect, that negates that advantage - i don't think led's have the penetration power of a 1000watter- led's prob last somewhat longer then hps/mh , but the 1000w bulbs r pretty reasonable... if u can deal with heat, and have low elect costs, i think its a no brainer -

u can get a 1000w hps/mh switchable with everything included for 200 odd dlrs .... an led with similar power will be 3x4x5 times the cost.... maybe more .... it all comes down to your room/setup

 

[LJ farming]

That explains it simply Zachrock. Thank you. My electricity is fairly cheap and I actually need the heat from the HIDs for about 4 months out of the year. I also plan on building my room out to be as sealed as possible so hopefully I will be able to exhaust the majority of the heat when I don’t need it and keep the A/C to a minimum.

 

[Creeperpark]

I use a combo setup with 2 LEDs and a 400 HPS mixed and have a good heat source for the Winter and good light penetration. The heat is much easier to manage using LEDs in the Summer. Since I changed to mostly LEDs, my plugs run cooler and the electricity bill is much less. The plants seem to have less stress and grow faster and bigger using this combo. Good luck and happy gardening.

 

[Kali killer]

Im not sure about suggestions,but i just ordered a light and fan combo from Mars Hydro Led hopefully its everything its cracked up to be.

 

[TheRealHash]

They’re expensive but thinkgrow leds are the truth. If you’re not trying to spend that much get the Samsung’s.

HID lighting should be a thing of the past at this point unless you’re running cmh imo

 

[OG_Bishop]

LEDs are the shit dude. growers choice ROI or Luxx LED ALL DAY!!!!

my first run with the Luxx 645w LED, i ran 8 Chem91 in 5 gallon pots of coco and NO co2. ran them 73 days and pulled 1085 grams total - (38.75 oz or 2.4 lbs) thats 1.68 grams per watt.

HIDs are outdated at this point. and man, 2 1000w HID in a 4x8?!?! thats overkill man! too much light!!! 600w HID at most for each 4x4 area. i would suggest 2 growers choice ROI-420w. i have 2 in my 4x8 and they're perfect. only running them at 75% right now.

 

[OG_Bishop]

[No message]

 

[Chi13]

I can't give any specific recommendations but this guy, Dr Bruce Bugbee, is worth a listen regarding lighting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1O3OD-dI20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID9rE5JewVg

 

[Dr.Young]

Yes LED is superior to HPS. Factually speaking
Do not focus on any emphasis on light spectrums either.. Yes, red affects bloom a bit, and blue affects veg a bit but is not the key.

The most important thing you want to focus on is having a evenly spread light.Which LED can provide perfectly.. Having the center of the tent, and the very corner of the tent equally lit strength/pffd/par/etc... The main flaw with HPS is that it provides only 1 lightsource in the center, and the corners of a tent are going to be weak... Thats why reflectivity was always a huge topic, and is still very important. Also the energy spent on less useful spectrum, and more heat is a huge negative.

With the new LEDs especially the 4foot strip style you can perfectly distribute the light evenly across the entire footprint..... The quantum board style LEDs have same problem as HID essentially, and its too much intensity packed into a small space and you get dim corners of the grow compared to the strip style LED...

I recommend getting MarsHydro FC series.. They are the same light as Fluence Spydr that cost 2x for 0 difference..... Your other option is to DIY and save around $200 per 4x4 but MarsHydro is a very good option, with a warranty, and your time may be worth the cost. Marshydro use the same top of the line lm301b chips, and a meanwell power supply that you would use if you did a top shelf DIY...

Ive spent several thousands of hours researching lighting, and that is a solid summary of what is truly important..

VPD is the key to a high quality grow.... Day, and Night temperature difference & control.. Humidity levels that match the temperature of the room, and also stage of growth.
Hydrogen, Oxygen, Carbon are the 3 most important nutrients, and they are directly correlated with transpiration/VPD.. With LED you have FARRRRRR more control over VPD, and with far less electricity to do so...Just the difference in terpenes growing with LED is insane from my experience...


https://www.mars-hydro.com/fc-8000-led-grow-lights

I'm online all day everyday if you wanna chat lol. I tried to be brief, but sincere and thorough. Also I have no ties to Marshydro either.

 

[fuutang]

...happy gardening.

These are great pics too. Do you mind if I repost them so anyone can see, too? Funny you left your drink behind?

 

[Creeperpark]

Yes LED is superior to HPS. Factually speaking
Do not focus on any emphasis on light spectrums either.. Yes, red affects bloom a bit, and blue affects veg a bit but is not the key.

The most important thing you want to focus on is having a evenly spread light.Which LED can provide perfectly.. Having the center of the tent, and the very corner of the tent equally lit strength/pffd/par/etc... The main flaw with HPS is that it provides only 1 lightsource in the center, and the corners of a tent are going to be weak... Thats why reflectivity was always a huge topic, and is still very important. Also the energy spent on less useful spectrum, and more heat is a huge negative.

With the new LEDs especially the 4foot strip style you can perfectly distribute the light evenly across the entire footprint..... The quantum board style LEDs have same problem as HID essentially, and its too much intensity packed into a small space and you get dim corners of the grow compared to the strip style LED...

I recommend getting MarsHydro FC series.. They are the same light as Fluence Spydr that cost 2x for 0 difference..... Your other option is to DIY and save around $200 per 4x4 but MarsHydro is a very good option, with a warranty, and your time may be worth the cost. Marshydro use the same top of the line lm301b chips, and a meanwell power supply that you would use if you did a top shelf DIY...

Ive spent several thousands of hours researching lighting, and that is a solid summary of what is truly important..

VPD is the key to a high quality grow.... Day, and Night temperature difference & control.. Humidity levels that match the temperature of the room, and also stage of growth.
Hydrogen, Oxygen, Carbon are the 3 most important nutrients, and they are directly correlated with transpiration/VPD.. With LED you have FARRRRRR more control over VPD, and with far less electricity to do so...Just the difference in terpenes growing with LED is insane from my experience...


https://www.mars-hydro.com/fc-8000-led-grow-lights

I'm online all day everyday if you wanna chat lol. I tried to be brief, but sincere and thorough. Also I have no ties to Marshydro either.

Super info thank you.

 

[Mars Hydro Led]

These are great pics too. Do you mind if I repost them so anyone can see, too? Funny you left your drink behind?

The purple light was good about 3 years ago. Now the game changer is strip design light.

 

[Lester Beans]

Ok so I have been against LED since the beginning as it hasn't been up to snuff. I was given some blurple older LED's and really liked the way they vegged. I decided maybe it was time to give a real light a try.

Mars Hydro kindly sent me a TSW2000. First thing I noticed was the plants wilted from the intensity of the light, and they were coming from living under a 1000 hps. I dialed back the light to 75%, yes kick ass feature being dimmable, and the plants LOVED it!

I am completely sold on the light. I can run a 4x4 tent off a power strip. 300 watts at the wall for the light. That right there is massive peace of mind. I do miss the heat in the winter but I can grow year around with these lights. The plants look better than the plants I've grown under HID for 30 years.
​​​​​​
I would contact Mars or whoever you go with, and let them know the area you are working with and get outfitted with some LED!

Friend just ordered 8 Mars lights and had them in less than a week, wicked fast service I can't say enough about.
​​​​​​
As I have been in you shoes OP, I figured I would share my LED experience, hopefully it helps.

 

[buzzmobile]

Ok so I have been against LED since the beginning as it hasn't been up to snuff. I was given some blurple older LED's and really liked the way they vegged. I decided maybe it was time to give a real light a try.

Mars Hydro kindly sent me a TSW2000. First thing I noticed was the plants wilted from the intensity of the light, and they were coming from living under a 1000 hps. I dialed back the light to 75%, yes kick ass feature being dimmable, and the plants LOVED it!

I am completely sold on the light. I can run a 4x4 tent off a power strip. 300 watts at the wall for the light. That right there is massive peace of mind. I do miss the heat in the winter but I can grow year around with these lights. The plants look better than the plants I've grown under HID for 30 years.
​​​​​​
I would contact Mars or whoever you go with, and let them know the area you are working with and get outfitted with some LED!

Friend just ordered 8 Mars lights and had them in less than a week, wicked fast service I can't say enough about.
​​​​​​
As I have been in you shoes OP, I figured I would share my LED experience, hopefully it helps.

I switched to LED from 1KW HPS & MH several years ago, and I approve of your message. Way to go, Lester Beans