Do I need LED?

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Skylan01

Active Member
I'm new, never grown. Have a 2x2x5.1 gorilla tent being delivered soon. I plan to grow a single plant, high CBD indica heavy and I'd like to get obviously the most out of this plant.

Since it's such a small space I worry about any lighting that puts off too much heat, which is why I was looking at LED. But I've also been reading that even a couple CFLs that are properly placed might be good enough to get max yield from a plant.

I would have posted under the stick thread but it appears to be locked at the moment.
 
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Fevs

Well-Known Member
An led would rock that area without the heat issues. A 250w hps is the perfect amount of light for that area, but tbh, I would rather use an led. Look for something that draws at least 180w from the wall.

A lot of leds are advertised at the output, not the actual draw. Be aware of this. Nothing bad about that, just know that a so called 180w led, will draw about 120w, as the leds are not run at full wattage, to make them last much longer.

Something like the solarflare 220 full cycle, would rock that area. I have used that led in a 2ft x2ft area with real joy.

Or get some cobs! Or Both lol
 
MrTwist1

MrTwist1

Well-Known Member
Yes you should! CFL's will not allow you to get max potential from your plant. Aim for 35-40W of good LEDs per sq foot and you will be golden. You could run 1x CLU058 3618 at 1.4A to get around 150W for less than $200 (inc driver and active heatsink). Talk to @CobKits cos he is thinking about ordering these in to sell as prebuilt light engines - super easy to connect.
 
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bri77

bri77

Well-Known Member
Skylan01 said:
That is a little intimidating having not researched COB yet ! But thank you nonetheless.
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Its definitively the way to go on your budget and requirement. Dont over think it just email one of the advertisers here and ask for the best light you can get with your budget.

A good thing about going the cob ruote as a noob is you'll still be glad you bought it if you decide to expand or upgrade your set up. It'll always be super useful. Cant say the same about t5s, cfls or 250 hps.
 
mauricem00

mauricem00

Well-Known Member
Skylan01 said:
I'm new, never grown. Have a 2x2x5.1 gorilla tent being delivered soon. I plan to grow a single plant, high CBD indica heavy and I'd like to get obviously the most out of this plant.

Since it's such a small space I worry about any lighting that puts off too much heat, which is why I was looking at LED. But I've also been reading that even a couple CFLs that are properly placed might be good enough to get max yield from a plant.

I would have posted under the stick thread but it appears to be locked at the moment.
Click to expand...
have you considered a 150 watt CMH bulb http://www.gelighting.com/LightingWeb/na/resources/tools/lamp-and-ballast/spectral-power-distribution-curves.jsp they will run on a standard HPS magnetic ballast and are much more efficient than CFLs. they provide a better spectrum for plant growth than LEDs ,HPS or CFLs. http://growershouse.com/sunpulse-150w-cmh-3200k-lamp and http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Grow-System-HPS-150w-watt-Compact-Indoor-Grow-Light-Kit-150W-HPS-/122079708309?hash=item1c6c848495:g:yXMAAOSwawpXq-t1 well under $200
 
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HydoDan

HydoDan

Well-Known Member
bri77 said:
Its definitively the way to go on your budget and requirement. Dont over think it just email one of the advertisers here and ask for the best light you can get with your budget.

A good thing about going the cob ruote as a noob is you'll still be glad you bought it if you decide to expand or upgrade your set up. It'll always be super useful. Cant say the same about t5s, cfls or 250 hps.
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I have a whole room full of old grow lights.. 50watt, 150watt, 400 watt and 650watt hps...
85 - 105 watt 2700k, 5000k and 6500k Cfl bulbs... A lot of money over the last 15 years.. bought a cob kit...
I am finally done buying lights!!
 
mauricem00

mauricem00

Well-Known Member
bri77 said:
Its definitively the way to go on your budget and requirement. Dont over think it just email one of the advertisers here and ask for the best light you can get with your budget.

A good thing about going the cob ruote as a noob is you'll still be glad you bought it if you decide to expand or upgrade your set up. It'll always be super useful. Cant say the same about t5s, cfls or 250 hps.
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how do you upgrade or expand and led grow light? an hps fixture can easily be upgraded to a CMH bulb and T5s can be upgraded to a better spectrum by simply changing bulbs as well
 
MrTwist1

MrTwist1

Well-Known Member
Skylan01 said:
That is a little intimidating having not researched COB yet ! But thank you nonetheless.
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I know it seems intimidating, but it is really the easiest it has ever been, and likely well within your capabilities. With a prebuilt light engine (COB mounted on an active heatsink with reflector) all you have to do is;

  1. Connect the wires running off the COB to the output wires from the driver.
  2. Connect the wires running off the fan to a 12V DC power supply (available on amazon for around $10 I think).
  3. Wire a mains plug onto the Driver input cord.
  4. Bada Bing you're done! Well kinda... Really you will benefit a lot from soldering a potentiometer onto the dimming wires, although this is not strictly necessary. Alternatively just buy the driver option with potentiometer built in. Easy Peasy.
 
puffenuff

puffenuff

Well-Known Member
Skylan01 said:
Thanks Fevs. Maybe I should have specified a budget :). I was hoping to keep under $200 for lighting.
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I would recommend going with a 150w-250w HPS kit/bundle with your budget. They are inexpensive (found some for $70-$100 w/ a quick Google search) and would allow you to get your feet wet, get a harvest or two under your belt, and allow time to save up more of a budget for LEDs if you still want to go that route.
 
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Fevs

Well-Known Member
Skylan01 said:
All really helpful thank you guys. The overwhelming response is email @ cobkits so this is the route i'm taking for now!
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Good move! You'll look back on this in the future as a great move which got you off to a flying start. The pro's on here are all going to cob, so everybody else will soon follow. Why wait?

Growers on here are doing very well indeed with their cobs. PLus the major advantage is the light is white so you can see your plants properly, which in turn makes the whole grow easier, every grow.
 
PhotonFUD

PhotonFUD

Well-Known Member
First time growing indoors? Just get some led bulbs, sockets and power bars to match your budget. Once you get the hang of it, upgrade what you want and use the bulbs elsewhere.

Lowest risk, best way to learn.
 
bri77

bri77

Well-Known Member
mauricem00 said:
how do you upgrade or expand and led grow light? an hps fixture can easily be upgraded to a CMH bulb and T5s can be upgraded to a better spectrum by simply changing bulbs as well
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I was thinking move of increaseing amount of light rather than changing spectrum. But you're right that is an advantage of bulbs.
 
CryBby247

CryBby247

Active Member
Skylan01 said:
I'm new, never grown. Have a 2x2x5.1 gorilla tent being delivered soon. I plan to grow a single plant, high CBD indica heavy and I'd like to get obviously the most out of this plant.

Since it's such a small space I worry about any lighting that puts off too much heat, which is why I was looking at LED. But I've also been reading that even a couple CFLs that are properly placed might be good enough to get max yield from a plant.

I would have posted under the stick thread but it appears to be locked at the moment.
Click to expand...
Such a small tent the led light bulbs at the store would be best just buy a whole bunch and be running in an hour
All the leds are the same gahaha
 
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