how many plants under HLG 550 LED in a 5x5ft tent

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
There is no maximum number. Its all about filling the canopy of that space. That could be 70 plants in a SOG or 1 plant in a Scrog.
If you have light hitting the floor when you switch to 12/12 then you have wasted space.

The more plants the less veg time and the more harvests a year.
This :)
 

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
What ever you do you cant grow dope outa the floorboards ;)

Do what ever you have to to maximize your area

Youll learn after a few grows of what you like

But like most youll probably change your grow style 5 times before you find something you like and runit for a few years then youll go on the hunt looking for new ways

Its a vicious cycle lol
 

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
Its all a numbers game with pros and cons

Do you have the facility to grow lots of clones for a sog... do you want to have to veg for longer then a month for a scrog?
Ect ect

Good luck :)
 

skorpio777

Member
Retired Guerrilla explained it pretty well or do a search. There are lots of posts on them. Its basically putting as many plants in the room as possible and growing the main cola only. It is the most productive growing method. I haven't done it so I'm not the one to advise you on it.
Lots of work watering them but this also allows you to rotate the plants at the sides of the room/tent into the centre and vise versa.


5 x 5 is a decent size. You may lose some space around the outside for dehumidifiers, Humidifiers fans etc. But you should be aiming for a pound dry. This is easily achievable and less than a G per W. Once you have done that then you can aspire for larger numbers as you dial in your room and your system.

And ill reiterate, the HLG 550 will do your 5 x 5 tent esp so if you are rotating plants. If someone is insinuating that HLG are not trustworthy then they would be in the minority on this site. I'm no expert on HLG gear and maybe i'm wrong so lets tag someone who can help your HLG550 in a 5 x 5 tent dilemma and K rating choices for a veg and flower light (personally id look at a mixed spectrum) since Tim keeps going back to lights debates as he has a tendency to do. @Stephenj37826 @CobKits
thanks mate great advise
but im using a wilma hydro system , wouldnt it be a complete bollocks to move/circulate outer pots/plants around in there under a SCROG net ?
 

skorpio777

Member
Its all a numbers game with pros and cons

Do you have the facility to grow lots of clones for a sog... do you want to have to veg for longer then a month for a scrog?
Ect ect

Good luck :)
im a beginner just doing my homework so time will tell but ive made some real fuckups allready buying gear on the advise from manufacturers and people who only want to sell me something.
thanks anyway
 

Lucky Luke

Well-Known Member
thanks mate great advise
but im using a wilma hydro system , wouldnt it be a complete bollocks to move/circulate outer pots/plants around in there under a SCROG net ?
you cannot move plants under a scrog. SOG you can. You could set up Wilma pots (I admit I have no idea what they are) and leave them and surround them with other pots (probably a drain to waste medium like perlite/vermiculite or clay balls etc, ect for ease of mixing nutes.) and move those around.

I re- read the thread earlier and see Stephen for HLG already emailed you and said the light was fine for the tent. he does know what he is doing and talking about. I'm not a fan of his over seas postage costs as he may be well aware but he is trust worthy.
 

skorpio777

Member
you cannot move plants under a scrog. SOG you can. You could set up Wilma pots (I admit I have no idea what they are) and leave them and surround them with other pots (probably a drain to waste medium like perlite/vermiculite or clay balls etc, ect for ease of mixing nutes.) and move those around.

I re- read the thread earlier and see Stephen for HLG already emailed you and said the light was fine for the tent. he does know what he is doing and talking about. I'm not a fan of his over seas postage costs as he may be well aware but he is trust worthy.
thanks luke, the wilma is a hydro dripper system ( https://www.hydroculture.co.uk/wilma-systems )
 

skorpio777

Member
I lie..he uses a vermiculite and perlite mix... No idea why he ended up hand watering..
again i was advised by local grow shop and a friend to invest in the wilma system even though they are not easy to use for beginners like me .
maybe i will sell the bloody thing and go with hand watering that will do away with reading PH and EH levels etc . im thinking to use the SOG method for more plants then i really must do away with the dripper system or keep it untill i find my feet a few grows down the line ?

anyone to advise me on this .

but regarding lights im dead set on using the HLG 550 or the HLG 600H for sure !!!!!
 

Lucky Luke

Well-Known Member
no mater what system you use PH will have to be learnt and understanding EC is a benefit but maybe not a necessity.....

Just get in and grow, don't over think it and don't expect the first few runs to be perfect. If cannabis required lots of work and worry to grow it, people like me and Tim wouldn't have time to banter...

When you ask for advise you will get lots of conflicting info. But 60% of the responders will be talking with experience/knowledge and may conflict with each other. Your job is to pick what may work for you and which one's you need to ignore.

You will be fine- us older peeps did it without the internet.....
 
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Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
Check your girls at least 2 times a day as a noob
And youll grow fine plants

Like luke said ph is important

I say 2 times cause a lot can go bad in 12 that would be disater in 24 ;)

Coco and rockwool are great ways to get into it as well but you already have a wilma so just get er done :) quicker you get the grows under your belt the faster youll learn to read the plants .
And learn your system.

Just my 2 (beware my 2 only may be worth 13/4)
 

Tim1987

Well-Known Member
again i was advised by local grow shop and a friend to invest in the wilma system even though they are not easy to use for beginners like me .
maybe i will sell the bloody thing and go with hand watering that will do away with reading PH and EH levels etc . im thinking to use the SOG method for more plants then i really must do away with the dripper system or keep it untill i find my feet a few grows down the line ?

anyone to advise me on this .

but regarding lights im dead set on using the HLG 550 or the HLG 600H for sure !!!!!
If you're in touch with the guy from hlg.
Just ask him. Tell him no bullshit. That you'll spend the extra $$. But that you want the best coverage, and spread, for your 5X5, and 10 pot Wilma.
Give him the information, you've given us.
Be straight up, and firm with him, on what you want, and need.
I think he'll give you a much better idea, and better help, than any of us can give here.
Just tell him not to bullshit you. Not in those words. But you know what I'm saying. :peace::peace:
Ask him about the spectrum too. Since either way, you're gonna have a short veg.




I highly recommend getting a wet/dry vacuum too. I think it's one of the best, investments for my grows, I ever made.



Good luck in your purchase.
 

Flowki

Well-Known Member
guys , im stuck in a 5x5 space, that 5x5 indoor tent dictates everything from lights to how many plants, as i say i would love to put 16 plants in that 5x5
That hlg will be absolutely fine, just mess with the height till you see good cover. You should not run 5x5 anyway, make it 4x4 with a gap all around the edges for lower to upper canopy air and heat flow. You get more yield and quality from a smaller more stable environment than the opposite. Depending on strain a half decent grower will pull 15 to 20 ounce from 4x4.

Sog will be a nightmare for you to run. You may run into root bound issues, that many pots depending on size will be a pain to water +waste removal unless you know what you are doing.

My opinion is to forget the hydro pots, you have a lot else going on with ought the trouble of root rot and endless other issues it will likely bring. At your current experience 9 three gal pots in coco will be the safest quickest way to fill 4x4. Give the plants the space they need around the edges and also give them just an inch or two gaps in the canopy space between each other, that will reduce stretching by competition. The nodes will stay compact to make big buds, the plants will have good air flow for root temps, co2 uptake and rot reduction.

Read up on nutes and how they work in coco, get a decent simple line with no additives. Most additives do 0 for yield if not make things worse. N-P-K, calcium, mag, sulfur and micro nutrients are all you need to hit 15-20 ounce in a 4x4. Not the best quality but if you can't reach those numbers with the basic elements then something is off, you will fuck it up by mixing in lots of other shit.

Off the top of my head an enzyme product may be the only additive, if I can call it that, to look into.
 
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Driver733

Well-Known Member
I have the HLG-550 V2RSpec in a 4x4 tent and it is plenty of amazing light. However, if I had a 5x5 tent and I could afford it, I would buy the HLG-650 for a couple hundred more. The 550 would be fine but why not have as much light as possible? You can always dim it.

Make sure you pay attention to ph and nutrients, whether you stay in hydro or use soil, especially ph. I was shocked to discover my tap water ph = 8+ which is way too high, it was fine at first but once I started feeding nutrients I had some issues. I flushed and got my ph in line and things are going well now.

Strawberry Amnesia from seed, 11 days into flower:20200721_094332.jpg
20200721_094303.jpg
 

nc208

Well-Known Member
I have the HLG-550 V2RSpec in a 4x4 tent and it is plenty of amazing light. However, if I had a 5x5 tent and I could afford it, I would buy the HLG-650 for a couple hundred more. The 550 would be fine but why not have as much light as possible? You can always dim it.

Make sure you pay attention to ph and nutrients, whether you stay in hydro or use soil, especially ph. I was shocked to discover my tap water ph = 8+ which is way too high, it was fine at first but once I started feeding nutrients I had some issues. I flushed and got my ph in line and things are going well now.

Strawberry Amnesia from seed, 11 days into flower:View attachment 4633721
View attachment 4633717
This threads over 2 years old, I hope the OP has sorted out the purchase already.
 

Driver733

Well-Known Member
I do 6 plants under two 550s
Awesome! How close do you let the canopy get to the light? I don't want to burn them, I've only got an 80" high tent and after stretching for 2 weeks, I have about 26" left between the light and the canopy, hopefully they don't stretch too much more. I think I can push it to 20 or even 18" what do you think? How are your yields? Also, have you noticed if the plants flower any faster under the 550? I read on the HLG web site that it can reduce the time in flower by up to 2 weeks, hard to believe, although the growth has been fantastic so far. This is my first led grow after years of HPS and MH. The lack of heat plus the intensity of light and low power consumption is just incredible. I am really impressed with this light and look forward to many more grows. Thank you.
 
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