IYO: What's the optimum amount of wattages to have in a 48"x48"x80" mylar grow tent using LED lights?

[UndercoverCopMuahaha]

Trying to get some good advice and knowledge as I want to upgrade the Tent soon with more power since I will be switching to flowering soon.

Note: Currently have 3 females around a foot tall.

 

[HydroKid239]

650-750W

 

[NukaKola]

30-40w sq ft, so 480-640w of quality white LED’s. With blurples you would want closer to 40-50w sq ft.

 

[Red Eyed]

At minimum 30w/sf is about rule of thumb...

 

[UndercoverCopMuahaha]

At minimum 30w/sf is about rule of thumb...

30-40w sq ft, so 480-640w of quality white LED’s. With blurples you would want closer to 40-50w sq ft.

At minimum 30w/sf is about rule of thumb...

Thanks guys. What would be too much?

 

[Red Eyed]

Thanks guys. What would be too much?

50 and up.....then you are getting in the needing additional CO2.

 

[SpideyManDan]

Dont forget that plants dont see wattages, they see photons of light. Instead of thinking in wattages its best to think in micromoles and PPFD. Unless youre running co2, getting about 1000micromoles to an even area of the tent is optimal.

 

[UndercoverCopMuahaha]

Dont forget that plants dont see wattages, they see photons of light. Instead of thinking in wattages its best to think in micromoles and PPFD. Unless youre running co2, getting about 1000micromoles to an even area of the tent is optimal.

Thanks, looks like I'm buying a ppfd meter now.

 

[UndercoverCopMuahaha]

Last night

 

[SpideyManDan]

Thanks, looks like I'm buying a ppfd meter now.

Lol woah slow down. A lot of times you can get ppfd readings from manufacterers ( only trust the more honest brands tbh) so you don't need a meter. If you do, go with an apogee meter. You might as well go with the best brand when it comes to things like this.

 

[ComfortCreator]

I would want 1500umols available.
If you get efficient LED lighting (2+, preferably 2.5 or more) that means 750 watts at most.

 

[SpideyManDan]

I would want 1500umols available.
If you get efficient LED lighting (2+, preferably 2.5 or more) that means 750 watts at most.

I'm not super familiar with the upper limits, but I know that if you go high enough you will definitely need co2.

 

[7CardBud]

Thanks, looks like I'm buying a ppfd meter now.

The Korona Apple App is pretty damn good. We checked it a the hydro shop and it was within 5% accurate of their MQ-500 rental unit.
800-1000PPFD is the sweet spot.

 

[HydroKid239]

The Korona Apple App is pretty damn good. We checked it a the hydro shop and it was within 5% accurate of their MQ-500 rental unit.
800-1000PPFD is the sweet spot.

I made a thread on that app, but it didn't seem to be a hit.
I paid for the LED par meter add-on and it's was pretty damn close to the manufacturer provided map in the manual.

 

[Doug Dawson]

Trying to get some good advice and knowledge as I want to upgrade the Tent soon with more power since I will be switching to flowering soon.

Note: Currently have 3 females around a foot tall.

IMO with LED you want 35 to 50 watts per square foot. Don't dig too far into par and such, just get a reputable dealers light and you will have a good idea of what the light does. So in your 4x4 space with 16 square feet I would shoot for between 560w to 800w. I have the same size space and use an HLG 600 Rspec, the plants love it and there is not too much heat. That said the HLG is an expensive option, there are many alternatives. I can say this light kills it in this space thought. Gives me 37.5 watts per square foot. Just my opinion.

 

[pulpoinspace]

500w

 

[7CardBud]

I made a thread on that app, but it didn't seem to be a hit.
I paid for the LED par meter add-on and it's was pretty damn close to the manufacturer provided map in the manual.

Ya, I saw that that thread and you became my new personal hero for saving me $500. I was gonna pull the trigger on the Apogee.

I think my very first post was about building a par meter, but I gave up after I couldn't locate a 400nm-700nm band pass filter.

 

[HydroKid239]

Ya, I saw that that thread and you became my new personal hero for saving me $500. I was gonna pull the trigger on the Apogee.

I think my very first post was about building a par meter, but I gave up after I couldn't locate a 400nm-700nm band pass filter.

I'm glad it helped at least 1 person.

 

[Renfro]

If you are talking quality LED lighting then 30 watts per sqft is plenty, 35 is plenty is using CO2 enrichment. If you are using some sorta blurple LED then you may need more like 40 - 50 watts making them rather pointless. You would be better off with a CMH or HPS at that point lol.

Even light distribution and the ability to maintain canopy distance recommended for the LED fixture is critical. Some LED lighting such as the HLG products for example needs to be like 30 inches away from the canopy where other LED lights are designed to be run at 6 inches from the canopy, like the Fluence Spyder 2i for example. So choosing the right light for your space is pretty critical.

 

[GBAUTO]

I use a 480w QB clone fixture in my 4x4 tent that works quite well-edge to edge.
I can also run up to 950 watts of Vero's and F-strips in my 5x5 room, but it's usually too much intensity without supplementing CO2.