sgarcata

Hey there... by way of introduction: I'm a senior living in Humboldt County and getting things set up an indoor 215 grow: soil, Clean Green certified (same criteria as USDA organic), in beds, not pots... I've got three rooms that my son had previously set up: one is 10' x 10' with a separate 8' x 10' veg / clone room; the other is 11' x 15' with an area for a watering barrel and a laundry sink + shelves. The ducting and filters are in place, but no lights yet. Both are separate from the house. The climate here is relatively mild with high humidity... lots of rain in the winter; dry in the summer, but rarely gets above 75F; closer to 45F in the winter so heat build-up is not a concern here, but PM is a constant battle. I'm a huge fan of LED lights and in my recent home renovation I've installed LED lighting everywhere; even in lamps and ceiling fixtures, mostly dimmable. I have only 2 fixtures that are non-LED, and that is just because I haven't got around to switching them out from what they came with... even my landscape lighting is all LED. Thus I got here via growmau5's youtube videos in my search for LED grow light options. Although I've spent a few years looking over my son's shoulder, this will be my first solo grow. I'm honestly a little daunted by the cost of the LED option (even as DIY) since I can get 650/750 flex Gavitas locally for $400 each (without bulbs). Plus I only know of one grower in this area who has an LED experiment going... lots of old-timers and naysayers about LED. I am dubious about buying commercial LED fixtures because (1) cost and (2) quality and whether they are built with my needs in mind. I've spent a huge amount of time on this site and watching greengene's and growmau5's videos... I think with a little help I can put them together as I did all the specs and most of the wiring for the LED strips all over my kitchen (inside cabinets, underneath cabinets over cabinets, in clerestory openings, etc.) but I'm still fretting over the cost and the lack of experience with them in this area and a little over the need for tapping and soldering (never done tapping and totally suck at soldering). I have an EV (Volt) that is already set up with the power company so my rates are good (for California, which are ridiculously high relatively to other adjacent states like OR and AZ). Glad to be joining you and appreciate all the friendly, thorough advice... pretty incredible resource IMO... many thanks for that.