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

hi guys
what would be best suited for inside my 5x5ft tent , im thinking of buying the HLG 550 LED. then again i may buy a different light/s. the size of my indoor tent dictates everything as i only have 5x5ft max i can use.

im growing white widow in hydro using a 10 pot x 6 litre wilma system.

so yea its a 10 pot wilma system in a 5x5 tent but i was thinking of squeezing another 6-10 plants inside there or am i being way too greedy here ? what really is the maximum number plants i can put inside .

need your expert opinions please like what would you do / recommend
cheers !!

Unless you're trying to do a commercial type of turnover with a SOG and need to fill every sq/in of space, I'd be hard pressed to run more than 9. Things will get really cramped with more than that with any decent sized plants.

I ran the hlg550 for quite some time. They are Amazing I’m custom cobs now. But how many depending on what your medium your using ie:dwc I would put 4 lol. 5 max soilless like the good man GBAUT said 9. Those will fill that space pretty tight.!!!!

ok, well i was told by my local grow shop that the wilma 10 pot would go nicely in there , so 10 pots and 10 plants,
seems im still making mistakes and listening to people who just want me to buy their equipment .

white widow is one of the smaller strains anyway.

I've got a 3x2 space that "could" hold 3 plants. But that would be rather tight. So I've only got two in it. Each plant has about a foot and a half of space to do their thing. And that seems to be about right for canopy management.

Got 4 Oz off of a box with only 1.5 sq ft of space last time.

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.

GBAUTO said:

Unless you're trying to do a commercial type of turnover with a SOG and need to fill every sq/in of space, I'd be hard pressed to run more than 9. Things will get really cramped with more than that with any decent sized plants.

Click to expand...

This ^^^^^

Also. I know it's not the question, and I don't want to steer you away from your purchase. But, you may want to consider something more powerful than a hlg550 in a 5X5.
Or I suppose, you could use two.
According to their PAR chart. I wouldn't want any larger than a 3X3. Itd have to be a tall one too.
They're advertising 6X6 for veg. 4.5 X 4.5 for flower.
Although the PAR chart on the same page, tells a very different story. See how much PAR is instantly lost past 3X3?
The coverage, and spread is no good IMHO. You'll need over $3000 for two.
IMHO. The hlg550 would probably be best, as a 4X4 veg. 3X3 flower.
The reason I say you'll need a tall space too. Is because it's the intensity of the light up close that's comparable to a 1000watt hid. Not the coverage.
I'm not knocking the lights. But don't believe what the sellers say for a second.

https://www.quickbloomlights.com.au/products/the-hlg-550-led-grow-light-replace-a-1000-watt-hid-with-510-w

Here's the link

Tim1987 said:

https://www.quickbloomlights.com.au/products/the-hlg-550-led-grow-light-replace-a-1000-watt-hid-with-510-w

Here's the link

Click to expand...

That's with no reflection...OP is in a tent.
Lights fine for that space.

Why turn this into another light debate? Go to her prev thread and debate it their were the debate already happened. https://www.rollitup.org/t/lighting-the-truth-the-facts.960444/

Lucky Luke said:

That's with no reflection...OP is in a tent.
Lights fine for that space.

Why turn this into another light debate? Go to her prev thread and debate it their were the debate already happened. https://www.rollitup.org/t/lighting-the-truth-the-facts.960444/

Click to expand...

Please dude. A light debate is not my intention.
I'm sick of them too.
I didn't mention the type of light op should purchase at all. Not even going there mate.
That chart is representive of the spread, at a particular height. Tent or no tent. It's a lot of par concentration in the center.
I stated that in my opinion, a smaller tent would be more appropriate.
Probably even a 3.5 X 3.5 would be nice.
That's all I was saying.

Please don't respond. I don't even want to go there.
It was advice that's all.

Tim1987 said:

Please dude. A light debate is not my intention.
.
That chart is representive of the spread, at a particular height. Tent or no tent.
It was advice that's all.

Click to expand...

Look at the chart again and the words underneath them...it says..chart done in open area and then states more with a reflective surface... Tent makes a big difference.

skorpio777 said:

hi guys
what would be best suited for inside my 5x5ft tent , im thinking of buying the HLG 550 LED. then again i may buy a different light/s. the size of my indoor tent dictates everything as i only have 5x5ft max i can use.

im growing white widow in hydro using a 10 pot x 6 litre wilma system.

so yea its a 10 pot wilma system in a 5x5 tent but i was thinking of squeezing another 6-10 plants inside there or am i being way too greedy here ? what really is the maximum number plants i can put inside .

need your expert opinions please like what would you do / recommend
cheers !!

Click to expand...

I would pack as many 2 gallon pots as they space would hold and transplant from solo cups at 7 days and flower them at 10 days. Sea of green method.

As I stated.
Not even going there.
It was advice.
Leave it be dude.

RetiredGuerilla said:

I would pack as many 2 gallon pots as they space would hold and transplant from solo cups at 7 days and flower them at 10 days. Sea of green method.

Click to expand...

Great idea.
More head room.
Better spread.
Love it.

I did a little digging for you OP.
If I was going with a HLG, for a 5X5.
I'd go with the 620watt. Get them to make it.
Seems you can customize the spectrum too.
I'd be inclined to make it all 2700K. So you have a big ass flower light.
Costs 70bucks extra, for pre-made, tested, plus a dimmer. It's a fantastic dimmer to. You can dim from 600 - 60. That is fabulous IMHO.
Hlg specify a 4X4 for this one. Maximum 5X5.
It would allow more flexibility. You could have large plants, or small ones.
You could always go the 3000K. But in your 10 pot Wilma system. I don't think you'll be vegging long.
It's only a 100 or 200 more, than the hlg550 as well.

Here's the link.

https://growerslights.com/products/horticulture-lighting-group-600h-quantum-board-led-kit

Lucky Luke said:

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.

Click to expand...

hi mate and thanks, can you explain a SOG ( sea of green ) but if i go with say 16 WW plants in there how do i use this SOG method ?

Tim1987 said:

This ^^^^^

Also. I know it's not the question, and I don't want to steer you away from your purchase. But, you may want to consider something more powerful than a hlg550 in a 5X5.
Or I suppose, you could use two.
According to their PAR chart. I wouldn't want any larger than a 3X3. Itd have to be a tall one too.
They're advertising 6X6 for veg. 4.5 X 4.5 for flower.
Although the PAR chart on the same page, tells a very different story. See how much PAR is instantly lost past 3X3?
The coverage, and spread is no good IMHO. You'll need over $3000 for two.
IMHO. The hlg550 would probably be best, as a 4X4 veg. 3X3 flower.
The reason I say you'll need a tall space too. Is because it's the intensity of the light up close that's comparable to a 1000watt hid. Not the coverage.
I'm not knocking the lights. But don't believe what the sellers say for a second.

Click to expand...

thanks tim !

thats where i have been going wrong, ive bought a wilma 10 pot system as advised by the local grow shop ( told me that the wilma system would be best for yield & faster too ) what they didnt tell me was that using the wilma is more difficult for a first time grower like me as i need to read PH levels , CO2 & EH levels etc etc etc..... then i was going to buy this HLG 550 " as advised by the manufacturer ( they actually sent me an email to say that the HLG 550 would be great in my 5x5 ft tent ) so they bullshittin me too (((

so , you reckon i can ask HLG to make me a stronger light than the 550 ?

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

skorpio777 said:

thanks tim !

thats where i have been going wrong, ive bought a wilma 10 pot system as advised by the local grow shop ( told me that the wilma system would be best for yield & faster too ) what they didnt tell me was that using the wilma is more difficult for a first time grower like me as i need to read PH levels , CO2 & EH levels etc etc etc..... then i was going to buy this HLG 550 " as advised by the manufacturer ( they actually sent me an email to say that the HLG 550 would be great in my 5x5 ft tent ) so they bullshittin me too (((

so , you reckon i can ask HLG to make me a stronger light than the 550 ?

Click to expand...

I reckon yeah.
Just get a custom jobby, to fit your needs.
3000K, may be better for you than 2700K.
Just do a little digging.


Cheers to you too mate.
No problem at all.

skorpio777 said:

hi mate and thanks, can you explain a SOG ( sea of green ) but if i go with say 16 WW plants in there how do i use this SOG method ?

Click to expand...

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.

skorpio777 said:

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

Click to expand...

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