Any benefits running a LED alongside a HPS light

[Whitehotdog]

Hi guys
Might seem a noob question .but im running a 3x3 tent with 4 plants and a 600w hps light
Would running a small quantum light alongside the hps make any difference to bud quality or would it just be over kill .
Thanks in advance

 

[Slicknick909]

In a 3x3 with the 600w HPS already it would for sure be overkill.

 

[SteveJasmine]

Yes it would definitely be overkill in a tent that small. LEDs do run great in conjunction with HPS though. Have a look in my signature link it has one of my previous grows. I use a combination and it's perfect for me.

 

[Stunned]

I hate to say it but......
Kill the Q

 

[bud kushman]

just curious whats the temp running at in the tent with the hps?

 

[Mars Hydro]

600w HPS is enough for 3x3 tent. You don't need to add another light. That's will be overkill

 

[BudAficionado]

Don’t mean to hijack the thread, but with the 3x3 tent question answered, I will be running a 400w hps beside a Mars Hydro led equivalent in a 4x4 tent, starting tonight. Any thoughts or advice?

 

[seaofgreen18]

Hi guys
Might seem a noob question .but im running a 3x3 tent with 4 plants and a 600w hps light
Would running a small quantum light alongside the hps make any difference to bud quality or would it just be over kill .
Thanks in advance

I recommend if you do that the uv strips for the lower canopy. I tried what you asked I didn't see any difference but there are a lot of other variables other than light you can focus on for quality and yeild as long as you have good QUALITY lighting that is sufficient for coverage

 

[seaofgreen18]

I recommend if you do that the uv strips for the lower canopy. I tried what you asked I didn't see any difference but there are a lot of other variables other than light you can focus on for quality and yeild as long as you have good QUALITY lighting that is sufficient for coverage

Sometimes it can be too much of a good thing because it changes environmental conditions which could create other problems

 

[423]

I use CMH 315 watt and LED 200 watt in a 4x4. It does make some frosty buds.
In a 3x3 600 watt MH is gona be tough on its own, because of height and heat.

 

[seaofgreen18]

I use CMH 315 watt and LED 200 watt in a 4x4. It does make some frosty buds.
In a 3x3 600 watt MH is gona be tough on its own, because of height and heat.

I use the 2/630 CMH dimmable Good Quality light for veg and Early flower about 2 w/3 weeks in then I switch to 3/gavita ssodium dimmable for late flower and finishing I'm growing in the basement in a 4×8 grass roots fabric bed living soil I got my lights on a mover plenty of coverage but I also do training through 1 net and for weight I add a second net I don't top my plants anymore I can only fit 4 plants in that space anyways they outgrow the bed if I let them get to big before I flower

 

[Emilya Green]

Hi guys
Might seem a noob question .but im running a 3x3 tent with 4 plants and a 600w hps light
Would running a small quantum light alongside the hps make any difference to bud quality or would it just be over kill .
Thanks in advance

The problem with most LED lights is that they have to be run a lot closer to the canopy than an HPS. So if you have an HPS up around 36" away and you then install an LED array under it, you have just created a huge shadow in the HPS light, trying to replace it with what is coming out of the LED. You will end up with less light on the plants and a whole lot of unused HPS light being blocked and creating heat while doing very little for the grow.

HPS is great light... and 600w of it in a 3x3 is better than a lot of LED arrays can accomplish. The only reasons I got away from HPS and MH was the cost as compared to LED, and the heat. If it wasn't for more than 2x the cost to operate, I would still run HID.

 

[seaofgreen18]

The problem with most LED lights is that they have to be run a lot closer to the canopy than an HPS. So if you have an HPS up around 36" away and you then install an LED array under it, you have just created a huge shadow in the HPS light, trying to replace it with what is coming out of the LED. You will end up with less light on the plants and a whole lot of unused HPS light being blocked and creating heat while doing very little for the grow.

HPS is great light... and 600w of it in a 3x3 is better than a lot of LED arrays can accomplish. The only reasons I got away from HPS and MH was the cost as compared to LED, and the heat. If it wasn't for more than 2x the cost to operate, I would still run HID.

For me the upfront cost to invest in a led is Scarry I'm scared to try led for flower , veg is ok I have a couple Next light cores I love those lights for clones and beans and Early veg but myself I've found what I pay in electric is more than offset with the yield and quality I really like the controllers on my lights with the sunrise/sunset function and the dimmable capabilities and auto dim and I can piggy back the ballasts as well I do know some LEDs have the same capibilities and but like I said I've never tried led in flower and in a tent I can see where excessive heat is an issue so I can understand that plus I never researched LEDs to closely now remember I started growing when the T12 fluorescents were about the only lights we had other than an old factory MH And sodium ballasts they were separate lights HEAVY and LOUD and No resources for beans or equipment or any knowledge when things went BAD!!! WOW thing's have came a long ways since then!

 

[bluter]

I use the 2/630 CMH dimmable Good Quality light for veg and Early flower about 2 w/3 weeks in then I switch to 3/gavita ssodium dimmable for late flower and finishing I'm growing in the basement in a 4×8 grass roots fabric bed living soil I got my lights on a mover plenty of coverage but I also do training through 1 net and for weight I add a second net I don't top my plants anymore I can only fit 4 plants in that space anyways they outgrow the bed if I let them get to big before I flower

how old is the set up ? it sounds really similar to some of the systems we used to run.

keep an eye on that mover. i've yet to see a mover that hasn't failed, i've known growers who lost everything due to a mover. one even wound up in jail for two yrs after the fire. local hydro shops won't sell movers. after my own close call i'll never trust a mover. i'm not sure they are even legal here now.

not knocking your light choice. the gavitas are good lights. gavita itself has moved from hid into led now. they plan on ending all hid production soon. maybe as soon as this yr. get a pile of bulbs if you plan on keeping them.

For me the upfront cost to invest in a led is Scarry

up front costs used to be ridiculous. most decent rigs are less than half of what they went for 5 yrs ago and are approaching hid in initial cost now. equivalent led rigs that were over a grand are now $450 or less.

at the same time the gavita hid rigs have dropped by nearly half as the vendors clear them out. the power cost savings on a led run evens the price difference on the first grow usually. from there you are only going ahead.

I'm scared to try led for flower ,

it does take some getting used to. no lie. after a couple three grows most would never go back. we ran a mix of hid and led for years, and there can be a difference. the relative lack of heat took a bit for us to get used to, it changes grow style a little.

veg is ok I have a couple Next light cores I love those lights for clones and beans and Early veg but myself I've found what I pay in electric is more than offset with the yield and quality I really like the controllers on my lights with the sunrise/sunset function and the dimmable capabilities and auto dim and I can piggy back the ballasts as well I do know some LEDs have the same capibilities

those capabilities are now more closely associated with led. you must have gotten a late hid system, as those features would have required digital ballasts. we ran both old magnetics and a few digitals, but never had those choices til we jumped into led. yours sound really nice.

even if your leds don't come with the capability built in, it is not hard to add it in later. a lot of modern led also offers multiple dimming techs, so you can choose which type of control you prefer.

and but like I said I've never tried led in flower and in a tent I can see where excessive heat is an issue so I can understand that plus I never researched LEDs to closely now remember I started growing when the T12 fluorescents were about the only lights we had other than an old factory MH And sodium ballasts they were separate lights HEAVY and LOUD and No resources for beans or equipment or any knowledge when things went BAD!!! WOW thing's have came a long ways since then!

t12's and t5's is where i started too. i used to think i was the hot shit with them lol

 

[seaofgreen18]

I've had the mover for along time I matiantence the wheels and trac and you gotta be careful where the cord hangs but other than that I use it to keep the hotspots down and perimeter shadows down as for my light's the core is 5 years old and my sunsystems are 3 same as my Gavitas I run controllers on both as far as led goes like I said it's less inexpensive this way for me because it's cheaper to replace a ballast and bulbs than it is a LED unit say a strip fails or one of the drivers.
Heat not so much an issue I run my lights at night in the early spring to early summer and by time that harvest is depleted a little my fall harvest is ready and even after I help my patients (I'm a caregiver) I still have alot left over so....... Light's is just one aspect of it if you don't have the rest right it doesn't matter what lights you have they won't produce QUALITY or YEILD!

 

[seaofgreen18]

I also believe that the LEC and HID's are more replicable of the sun and it's spectrums that is what we are trying to do is mimic mother nature

 

[seaofgreen18]

I also run my mover on a timer so it goes off and on with the lights

 

[seaofgreen18]

I seen the gavitas LEDs I was interested but I'll wait and see if they quit making the HID's and I didn't think you were criticizing My set up it's ALL GOOD I like the candidness I'm The same way one day I'll come around but I'm pretty set in my ways

 

[seaofgreen18]

I started These this spring under LED just had to harden them off before I put them out

 

[seaofgreen18]

Ok I won't tie up this thread any with my rambling