CFL and LED?

[jmilly125]

Hello all, I am new to the forums and new to growing all together.
My current setup consists of a 36" x 36" x 72" grow tent with single MarsHydro Mars300 LED Full Spectrum grow light (with a second on the way.)
Whilst chatting with a coworker, he recommended that I add some CFL lights. I stumbled upon an article that had said the CFLs make a huge difference in not only the yield, but in the buds trichome production as well. I also read that CFL's will help your plant become bushier and fuller opposed to growing straight towards the light source.

Long story short, what wattage CFL bulbs and fixtures should I get since the seem so detrimental to the proper lighting setup

 

[Mayne]

Forget those CFLs. The heat is not worth it. When you get the other Light, also get a flood light from Ebay, 50W, but get 1 Cool and 1 Warm at least. They come with plugs, and build a contraption to hold them, in the center if you can, . Just using them as supplemental, because I too also think these lack whites, as to why the nodes are sooooooo short.

 

[Mayne]

Check out amazon, 50w for $19 shipped, with 2 year warranty. They are 5000k, which is what Mars is missing, Maybe 2 of these, one on each side of the grow.

LLT LED FLAT Floodlight 50W,

Worth a try anyways, low heat, low watts, and bright as heck,

 

[Mittin]

You can find all kinds of advice/articles that suggest a certain product will improve your yields. While that may be true, the question is HOW much will it improve....if at all. This relates to all aspects of growing from soil to nutrients to air conditions, to lighting etc etc.

As far as lighting goes, you want about 32 Actual LED watts per square foot. I believe your Mars lights are about 130 Actual watts. So two of them should be good for 4 plants in an 8 square foot area. If you are filling up your entire 3 x 3 tent, you would want more lighting.

My advice would be to just go with your two Mars lights. No need to go All In right off the bat. Growing environment is important...temps, humidity, air flow etc. Lighting is just one aspect. Get in one or two grows and get familiar with your growing conditions before you start spending more money on things that may or may not help.

 

[ChefKimbo]

I bought the 600 version last October, I wasn't happy with the results. I've upgraded to mid power LED panels since then.

If you are at all handy and have some understanding of safe wiring practices, I would recommend you move towards DIY LED lighting. If you can afford some time for an incremental upgrade, take a look at Samsung or Bridgelux LED light strips. IMO the best route to go for a new grower. The 2 drivers in that Mars panel 4-6 led strips and easily give you triple the amount of light you have now. You won't find much info here tho, google search for Bridgelux EB or Samsung strip builds to find a lot of info and help. This is an easy and cheap way to upgrade your lighting incrementally. You wont be disappointed going this route trust me. For your space you will need between 10-14 cfls to veg and flower adequately and probably more fixtures which adds more money. I've been down this road. Save yourself the headache and move into mid power LED options like these and others.

 

[Mars Hydro]

A Mars300 draw power around 135w,for your 36"x36"x72" growing room,you need to add more lights.Usually with LED grow light,if your plants get enough lights,they will give you great result,but the growing condition,method everything matters to th growing result.