Cheapest light I can use for vegging?

[Grassmaster]

HPS are really inefficient, they waste a lot of energy and make a lot of heat

HPS can be had for less money. CMH is probably better. HPS is more efficient than many LED's out there. My COB LED's I currently use are more efficient than anything.

 

[Grassmaster]

My current super skunk and OG kush COB grow.

Only using 200 watts

 

[TorturedSoul]

I use a 60x60cm tent with four of these strips, one in each corner

That's a pretty inefficient way to use your lighting. Why not orient them horizontally instead of vertically, so they'll be closer to parallel to the leaves. Won't fit that way?

HPS are really inefficient

Arguably true. Which has left many people scratching their heads at the great yields they produce .

and make a lot of heat

Yep, approximately 3.412141633 BTU/hr, which is pretty much the same as other artificial light sources using currently available technology, for all intents and purposes, within an enclosed space. You've got to consider two factors - the heat that the device produces, and that produced when the photons the device outputs strike objects in that enclosed space. It all balances out in the wash.

 

[Dogwash]

That's a pretty inefficient way to use your lighting. Why not orient them horizontally instead of vertically, so they'll be closer to parallel to the leaves. Won't fit that way?

The tent is 120cm tall and I grow from seed

If I hung em from the top they would be too far away and/or use too many ratchet hangers

This way allows a nice gentle bath of blue ish light all around & low down where the seedlings are - I'm more keen on bushy sideways growth rather than vertical as I grow SCROG so this approach is perfect

The strips are about 50cm long so the majority of the light is above the seedlings

I've experimented with corner strips in my main tent but after a few cycles decided it was inefficient placing of the LEDs and changed to hang em up top with the 2 x 315w CFLs

 

[Dogwash]

IMG_20190625_194601.jpg

• Dogwash
• Jun 25, 2019

Triple cheese seedlings in veg tent

Here's my veg tent with the side led strips

There's two triple cheese a few weeks old and four triple cheese about a week if that

 

[Grassmaster]

Don't get CFLs. They have been replaced with identical LEDs that are up to %70 more efficient and %50 cheaper

This is not a CFL, this is an E40 (same as HiD) connection with an LED in its place.

Its 65watts and is as efficient as a 200w CFL.
Costs about 30 bucks, but you can get even cheaper smaller ones that connect to a regular E27 lamp (edison screw) that are used in most modern homes.
They cost about 15 bucks, use 35w and replace the old 130w CFLs.
Just like chips, lighting is also benefiting from nano tech.

I don't know if this is exactly the same light but it is similar. worse than a CFL. This circular design is no good for plants because half the light produced goes up into the reflector. Instead of all the light pointed directly at the plants. Just because they are LED's doesn't mean they are more efficient.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Well, I've seen dumber things - but they were usually inside someone's skull .

 

[Bud]

The cheapest to run in veg is T8 floresent with blue tubes, very gentle and cheeeeep . Imo