Higher watt LED or lower HPS?

[HugePeckerhead]

So I'm getting ready to order another light tomorrow. I'll be starting a white widow grow in the next few weeks. ( whenever the seeds arrive ) . I've been looking through grow journals and doing some.research of my own. My question is am I better going down the road let's say a 1000w LED OR LIKE A 300 OR 600 hps? My grow space is around 3ft wide by 7 ft long by 9 ft high. It's an indoor grow as well may I add that.

 

[TorturedSoul]

You won't find a 300-watt HPS, lol. 250-watt, 400-watt, 600-watt, and 1,000-watt HPS grow light setups exist (along with 150-watt ones, the occasional 70-watt size that someone put together and - very rarely - a 750-watt or 1,500h watt setup).

There are 315-watt ceramic metal halide grow lights.

Any LED grow light you see advertised as a "1,000w" one will almost certainly be an example of the false advertising that is rampant in the industry, and likely only something in the 200-watt to 450-watt range.

Your grow space is 21 square feet. For best results, aim for at least 50 watts per square foot, and try to make sure the footprint (shape of the light spread) of your combination of lights matches the shape of your grow space so that the bulk of the light will be hitting your plants instead of your walls.

While, technically, one 1,000-watt HPS would almost meet the minimum lighting requirements for a grow space of that size, you would be far better off with two 600-watt HPS lights. They're more efficient and you'll be able to come closer to matching the shape of your hope space. And that would be enough light for a happy harvest.

You could also use some form of (multiple) LED lighting. One COB per square foot, each being driven at 50 watts, for example.

But you'd probably find a pair of 600-watt HPS to be cheaper. And they are pretty good at penetrating into a canopy. Mount the ballasts outside of the grow space, use high quality air cooled reflectors, and - if possible - use a separate exhaust fan and duct run just for the lights. If you set it up to bring air in from outside the grow space, pass it through the air cooled reflectors, and back out of the grow space, then your won't need a carbon filter on that run because that air will never come in contact with the general grow space environment. This can allow you to run a smaller exhaust fan for the actual grow space, since it won't need to move nearly as much air as would be the case if you were trying to both cool/ventilate the grow space and cool your lighting with the same fan and duct run. You would be able to get by with a smaller carbon filter, too, since it would have much less air moving through it. And, because of that and because the air that did pass through it would be much cooler, your carbon filter should last significantly longer.

 

[Bush Doctor 77]

I've got a reflector that holds a 400W HPS and a 400W MH bulb. I veg under 400w MH, and flower under both. Very productive

 

[HugePeckerhead]

You won't find a 300-watt HPS, lol. 250-watt, 400-watt, 600-watt, and 1,000-watt HPS grow light setups exist (along with 150-watt ones, the occasional 70-watt size that someone put together and - very rarely - a 750-watt or 1,500h watt setup).

There are 315-watt ceramic metal halide grow lights.

Any LED grow light you see advertised as a "1,000w" one will almost certainly be an example of the false advertising that is rampant in the industry, and likely only something in the 200-watt to 450-watt range.

Your grow space is 21 square feet. For best results, aim for at least 50 watts per square foot, and try to make sure the footprint (shape of the light spread) of your combination of lights matches the shape of your grow space so that the bulk of the light will be hitting your plants instead of your walls.

While, technically, one 1,000-watt HPS would almost meet the minimum lighting requirements for a grow space of that size, you would be far better off with two 600-watt HPS lights. They're more efficient and you'll be able to come closer to matching the shape of your hope space. And that would be enough light for a happy harvest.

You could also use some form of (multiple) LED lighting. One COB per square foot, each being driven at 50 watts, for example.

But you'd probably find a pair of 600-watt HPS to be cheaper. And they are pretty good at penetrating into a canopy. Mount the ballasts outside of the grow space, use high quality air cooled reflectors, and - if possible - use a separate exhaust fan and duct run just for the lights. If you set it up to bring air in from outside the grow space, pass it through the air cooled reflectors, and back out of the grow space, then your won't need a carbon filter on that run because that air will never come in contact with the general grow space environment. This can allow you to run a smaller exhaust fan for the actual grow space, since it won't need to move nearly as much air as would be the case if you were trying to both cool/ventilate the grow space and cool your lighting with the same fan and duct run. You would be able to get by with a smaller carbon filter, too, since it would have much less air moving through it. And, because of that and because the air that did pass through it would be much cooler, your carbon filter should last significantly longer.

Ok i havent even begun to read this yet but i can tell its very in depth. Thank you as is break it down.

 

[HugePeckerhead]

I should have added that i dont plan on uaing the entire space with the white widows ill be starting when they arrive " first ordwr grow ever " the way the closet is i can cut the space down in half length whys which is what ill be doing for the grow and gradually getting bigger as each grow comes along. Money is the major factor in this case as im sure it is for a few people. But I'm think I'm going to go down the LED lights path for now. 2 things that factor in is the bill each month on top of needing to run multiple cooling systems as I'm in dead summer here in the states. I know I can reverse run the light.....lights on at night etc. Since this is my very first serious grow I think I'm just gonna run a 1000w LED with smaller panels on the side if needed. When the plants get big enough I can always add another big LED if needed. One thing I didn't even consider was all the cooling systems I'd need to run just to battle heat.

 

[Chris Scorpio]

1000w led is really like 240w from the wall, keep that in mind
So a 400w HPS/mh is much better

Do u have budget issues? Heat issues? Both, neither?

Hps is hot, led can get real hot too

Look into QB lights, or Quantum Boards. But more $$$ but we'll worth it and also the newest and best, in my opinion, technology

Lights are by far the most important purchase you will make, don't skimp if you can

I've tried em all, wasted lots of Money, learn from my mistakes...lol

 

[HugePeckerhead]

Right now it's a budget issue. I plan on going much larger and better set ups as I get a grow or 2 in. So basically just need something strong enough to get me through a small grow or 2 in. I should also add it would be for late veg and flowering as I turned large wooden toy box into a grow box for seedlings. I try to keep 3 or 4 in each stage so I'm getting a continuous cycle. I'm in the states where we run 90 degrees F daily with super nasty humidity.I have an air conditioner going too during the days to keep me between 70-80 but average around 70. I think I'm gonna go with the LED for right now and as I gain more experience I'll switch to the HPS lights and maybe run led vertically along the walls. I just chopp ed a male down and moved my 3 smaller ones from the box and transplanted them into 1gallon containers. Please take in account I've been a smoker all my life and now I'm closing in on my 40s I think it's time to grow my own.

 

[Gazoo]

LOW BUDGET see Craigs list

 

[HugePeckerhead]

LOW BUDGET see Craigs list

Believe it or not I was just checking offer up then was gonna try Craigslist next. Thanks for the tip

 

[Gazoo]

Believe it or not I was just checking offer up then was gonna try Craigslist next. Thanks for the tip

Search "grow" or "hydroponic" & maybe "Garden"

 

[HugePeckerhead]

Thanks. Sadly nothing really turned up in my search. There were some decent ones but with shipping I can go on eBay or Amazon and get the same thing same price but with a warranty if it breaks immediately or not working properly. I just bought a Mars Hydro 300w as well as a 800w unbranded. The unbranded though will be wall panels most likely. I'll be tinkering around with it over the next few days. Once my seeds arrive I'll be starting a grow journal and once I complete and come back down to earth I'll start looking into more advanced setups.

 

[HugePeckerhead]

this is my basic current set up

 

[TorturedSoul]

LOW BUDGET see Craigs list

Yeah, no doubt. I see 400-watt HPS and MH security lights regularly, $25 OBO. Not the best reflectors, and C&C ballasts instead of dimmable electronic ones - but spend a few minutes "remoting" the ballast, pop in a cheap but decent new bulb, and grow half a pound (or more).

Or spend too much for a cheap blurple that has the power supply built in, grow a few ounces in a hot box, buy another one (or two), realize how much you hate sellers who misadvertise wattages... And that a watt of light inside an enclosed space produces about the same amount of heat regardless of what color the light is, lol.

There are a few LED companies that have learned it's better to be honest. Some have great products but they're proceed accordingly. Others are pretty cheap but, surprisingly, okay products for the price. The new TS and SP series from (forum sponsor) Mars Hydro would be an example of the latter - not the best in existence but not bad, and relatively inexpensive. Can get slightly higher efficiency with a product that uses the newest diodes from Samsung, but the price will probably be more than slightly higher.

Or you can build your own LED setup; every cannabis-related forum in existence has lots of threads that demonstrate how.

The main thing is to match your lighting to your space. And to read a thread about light reflectivity, lol, before deciding what to cover your walls with. And to know that, with good lighting, temperatures in the mid-80s are FINE, it's just people who can't seem to provide enough light who seem to have issues below 87F. And...

 

[HugePeckerhead]

Yeah, no doubt. I see 400-watt HPS and MH security lights regularly, $25 OBO. Not the best reflectors, and C&C ballasts instead of dimmable electronic ones - but spend a few minutes "remoting" the ballast, pop in a cheap but decent new bulb, and grow half a pound (or more).

Or spend too much for a cheap blurple that has the power supply built in, grow a few ounces in a hot box, buy another one (or two), realize how much you hate sellers who misadvertise wattages... And that a watt of light inside an enclosed space produces about the same amount of heat regardless of what color the light is, lol.

There are a few LED companies that have learned it's better to be honest. Some have great products but they're proceed accordingly. Others are pretty cheap but, surprisingly, okay products for the price. The new TS and SP series from (forum sponsor) Mars Hydro would be an example of the latter - not the best in existence but not bad, and relatively inexpensive. Can get slightly higher efficiency with a product that uses the newest diodes from Samsung, but the price will probably be more than slightly higher.

Or you can build your own LED setup; every cannabis-related forum in existence has lots of threads that demonstrate how.

The main thing is to match your lighting to your space. And to read a thread about light reflectivity, lol, before deciding what to cover your walls with. And to know that, with good lighting, temperatures in the mid-80s are FINE, it's just people who can't seem to provide enough light who seem to have issues below 87F. And...

Thanks for the in depth answer. Since I'm new to growing I didn't wanna go bat shit crazy on the highest and best stuff. Like I said....Once I get a decent grow or 2 in I'll then start looking to upgrade my equipment and working with different techniques to the grow. I didn't want to overwhelm myself right off the back as well. And a side note....my fiancee was kinda against me growing at first but once she seen them getting bigger and watching me study up she started to get involved as well.....to the point where's she looking through bud pics saying oooo grow this one or that one. I'm new to all this so once I lose my growing virginity I'll then move up to bigger things haha.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Lol, now she's got you over a barrel. Better hurry up and give her the second ring of the set.

Best of luck to you! Er... with the plants, too .

 

[HugePeckerhead]

Haha yea she's a keeper. Thanks again and the best of luck to you as well. It's good to know there's people out there that will break things down to you with such precise details as well.