LED lights for growing weed?

[aziz]

i know you are not supposed to use standard LEDS to grow weed, but i have a lot of them lying around, so i want to use them to grow. i know, i know, i will get lower yield's. i wanted to know if the lights i have are fit for the task. i have a few 35w=300 bulbs and a lot of 20=150w. i know the 35w ones are good, but what about the 20w ones? i can't find LED that are more than 35w anywhere,( i don't wanna buy them on the internet for personal reasons (growshops overcharge you like hell here, 30 eur for a shitty 35w bulb, yeah thanks but no thanks) this is the setup i was thinking about running.


1 35W=300w (only one because they are really big, and i read that smaller ones are better because you can fit more)
2 20w=150w.
and that's for each plants.the 35 one would be on top and the others on the sides

i have a tent and proper lights to grow weed, but for private reasons i'm unable to use it as of right now.

are LED better than clf for growing weed? (i know specific ones are better, but i'm talking about standard ones that you'd use in your house)

what would be better, many 20w=150 ones, or a few 35=300w?

 

[CrimsonEcho]

Don’t buy into that bs. Light is light. Led bulbs will grow plants and they work well. The distinction between a horticultural led and a normal led bulb is negligible for a hobby grower imho.

Also leds are much better than cfls in every aspect. And 75w for a single plant could even be overkill. I’d start with 1x20 (seedling), 2x20 veg and maybe for bloom you can try 75.

I’m guessing you are limited on space and not looking for kilos of weed in one haul. If a 2x2 just max out at 100-150w and see how that works out. You can always add more. Also if there are diffusers attached to the bulbs you can pop them off to get more light out of them.

 

[aziz]

Don’t buy into that bs. Light is light. Led bulbs will grow plants and they work well. The distinction between a horticultural led and a normal led bulb is negligible for a hobby grower imho.

Also leds are much better than cfls in every aspect. And 75w for a single plant could even be overkill. I’d start with 1x20 (seedling), 2x20 veg and maybe for bloom you can try 75.

I’m guessing you are limited on space and not looking for kilos of weed in one haul. If a 2x2 just max out at 100-150w and see how that works out. You can always add more. Also if there are diffusers attached to the bulbs you can pop them off to get more light out of them.

thanks, i've had so many people telling me that i'm gonna get super small yeilds with leds, i just don't get some people, not everyone wants to spend 200 euros for a light, especally a light smoker like me. it's not that i can't afford em, it's just that i don't see the reason when i can get away with the lights i already have you know, i smoke 2-3 grams per week at most to deal with insomnia, and sometimes to relax.

also, could you tell me what yield i can expect ish from an auto (from royal seeds to be exact), they put some crazy ammounts, but i immagine that's only in absolute optimal conditions.

how much do you think i could get with from each plant with my setup, also outdoors. ( planning my second outdoor grow in april, i'm greek so we a lot of sun ) what can i expect from an auto with, good soil, fertilizer, and watering at the right PH? are those 200 grams that royal seeds claims really duable? considering greek climate is smiliar to that where weed naturally grows?

also what's the best month to plant?
April17° / 9°7 days
May23° / 14°7 days
June27° / 18°5 days
July30° / 20°3 days
August30° / 20°5 days
September25° / 16°5 days
(those are the average, in peak hours temps get to 42 celcius in june, july, agust.)
i actually had issues with taco leaves my last grow, most likely due to the head since i planted kinda late. and i'm growing in a place with a brick floor, so it's gonna be a few degrees hotter than if they were on soil. (could a bigger pot partially solve this issue)?

thanks for the help. and thanks for telling me 75w is enough. i've had people telling me to put 200w worth of leds on one plant lol.

what's a diffuser? i'm not familiar with the term.

i also have 3 other seedlings on their way. could this setup work once they are grown to a decent size? : 35w one in the middle of the 4 of them, 20w on top, and 4 20w on each side of the plants. like this to give you an idea. thanks for all the help much appriciate it.

 

[aziz]

another thing, is alluminium foil good for reflecting light? i wasn't able to find anything else that reflects light.

and sorry for all the questions, i just want my girls to get the best i can give em.

 

[CrimsonEcho]

I don’t think you’ll get that magical 200gr per plant. Not even in Greece. There are many variables. The pheno you get, soil quality, pest problems etc etc. In ideal conditions with co2 ok probable but a far fetched scenario for a newbie. I use 450w for my 4x4 which comes to about 100w for 2x2 and the results are very satisfactory.

For outdoors tho i’m afraid i can’t help you much, i only grow indoors. And i never weigh my stuff because i grow for myself and i really don’t care much about the grams but i never run out of weed and that’s enough for me. Hahah.

Edit; it would be better to get reflective sheets but for a while aluminium would work too. Or you can paint the walls white.

 

[aziz]

I don’t think you’ll get that magical 200gr per plant. Not even in Greece. There are many variables. The pheno you get, soil quality, pest problems etc etc. In ideal conditions with co2 ok probable but far fetched. I use 450w for my 4x4 which comes to about 100w for 2x2 and the results are very satisfactory.

For outdoors tho i’m afraid i can’t help you much, i only grow indoors. And i never weigh my stuff because i grow for myself and i really don’t care much about the grams but i never run out of weed and that’s enough for me. Hahah.

Edit; it would be better to get reflective sheets but for a while aluminium would work too. Or you can paint the walls white.

wow, those are some buds do you have ANY idea ish how many grams you get? i'm thinking about switching to indoors too for an extra layer of safety. thinking about bulding my own grow ten

 

[aziz]

actually, you've convinced me to grow indoors. i'm gonna build a tent this week. just scared of cops with drones and helicopters..

 

[Nunyabiz]

Actually LEDs give the HIGHEST yield per watt.
Has nothing to do with LED, has more to do with whether or not you have a proper spectrum and enough PPFD.
Yes you can do just fine with about 20 single LED bulbs dangling around as long as they are averaging around a 3500k spectrum.
Can have some at 3000k few at 3500k few at 4000k or what ever.
If you got 20 LED bulbs all of them at 6000k then your spectrum going to be skewed, probably get good veg growth but not flower and Visa versa on the other end.
In general with bulbs like that you'll need about 50+w per square foot, actual watts from the wall.

You're better off getting a Quantum board but you can use a bunch of bulbs if that's all you got.

 

[bluter]

actually, you've convinced me to grow indoors. i'm gonna build a tent this week. just scared of cops with drones and helicopters..

i don't think FLIR is used much any more.

if it is still a concern in your area, you can build your own tent, or line a room with reflectix.

it is a bubble wrap type double-sided mylar insulation. used mostly for added insulation in attics etc. makes an area basically impervious to infra red cameras.
reflectix is a brand name, others are out there, but only the double sided bubble wrap type works.

it is also excellent for reflecting light. i used it in both my flower and veg space builds.
i did not need the stealth, but did not have the option of white paint in either.

many tents also have a FLIR stealth factor built in.

 

[CrimsonEcho]

No idea, i only once weighed my stuff and pulled about 170gr per plant with the same strains under different diy light fixture with a similar wattage. Well i’m hoping that each will yield as close to 200gr as possible (not counting the one on the front left, thats’a pheno run and in a smaller pot so..) this time i’ll weigh and be sure as atm i’m inclined to believe that 28 watts per square foot is enough without co2 and the yield matters in this grow to prove that. And i’d go with indoors too. Safer, easier.

 

[aziz]

Actually LEDs give the HIGHEST yield per watt.
Has nothing to do with LED, has more to do with whether or not you have a proper spectrum and enough PPFD.
Yes you can do just fine with about 20 single LED bulbs dangling around as long as they are averaging around a 3500k spectrum.
Can have some at 3000k few at 3500k few at 4000k or what ever.
If you got 20 LED bulbs all of them at 6000k then your spectrum going to be skewed, probably get get good veg growth but not flower and Visa versa on the other end.
In general with bulbs like that you'll need about 50+w per square foot, actual watts from the wall.

You're better off getting a Quantum board but you can use a bunch of bulbs if that's all you got.

50w per square foot? why so much, i know there is growing lights that only draw 150w. what would you recommand for the most price and energy efficent growing light. i might buy it my next grow if i don't get the results i want

 

[aziz]

i don't think FLIR is used much any more.

if it is still a concern in your area, you can build your own tent, or line a room with reflectix.

it is a bubble wrap type double-sided mylar insulation. used mostly for added insulation in attics etc. makes an area basically impervious to infra red cameras.
reflectix is a brand name, others are out there, but only the double sided bubble wrap type works.

it is also excellent for reflecting light. i used it in both my flower and veg space builds.
i did not need the stealth, but did not have the option of white paint in either.

many tents also have a FLIR stealth factor built in.

i'm actually not sure, i'm just scared of it.i have no information on this. but i have heard that there is tecnology that can find your weed if you grow outdoors. drones etc. i've never seen them around here tho. i live in a small town... if there is no such thing and i'm wrong, then i'd rather grow outdoors....

 

[aziz]

No idea, i only once weighed my stuff and pulled about 170gr per plant with the same strains under different diy light fixture with a similar wattage. Well i’m hoping that each will yield as close to 200gr as possible (not counting the one on the front left, thats’a pheno run and in a smaller pot so..) this time i’ll weigh and be sure as atm i’m inclined to believe that 28 watts per square foot is enough without co2 and the yield matters in this grow to prove that. And i’d go with indoors too. Safer, easier.

WOW, that's a lot! do you think i could get similar results with x5 20w=150w and 1 35w=300? with a tent similar to yours? (also, is it better to put all lights on the top, or on the sides like i'm planning to?)

 

[CrimsonEcho]

No. I think you would need over 500w of those bulbs. True wattage from the wall. But in a 60x60 tent 150 true watts would yield great results. It’s good to provide side lighting but only when the tops are covered. So i’d just place them at the top but as farther apart from each other as possible so all the light coming from each bulb overlaps another bulbs light print etc. Better light distribution, better penetration -in a tent with reflective walls especially-.

 

[Nunyabiz]

50w per square foot? why so much, i know there is growing lights that only draw 150w. what would you recommand for the most price and energy efficent growing light. i might buy it my next grow if i don't get the results i want

Because you're talking about basic LED bulbs, they are no where near as efficient as newer diodes such as the LM301B.
I doubt they are even as efficient as the older blurples with 5w epistar diodes.

The newer diodes, sure 30w should work well.
Main measurement is the PPFD though, not the watts.
I got no idea what kind of diodes are in a standard screw in LED bulb but I got a suspicion they aren't all that great.
I am running 600w of LED in 10 sq/ft so 60w per square foot but that's 4 year old Blurple LEDS .

I have a new light that I am making soon that is all top quality LM301B and Cree diodes.
At full blast is 660w and will be WAY too much light intensity.
So I am going to dim them down to about 450w from the wall and they should put out a more even coverage and at 150w less than I am currently running will also have a higher PPFD of about 850 to 1000 PPFD.

Dimmed down by 30% or more these should have an efficiency of about 3+umols/j , should run super cool, and diodes should last 10 years.

 

[aziz]

No. I think you would need over 500w of those bulbs. True wattage from the wall. But in a 60x60 tent 150 true watts would yield great results. It’s good to provide side lighting but only when the tops are covered. So i’d just place them at the top but as farther apart from each other as possible so all the light coming from each bulb overlaps another bulbs light print etc. Better light distribution, better penetration -in a tent with reflective walls especially-.

grate info, thx, i just actually got done building a tent with materials i had lying around. i will get better lights for my next grow. i wanna see how this one will turnout. also, could you tell me which lights do you use? also i'm guessing i'd be a good idea to low stress train the plant right? what about topping? not good on an auto is it?

 

[CrimsonEcho]

I think with lights diy is the way to go. Definitely. And autos can take some training. A little bending and all that but don’t top.

 

[AKgramma]

i don't think FLIR is used much any more.

if it is still a concern in your area, you can build your own tent, or line a room with reflectix.

it is a bubble wrap type double-sided mylar insulation. used mostly for added insulation in attics etc. makes an area basically impervious to infra red cameras.
reflectix is a brand name, others are out there, but only the double sided bubble wrap type works.

it is also excellent for reflecting light. i used it in both my flower and veg space builds.
i did not need the stealth, but did not have the option of white paint in either.

many tents also have a FLIR stealth factor built in.

White walls and white poly tarp worked very well for me over the 8 years I was growing. In my last cubby for growing 3 plants I used a double-sided emergency blanket; red on the outside and silver on the inside. this covered a wire shelving unit. total cost around $55 US for a home made "tent".