Lighting and actual wattage

[Austinpalm36]

If my goal was to grow as much weed as possible in a 4 x 4 grow tent. What led lighting should I be looking for. 100 actual watts per plant. I think 4 plants in a 4x4 is the max id like to do because I like to lst a little and get them wider. I’ve heard 100 watts per plant so I was trying to find a light that draws 400 watts at least. I searched Kind Led first. I typed “best kind led grow light for a 4x4. It showed the XL 300 and XL 400 or maybe it was 450. Either way. They power draw was only like 180 for the XL 300 and only 220 for the XL 450. Does this mean if I get these lights, I’ll only be able to grow about 2-3 plants in my 4x4. And between the 2-3 plants wouldn’t I only get about 180-220 grams. Idk guys I just would like some light reccomendations that won’t cost an arm and a leg but will allow me to get a good 4-6 ounces off each 4 plants. That’s the goal. 4 plants. 4-6 ounces each plant. What light will get it done

 

[Pennywise]

The standard is 50w per sq ft of HPS or its led equivalent. That would be 800w for a 4x4.

 

[MickFoster]

Actual power draw of 50w per sq.ft. if you use HPS or chinese blurples.........in your case - 800 actual watts.
30w per sq.ft if you use Quantum Boards........in your case - 480 watts.
If you want 6oz. per plant......expect to pay for good lighting.

 

[Justin Goody]

I was able to get 7.5 oz in a 2x2x4 tent with a 1200w (180 actual) cheap (oneo) LED light. But now in the same tent i have 2400w (400 actual) and the flowers are in paradise, as they should be. I expect 12-14 oz dried. Total cost of those 2 lights was $170. It might be easier with an expensive name brand light, but it can definitely be done with cheap ones as well.

 

[Austinpalm36]

I was able to get 7.5 oz in a 2x2x4 tent with a 1200w (180 actual) cheap (oneo) LED light. But now in the same tent i have 2400w (400 actual) and the flowers are in paradise, as they should be. I expect 12-14 oz dried. Total cost of those 2 lights was $170. It might be easier with an expensive name brand light, but it can definitely be done with cheap ones as well.

Thank you all the information was helpful and exactly answered my questions. Much appreciated !!

 

[multiVortex]

If my goal was to grow as much weed as possible in a 4 x 4 grow tent. What led lighting should I be looking for. 100 actual watts per plant. I think 4 plants in a 4x4 is the max id like to do because I like to lst a little and get them wider. I’ve heard 100 watts per plant so I was trying to find a light that draws 400 watts at least. I searched Kind Led first. I typed “best kind led grow light for a 4x4. It showed the XL 300 and XL 400 or maybe it was 450. Either way. They power draw was only like 180 for the XL 300 and only 220 for the XL 450. Does this mean if I get these lights, I’ll only be able to grow about 2-3 plants in my 4x4. And between the 2-3 plants wouldn’t I only get about 180-220 grams. Idk guys I just would like some light reccomendations that won’t cost an arm and a leg but will allow me to get a good 4-6 ounces off each 4 plants. That’s the goal. 4 plants. 4-6 ounces each plant. What light will get it done

There are going to be several things that all combine to your end goal. Lighting is one of those, as is environment, genetics, and your abilities as a grower.

With regards to lighting, there are a LOT of options. You can load up a tent with cheap shit lights, and maybe do alright in the short term. In the long term, no so much and you end up buying better gear anyway. That means you wasted the money you initially spent, plus spent money for proper lighting on top of it in the end. Those cheap lights are also much less efficient, and power that should be going to the chips to make light is diverted for things like fans and other stuff.

In the big picture, I'm of the firm belief that if you really want to do it right, it's more than worth it to just suck it up and do it right from the start. Don't get me wrong, plenty of people cheap out and make a grow out of it. A lot of people also run into issues, wonder why they spent money on it at all, and end up quitting growing all together. Something they wouldn't have done, most likely, had they took the time to get the right gear and do it right from the start. The plants are going to throw you curve balls on their own. No need to bend yourself over and put yourself behind in the count from the start by swinging for the fences on pitches way outside.

That being said, the best bang for your buck right now, today, is @Budget LED. Top of the line, top bin Samsung, Osram, and LG diodes, top end meanwell drivers, and come with a dimmer (many lights don't, or you have to buy them extra.)


For a 4x4 tent, you can't beat a pair of the following lights:

Series 3+ Red Spec 250 Watt Dimmable Grow Light

Our Series 3+ Red Spec 250 Watt Indoor LED grow light is designed to be the ultimate flowering unit while also being our highest PPE unit available. Each kit utilizes 2 of our custom designed & full spectrum LED boards with Samsung LM301H, UVA, Samsung LH351H v2 Deep Red 660nm, and Samsung...

www.budgetgrowlights.com

This is their 250w model, in 3500k (which is for both veg and flower), with the XL heatsink. Each light is $380, and they have a discount code for forum members for 5% off. Shipping is free, and they are a US company (Michigan).

Now one question seen a lot is why the XL heatsink? What it does is spread the boards out a little bit. Pretty much it gives you 1 board over each plant site. This is a good thing. Yes, you can skip that and save $30, but really not worth it in the big picture.

You'll spend a few bucks more up front, but you'll save money over the long run. Those lights should last you 10 years before they lose any intensity, if not a little longer. There isn't power being robbed for fans or anything fancy, and they run extremely cool vs traditional HID lighting.

For the first week or two from sprout, you can run them at about 30%, then work your way up over a couple days to 60%. A week before flip, bump to 80% over 2 days (bump 10%/day.) This is all at 24" above canopy. Now for flower, a week after flip, drop the light to 18" and crank it up to 100%. The last 2 weeks of flower, drop to 12"-14" and 80% power.

There will be someone coming along at some point that will point out Mars Hydro, and some that will say to just build your own.

My take on each of these is don't bother. Here's why...

First, with Mars Hydro, to get their light in a similar setup (the TSL2000), would be $300/light. OK, initially that seems better than above, however the issue I have is that they aren't using the same parts. They use epistar chips, and they just aren't as good. They're not bad, but for a few bucks more you can get the top end stuff. This light is also a 300w draw, and doesn't have quite the intensity that the budget led's do. Will they grow plants? Certainly. But if I'm spending a chunk of money, I'll take the better gear for a tick more every time.

Second, building your own lights. You can do that, lots of people do. However, I don't really think you save that much in the long run. I looked at doing exactly this, and by the time I put together the boards, drivers, heatsinks and such, I wasn't really saving any money after shipping. This was before having to go to the hardware store for wire and all that, too. Some get stuff off alibaba, but I for one absolutely will not do business on that site. Nope, no thanks, ain't happening.

There are some benefits to building your own light, absolutely. But for a grower starting out, I wouldn't recommend doing it. Not because they can't do it, it's not that difficult, but because they don't know what they really want/need in a custom setup.


There are cheaper lights, and there are more expensive lights. I have one of the more expensive lights, and while it's nice for sure, I could have saved $500 with a budget led setup and been in just as good of a position. There's more to that story, but I'll spare you the details.


Now a quick hit on the other stuff. Effectively the same rule applies, you get what you pay for. There are areas where you can cheap out a bit, but tent (and fans) aren't one of them, IMO.

For a tent, gorilla is the top of the line. 1680D material, compared to a typical 600D on most others. (This means almost 3x the thickness.) Is it worth twice the price of other tents? Yes, I think they are for primary tent use. Why? Well not only will they last a lot longer, the poles are also significantly more sturdy, and they are taller at 6'11", plus they come with a 1ft extension kit (if you have the ceiling height for it.) Have you seen the guy doing pull-ups from the cross bars in a tent? That was a gorilla. Why is this important? You'll find that you'll be hanging a bunch of things (fan, filter, lights, other stuff) from the top. All that adds up, and I'd really, really, really like to not have my tent come crashing down on my plants 5 days from the chop.


Fans: You'll need circulation fans (oscillating) and an inline duct fan. The inline duct fan I'd suggest is an AC Infinity Cloudline S6. Low power, high flow, low noise, and comes with a speed controller. Most of the time you'll have it on maybe 4 or 5 (out of 8), but if you need those extra speeds, they're there.

For internal circulation, there are several types. Most people just use clip on fans, and they work. There are some that are designed to clip on to a tent pole. I have some, but find the build quality to be hit or miss.

I've been slowly transitioning to the setup in the below linked thread, and it's excellent:

DIY better clip on fan for tents

I noticed when looking around that most clip on fans for tents suck. They don't oscillate, and the few that do seem to break quickly. Most clips won't hold onto a grow tent pole very well either. This is my simple solution. These fans are slightly larger and move more air, they oscillate and...

www.420magazine.com

Runs about $30-$35 per fan/stand, and a 4x4 should have 2 of these.



There are other pieces and details, but that's for another time and dependent on what media/growing style you'll be using.


Setup like this, I'm pulling 2lb+ from a 4x4 without much trouble at all, and hitting really close to 2g/w.

 

[bubkas]

Outstanding write-up! @multiVortex

 

[multiVortex]

Thanks! I try, a lot it seems, but mostly to deaf ears once folks find out that growing costs money.

 

[Manny D]

The standard is 50w per sq ft of HPS or its led equivalent. That would be 800w for a 4x4.

50w per sqft is standard?

 

[Pennywise]

50w of high pressure sodium or its led equivalent

 

[JKB1989]

Take it from someone who grows with kind lights. The 300 or 450 is not going to cut it in a 4x4 tent. I have 3 xl 1000's in my flower room and 3 xl 600's in my veg and room. I love these lights but they are very pricey. My personal opinion is if you're going to go with kind lighting I would have 2 xl 750's in a 4x4 tent.
Just a few pictures of the results from these lights. 4 to 6 weeks into flower.

 

[Mars Hydro]

I recommend you Mars Hydro TS3000, it can cover 4x4 grow area well. The true wattage is 450w, the average harvest is 1.5g/w.

Mars Hydro TS3000 LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants Full Spectrum 450W 4ftx4ft 5ftx5ft coverage for sale,buy Mars Hydro TS3000 LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants Full Spectrum 450W 4ftx4ft 5ftx5ft coverage - Mars Hydro

Mars Hydro TS3000 LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants Full Spectrum 450W 4ftx4ft 5ftx5ft coverage Online,Buy Mars Hydro TS3000 LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants Full Spectrum 450W 4ftx4ft 5ftx5ft coverage,Mars Hydro TS3000 LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants Full Spectrum 450W 4ftx4ft 5ftx5ft coverage...

www.mars-hydro.com

 

[Timhomegrow]

I was able to get 7.5 oz in a 2x2x4 tent with a 1200w (180 actual) cheap (oneo) LED light. But now in the same tent i have 2400w (400 actual) and the flowers are in paradise, as they should be. I expect 12-14 oz dried. Total cost of those 2 lights was $170. It might be easier with an expensive name brand light, but it can definitely be done with cheap ones as well.

What brand light is your 2400w?

 

[Justin Goody]

What brand light is your 2400w?

It’s 2 1200w lights. Oneo is the brand