You need between 30 and 50 watts per sq ft. That would mean around 350 to 450. I was in the same boat and simply added another cheap LED and it made a huge improvement for a minimal added expense. Just an option. Add it now, it is not too late. These are what I added.
I’m only bringing this up because I’m curious if anyone shares my thoughts on this? .. I’m not trying to argue or anything just wondering if anyone else has had the same thought?
I agree with you if using high quality lights. With us cheap light guys is it a good starting point for watts per sq ft? I am just trying to get get close to your yield lol. Your input is appreciated.You’ve gotten tons of great advice here, but I’d like to point out if anyone hasn’t already... that your electric bill will be stupid high if you plan on expanding your grow in the future. I highly recommend looking into Quantum Boards... you will get the same if not better quality then you would from HPS, and your going to use less wattage to achieve the same results.. so less money on the electric bill. HLG and BudgetLED make AMAZING boards... yes they are a little pricy but they pay themselves off with one grow... between the savings on your electric bill, yields, and quality, I don’t thinj you’d regret it. QB’s are the only way I’ll go now... and I’ve tried HPS/MH as well as cobs and nothing compares to the SMD lighting fixtures as long as you purchase the right one... there’s a lot of look alike boards out there that just don’t get the job done... I’m by no means bashing HPS but it is not efficient AT ALL. Electric bills, heating issues, reflectors, and then you have to replace the bulbs if you want it to remain efficient. That’s just my opinion... you should really think this through before you make your purchase.
EDIT: I know I’m going to get a lot of shit for this but this old belief that you need 35 watts of EFFICIENT light per sq ft and 40-50 watts of less efficient lighting per sq ft is not something I believe holds true anymore... maybe back in the HPS/MH/5-10w diode burple days but I can attest first hand that I grow monsters, with top quality and good yields and I fall FAR under what “rule of thumb” is... lights have changed so much that the old wattage rule is obsolete... I mean honestly who even measures the quality of light by wattage anymore? ... I sure don’t, it’s all about ppfd, PAR value, joules per second, foot print, efficacy... that watts just really doesn’t matter.
Example given- I used a HLG 550 v2 turned to 50% maybe 75% at its highest... that means I was only pushing 375-400 watts at most... that means I should have been running 875 watts by this rule... my AUTOFLOWERS yielded me 4.5 oz a plant, the heaviest have 6.3 oz... I have multiple examples of this... for my next run it will be in a 15x25ft room which means I would need around 13,000 watts... I will only be using a little over 3,000 watts but these are 3,000 watts of highly efficient light and I expect 8-12 oz a plant minimum... it will be a great experiment.
You’ve gotten tons of great advice here, but I’d like to point out if anyone hasn’t already... that your electric bill will be stupid high if you plan on expanding your grow in the future. I highly recommend looking into Quantum Boards... you will get the same if not better quality then you would from HPS, and your going to use less wattage to achieve the same results.. so less money on the electric bill. HLG and BudgetLED make AMAZING boards... yes they are a little pricy but they pay themselves off with one grow... between the savings on your electric bill, yields, and quality, I don’t thinj you’d regret it. QB’s are the only way I’ll go now... and I’ve tried HPS/MH as well as cobs and nothing compares to the SMD lighting fixtures as long as you purchase the right one... there’s a lot of look alike boards out there that just don’t get the job done... I’m by no means bashing HPS but it is not efficient AT ALL. Electric bills, heating issues, reflectors, and then you have to replace the bulbs if you want it to remain efficient. That’s just my opinion... you should really think this through before you make your purchase.
EDIT: I know I’m going to get a lot of shit for this but this old belief that you need 35 watts of EFFICIENT light per sq ft and 40-50 watts of less efficient lighting per sq ft is not something I believe holds true anymore... maybe back in the HPS/MH/5-10w diode burple days but I can attest first hand that I grow monsters, with top quality and good yields and I fall FAR under what “rule of thumb” is... lights have changed so much that the old wattage rule is obsolete... I mean honestly who even measures the quality of light by wattage anymore? ... I sure don’t, it’s all about ppfd, PAR value, joules per second, foot print, efficacy... that watts just really doesn’t matter.
Example given- I used a HLG 550 v2 turned to 50% maybe 75% at its highest... that means I was only pushing 375-400 watts at most... that means I should have been running 875 watts by this rule... my AUTOFLOWERS yielded me 4.5 oz a plant, the heaviest have 6.3 oz... I have multiple examples of this... for my next run it will be in a 15x25ft room which means I would need around 13,000 watts... I will only be using a little over 3,000 watts but these are 3,000 watts of highly efficient light and I expect 8-12 oz a plant minimum... it will be a great experiment.
Yes that is an excellent point, the # of plants, grow method, and much more play into factor absolutely. I was just curious about this as I seem to do fine and I’m running much less wattage then what is universally recommended... but this is most likely do to the way I grow my plants.
I’d love to help you out brother. To start out and get a good idea of where your at and what you need, I’ll need some information about your setup first. I know you have stated it already but if you could list your equipment that would help immensely. So to start what size tent? What brand lights do you have? What medium are you growing in? Tap or RO water? ... I’m sure I’m missing some things but we’ll figure This out as we go.., I’m here for the ride buddy, and I’ll do everything I can to see you succeed.
