Ok I'm ready to buy my lights like yesterday lol. I'm choosing between 3-4 platinum led 600 or 2 1000 watt hps this is my 1st grow & i want to get at least 3-5 pounds every harvest. I have been talking with a few experienced growers and they tell me don't buy L.E.D's because they aren't good for growing. Then i see some ppl swear by the newer leds i need a legit answer because i don't want to spend all that money on l.e.d if they aren't going to produce well. Mark from platinum L.E.D said i could pull 4-5lbs easy in a 4x8 tent with 4 p600's. I also want to know if i should grow in dirt or use a hydro system i will be using a 4x8 tent or 2 4x4 tents any help would be greatly appreciated keep in mind i want to harvest at least 3-5 pounds every run thanks in advance.
Really need help fast! LED or HPS?
- Thread starter Mike 810
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brotherbuddz
New Member
I can answer a few of your questions. I was in the same boat as you when i first started my grow setup last year, I wanted to try LEDs because of the leaner power consumption and less heat being produced. In the end i went with HPS due to cost and reliability, i did not want to get stuck with a lemon as you have to know who you are buying from to get a good LED system. I also was going to go with a hydro system but after doing research I found out if you want good quality tasting buds most growers recommend doing the soil grow, you will yield more in a hydroponic setup. I also went with soil due to the fact that if i make mistakes it is more forgivable than a hydro setup.
If you are still deciding on a growing medium/technique I would recommend looking up Doc Bud's or Curso's High Brix journals. If you can wait to cook the soil, you will be on the path to righteous meds for a long time.
PlatinumLED
New Member
Hi Mike..
First.. you have to expect by asking this question, in this manner, on these forums, you're going to get every single answer imaginable. All of our PlatinumLED users are going to say hell YES! No brainer!
The HPS guys are going to say no way! HPS all the way.
Then you'll get people claiming allegiance to their lights and setup and swearing by it. Whatever system people are using, they obviously think it's the best one.. or they wouldn't be using it.. right? At least 99% of the time.
So, that being said.. take ALL of these replies with a grain of salt. Be forewarned.
What you need to do.. is read carefully between the lines, read opinions of known, respected growers.. listen to what they have to say.. and make up your own mind.
Our standpoint is that if you have the money, LEDs are a no brainer for the cost and heat savings. It's simple math. The only drawback is the startup cost.
If you're going LED, we offer the best possible option. The most powerful lights at the best price. That's a no brainer as well.
In the end.. it's the cost. If you can afford the extra $2k up front to setup, there you go.
Again.. no brainer. Less power, less heat, less cost of ownership over time.. with all the yield and higher THC/CBD%
First.. you have to expect by asking this question, in this manner, on these forums, you're going to get every single answer imaginable. All of our PlatinumLED users are going to say hell YES! No brainer!
The HPS guys are going to say no way! HPS all the way.
Then you'll get people claiming allegiance to their lights and setup and swearing by it. Whatever system people are using, they obviously think it's the best one.. or they wouldn't be using it.. right? At least 99% of the time.
So, that being said.. take ALL of these replies with a grain of salt. Be forewarned.
What you need to do.. is read carefully between the lines, read opinions of known, respected growers.. listen to what they have to say.. and make up your own mind.
Our standpoint is that if you have the money, LEDs are a no brainer for the cost and heat savings. It's simple math. The only drawback is the startup cost.
If you're going LED, we offer the best possible option. The most powerful lights at the best price. That's a no brainer as well.
In the end.. it's the cost. If you can afford the extra $2k up front to setup, there you go.
Again.. no brainer. Less power, less heat, less cost of ownership over time.. with all the yield and higher THC/CBD%
hydromania
New Member
Hydro is the way to go.. soil can take way to long to veg. What method of growing will you be using.. Full length plant , Sea of green , Screen of green ?
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hydromania i have heard of great results with water but i heard its not forgiving as soil and idk if im going sea of green or tall plants i want to try scrog later on down the line i am able to have 12 plants im trying to get the most out of them without vegging for long amounts of time i want a harvest every 3 months or less
Fuzzy Duck
Well-Known Member
Even tho i would like to switch to LED, i still use hps...
Mainly for this reason a huge majority of led panels are not made in my country & if it breaks i will have to ship it back over sea's for repairs at my own cost plus down time.
If my hps bulb blows i can drive up the motorway for 30 mins & get a replacement just like that.
Mainly for this reason a huge majority of led panels are not made in my country & if it breaks i will have to ship it back over sea's for repairs at my own cost plus down time.
If my hps bulb blows i can drive up the motorway for 30 mins & get a replacement just like that.
PlatinumLED
New Member
Actually, we're a US company. In the very off chance that something were to happen to the light, we would have a replacement to you faster than you could blink.. and take care of you in every way we can. It's what we do.
We're growers ourselves and understand needs, believe me! We do whatever it takes for our customers. Always.
We're growers ourselves and understand needs, believe me! We do whatever it takes for our customers. Always.
Fuzzy Duck
Well-Known Member
Pretty good warranty offer even tho the north Atlantic ocean is between us, the flag on my chest should give you an idea where i'm from & i do hope you come with suitable plugs/cables for our own electric supply.
If so, i'll see if santa can bring me a late present in the new year
Skybound
Well-Known Member
A harvest every 3 months? 12 plant count total? Soil growing?
There are some variables that you should work out before you choose your tents at least, and possibly your lights as well. I'm an HPS guy and I know nothing about LED aside from what I see in other people's journals. My impression is that LEDs lack the lumen penetration power that HPS has, but in the same breath, I have seen a few growers that I knew used HPS "try out" a few different LED panels and they are yet to come back to HPS, so there's that to consider I guess?
That aside though, I have to ask how much time you have for your grow each day? If you are pretty flexible in your schedule, hydro would be my first suggestion. I personally grow "Simple Hydroponics" and am on my second (much larger than my first) grow with this method. It is unfortunate that the original guy that put "simple hydroponics" together is no longer a member of this site, that aside, there are quite a few of us that continue using this method for the obvious reason, it is simple and it is hydroponic.
Simple hydroponics, later renamed Capn Style (after the guy that coined this method) essentially is rock wool mini cubes in a pot that is fed once to 4 times daily from a reservoir of nutrient rich RO water. This method actually deters transplant shock and because of this, we try to transplant frequently to better build our root zones. Also a key component of this style is the topping of our plants which is meant to train our plants to become very bushy before we put them into a flowering light schedule. So if you put a single cola plant into flower, you'll get between 1-7 (or so) pretty decent sized buds at harvest. If you were to put a thoroughly topped plant into flower, you'll get between 40-80 chonger sized buds that will make your 3-5 pound goal more achievable. When growing in soil, it is true that the quality is without compare and the produce generated in soil will taste so much better, but the quantity will be way lower and the time needed to harvest a decently size soil plant is just too long for your time table. You can greatly shorten your veg time by opting for a sea of green style grow (multiple plants per site) and this will work fine for soil, but then your plant count will make your grow extremely illegal.
By growing in simple hydro, you can accommodate you plant count cap, and still harvest 1 lb plants at every harvest. Frequent and strategic topping ensures that during the vegetative growth period, you are creating an upside down pyramid like plant in that a single main stem starts, the it is divided into 2, then the 2 to 4, 4 to 8, 8 to 16 etc. In soil, to recover from the stress of s single topping session will be roughly 7 or more days. In simple hydro (and likely all hydro) the recovery time is roughly halved.
There are many other points I'd like to raise that would get you to achieve your goal of 3-5 pounds every 3 months all while staying legal with 12 plants or less, but I don't want to get too far off topic. I do wish to summarize by saying that your goal with your plant count at least in soil I doubt is achievable. The time you have to give to your grow should be the deciding factor between soil and hydro IMO. For the record, simple hydro really is simple and it is much more forgiving than DWC which is the best form of hydro, but is also the most difficult to manage. Simple hydro is a great way to get into hydro growing, and it may be roughly half as forgiving as soil which is a pretty loose margin, i.e. I have days to correct a mistake, not hours.
There are some variables that you should work out before you choose your tents at least, and possibly your lights as well. I'm an HPS guy and I know nothing about LED aside from what I see in other people's journals. My impression is that LEDs lack the lumen penetration power that HPS has, but in the same breath, I have seen a few growers that I knew used HPS "try out" a few different LED panels and they are yet to come back to HPS, so there's that to consider I guess?
That aside though, I have to ask how much time you have for your grow each day? If you are pretty flexible in your schedule, hydro would be my first suggestion. I personally grow "Simple Hydroponics" and am on my second (much larger than my first) grow with this method. It is unfortunate that the original guy that put "simple hydroponics" together is no longer a member of this site, that aside, there are quite a few of us that continue using this method for the obvious reason, it is simple and it is hydroponic.
Simple hydroponics, later renamed Capn Style (after the guy that coined this method) essentially is rock wool mini cubes in a pot that is fed once to 4 times daily from a reservoir of nutrient rich RO water. This method actually deters transplant shock and because of this, we try to transplant frequently to better build our root zones. Also a key component of this style is the topping of our plants which is meant to train our plants to become very bushy before we put them into a flowering light schedule. So if you put a single cola plant into flower, you'll get between 1-7 (or so) pretty decent sized buds at harvest. If you were to put a thoroughly topped plant into flower, you'll get between 40-80 chonger sized buds that will make your 3-5 pound goal more achievable. When growing in soil, it is true that the quality is without compare and the produce generated in soil will taste so much better, but the quantity will be way lower and the time needed to harvest a decently size soil plant is just too long for your time table. You can greatly shorten your veg time by opting for a sea of green style grow (multiple plants per site) and this will work fine for soil, but then your plant count will make your grow extremely illegal.
By growing in simple hydro, you can accommodate you plant count cap, and still harvest 1 lb plants at every harvest. Frequent and strategic topping ensures that during the vegetative growth period, you are creating an upside down pyramid like plant in that a single main stem starts, the it is divided into 2, then the 2 to 4, 4 to 8, 8 to 16 etc. In soil, to recover from the stress of s single topping session will be roughly 7 or more days. In simple hydro (and likely all hydro) the recovery time is roughly halved.
There are many other points I'd like to raise that would get you to achieve your goal of 3-5 pounds every 3 months all while staying legal with 12 plants or less, but I don't want to get too far off topic. I do wish to summarize by saying that your goal with your plant count at least in soil I doubt is achievable. The time you have to give to your grow should be the deciding factor between soil and hydro IMO. For the record, simple hydro really is simple and it is much more forgiving than DWC which is the best form of hydro, but is also the most difficult to manage. Simple hydro is a great way to get into hydro growing, and it may be roughly half as forgiving as soil which is a pretty loose margin, i.e. I have days to correct a mistake, not hours.
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Sky bound I don't have the time for hydro but I will look into the simple hydro method. Mark from platinum led said a 4×8 tent with four p600's and 16 plants in 3 gallon buckets I could get 5 pounds no problem I will be eventually be able to have 24 plants. I thought u suppose to get a gram for each watt of light u have? I'm saying 3-5 pounds would last me until my next crop finishes up so that's where I'm at curso said these lights are incredible as have a few other ppl have said also just trying to get a better understanding so basically I can't get much out of 12 plants in soil? I'm confused cuz I seen ppl say 7 plants will in 5 gallon will yield more then 16 plants in 3 gallon I just need to get started lol.
Skybound
Well-Known Member
Soil is better and more forgiving but it is SLOOOOOWWWWWWW. I also started in soil, well till I discovered what I was growing was a male, but it was plenty long for me to learn what i needed about the difference between soil and simple hydro. I wish you success and hope you achieve your goal of 3-5 elbows.
Soil is a slow as you make it. I know this is my first post on this site but I am thx.1138 on riu as well as the now defunct Green Mitten.
I use two thirds Victory brand soil and one third canna coco as a hybrid mix and its as fast as your hydro. One third perlite and two thirds canna coco with canna or advanced nutes is also as fast as your hydro.
"That aside though, I have to ask how much time you have for your grow each day?"
thats the real question here as anyone who begins with the idea of putting out five elbows is in for a real surprise/workload
Also, thirty five years at this, and I have gone to all LEDs. I went from HPS to Mars Hydro (now gone, don't recommend), Vipar LED 5 watt (OMG what was I thinking?), and am now moving out some Area 51 RW 150s (yup, not doing it on my Alien OG). I have two P300's that kicked the Area 51's out of the veg tent. Veg setting compared - P300's were an immediate improvement.
I now have an Advanced XTE (love it), two P300's from Mark's company (love them) and one Growblu 120x3 (its excellent, but I would have preferred the VEG/BLOOM options on my Platinums if I knew better from the get go). I just ordered a P450 and should be set for awhile.
I was hit by a drunk driver while on my bicycle when I was a teenager. I have been in pain my whole life and cannot f--- around with crappy lights or meds. These new LED's are a Godsend.
I hope that helps.
PlatinumLED
New Member
Thank you so, so much for the kind words! The medical MJ community has very special place in our hearts and we're so incredibly honored to be able to help out in any way that we can..
Great to hear of continued success! Don't ever hesitate to get in touch should we be of service in any way..
brotherbuddz
New Member
I took a look at your website and has my wheels spinning lol
3-5 lbs is a lofty goal for a first grow,with 12 plants,your plant game has to be on point,45-80 dryed zips is no easy feat.
I have both led and hps,I need the heat from the hps,or I have to use a portable heater,so no savings there
as you are watching other peoples grows,have a look and see if its a "sponsored grow" if it is,take that opinion as a salesman,they get the products,they give great words.
If you get time,give skybounds words some thought,with his Cap'n style,with 12 plants you could harvest a pound a week and never go above 12 plants
good luck man
I have both led and hps,I need the heat from the hps,or I have to use a portable heater,so no savings there
as you are watching other peoples grows,have a look and see if its a "sponsored grow" if it is,take that opinion as a salesman,they get the products,they give great words.
If you get time,give skybounds words some thought,with his Cap'n style,with 12 plants you could harvest a pound a week and never go above 12 plants
good luck man
PlatinumLED
New Member
This is true maybe to a point.. however.. the great thing is that results don't lie.. and this goes either way. It's important to examine the photos and look for yourself at what the particular light is creating regardless of what's being said.
The proof is indeed in the pudding..
Density.. quality.. yield.. all grown with less than 600w of power:
Not even on day 50!
