What kind of lighting do I need

[Dingdong64]

Hi Guys, newby here, I'm setting up a 1m x2m x1.8 tent I will be having 6 plants in it and not sure what type of lighting to go for, I've read that much about lighting that my head is spinning. I'd prefer to use something that is economical if possible but will go with your recommendations. Please keep answers simple as all this technical jargon goes straight over my head

 

[smeghead]

Hi dingdong..welcome to 420, a wealth of info.
Nice easy question to ask straight of..lol.
Thats a big space to power.
2 main options for good results.
1 good old fashioned high pressure sodium, two 600w hps in that space would grow trees. Cheap to buy, great returns, bit heavy on electicity (not much)
2.going LED. This one has more veriables.you can buy unitd pre made but for that space it would take quite alot of watts to fill that space. This can be expensive to start with decent units.but cheaper to run than hps.mars hydro and growant are two sponsors here that have good units for reasonable value.
Lastly you can build your own cob led units, this seems hard but if you have simple electrical knowledge, not to bad.this allows a great light, cheaper to build, decent electric cost.
Me personally I'd start with hps as a reference, cheap to buy, great results. Then take a look at the expensive lights at your leisure before committing to something expensive.
Lots of members have journal of thier grows in progress. Check out a few, see ones you like, see what lights they're using.
Dont be afraid to ask them questions.
Good luck

 

[Ian Bastage]

For specific ideas, you can post your same question on some of our sponsors' pages:

Mars-Hydro
Perfect Sun
SunPlus

A recent 420 review: Mars Pro II Epistar 320 - this would work in your space.

Ian

 

[Chris Scorpio]

Budget plays a big part

Like smeghead suggested is a MH/HPS system. Cheap, fairly economical, bit hot if that matters

LED is cooler and less electricity usage but you would need a lot to fill that area

Another option is a mix of the two

Good luck

 

[gbauto]

Smeghead has some good advice. MH/HPS has the lowest upfront costs but needs heat management for the power needed for your space. It's possible to grow decent meds with inexpensive led options but what REALLY seems to determine results is the amount of photons of light you provide.
If I had a way to deal with the heat I'd go with the MH/HPS- 2x 600w would give great PPFD so trees are definitely possible.

 

[PurpleGunRack]

Basically you want to get 2x 600w HID preferrably in air-cooled hoods, you could get away with using 2x 400w HID preferrably in cooltubes. This is the cheapest upfront solution.

As for LED; At this point in history the top tech is easily available to the filthy hands of common people through a little DIY, and no company is able to match price, efficiency or quality, balls out.
You'll literally save 100's of dollars by watching a few youtube videos and spending a couple of hours building a light which is easier to put together than lego sets for ages 5 and up
This is the sensible long term investment and you'll have a high performance light for many years.

At risk of starting a shitstorm against me; I'd hold the clam that anything between HID and DIY COB's/QB's is a waste of money, and a pretty basic choice between upfront cost vs long term cost

A recent 420 review: Mars Pro II Epistar 320 - this would work in your space.

Ian

This won't cover 1m x 2m (3' x 6') you need 2 for that