Hey all! So, I did some outdoor growing last year and fell in love with it. Now that fall is here I miss it and I’ve decided to get an indoor setup. I’ve read a lot of threads on here even old threads where LED’s were a ‘new thing’ when it came to growing weed and I’ve seen how that’s evolved.
I guess my question is, how many LED’s for a 4’x4’x80" tent?
I’ve looked at the Mars hydro and the Meizhi. (In my price range) Would it be better to get 4x300w or 2x600w?
The lighting formulas make my head hurt somewhat so just speak in layman’s terms!
I’ve got ILGM seeds, WW auto and strawberry Kush. I was wanting to do about 4 WW first (is that doable in a 4x4?) and the a SK scrog. Thanks in advance for any and all help.
if you can get 4 300w mars hydros that would give you amazing coverage in that tent… IMO the 300’s are a better dollar for dollar deal than the six hundreds just based on wattage Vs cost plus the added flexibility of being able to change configurations.
you have 16 sq ft …using led’s the common rule is 26 watts per sq ft…so,…416 watts required…
the mars 300w are right about 140 watts each…which is 560watts true…wattage is about the same with the 600’s but with less flexibility and increased risk if a light starts going bad(cheaper to replace a 300 and you only lose 25% of your light source)…
but either way you can fill that tent wall to wall with those lights and be happy with the results… some guys may say that rather than spend $300+ on mars lights you maybe should consider buying a single light from a stronger brand…like say,… this one…
it is supposed to cover a 4x4 area at 18" high…and apparently these will produce a higher yield based on bud size and density… but for me…if around 350 was all I had to work with I would not put all my eggs in one basket…learn, maximize growth based upon acquired knowledge,…then buy better equipment as I can.
the thing you just cannot get by buying the advance light is the fact that when you set up four 300w lights…there is an overlap area in the center that is basically 1200w if you set them in a square configuration.
Gave me something else to think about I was considering the two mars 600 watt for $310.00 on Amazon now I am thinking if I might be better with three of the 300 watt for 79.00 each in my size tent because of the flexibility in placement . @Oak do you know if they can be hung at a angle ?
Yes, Ive hung Mars Hydro lights at an angle, and have seen people mount them on walls. They are a great product for the price. The only problem with Mars brand LEDs is depth penitration, and the cheaper LED’s run slightly hotter then the higher end LED lights.
@Aquaponic_Dumme thanks buddy before I had any knowledge or had found this site I purchased a knockoff king plus 1000 watt it only draws around 270 watts from the wall . It is doing good for my small tent but I don’t expect it to last long term . I was thinking about using one 300 mars up top with it and the two others on thier side to shine under the canopy . Do you think that would help or be to much ? My tent is 36 x 36
It’s very possible. Keep in mind, most of these cheaper LED’s are made by the same manufacturer. I’ve never used King LED’s, but the build looks about the same.
Not that is its a normal issue with LEDs, but be carefully not to over do it, with the light. Your plant, relevant to her age, needs the proper balance of nutrients, PAR, and many times overlooked with extra light is “CO2”. If youre adding a bunch of light, make sure you have good ventilation with fresh air. (I see you use CO2)
Thank you for your reply @Aquaponic_Dumme I have a supplemental Co2 bag hanging in the tent a vortex turbo fan blowing air in and a carbon filter exhaust drawing air out . The girls are doing really good now I am probably just being greedy on my first grow and wanting them to be all that they can be . They are W/W photos this is them the other day
So this is what I have on order. Something happened with the carbon filter and fan combo, think I exceeded what the bank will allow in one day which will give me an opportunity to ask you guys what would be a good recommendation on a fan in a 4x4x80 tent with two vipar 300 leds?
After ordering I realized I forgot the ph pen. Anything else y’all would recommend to go with this setup? Thanks.
That is the vent fan I have in my tent and if I turn it up all the way it looks like it is going to collapse in . I’m not complaining it works great just a bit overkill for my size tent
Think a 4" would be sufficient then? I could probably use the skinny on how to set up the ventilation. I get the premise of it and all, I’ve just heard people talking about passive air and different terminology.
My tent is only 3 x 3 but I think that I would still get this one because no matter what I now have the bug . I’m not even half way through my first flowering stage and I am already looking for a 5 x 5 tent for a flowering and just use the bigger exhaust in it and get a 4 inch for the smaller tent
Hey @ktreez420, I read you use GH products for your nutes. I posted ^^^ above some stuff I ordered. You mind telling me what other nutes I might could add? Por favor!!!
I’m going to do a few soil grows to start out with then decide if I want to try DWC (baby steps). Thanks bud!
Yea no problem dude! For additives I use GH cal mag (only really need it if you’re using RO water, I use spring water but still add some Cal Mag), GH Rapid Start which is for root growth but I like to use it for the first couple weeks of veg, GH Flora Nectar which is a bud sweetener for flavor, GH FloraLicious Plus (this one is the most expensive, but from what I’ve learned, it’s the most important additive to use if you’re going to use any additives, use this one first!), and I recently just started using Humboldts Own Crystal Burst which is for putting on bud mass in flower, so you have time to decide on flower boosters. When using these nutrients together in my reservoir I rarely need to change the pH, it usually sits between 5.7-6.0
I used Fox Farms for a while, but I switched to GH to give them a try. I really like their nutrients and love their price. My hydro store owner said House and Garden is some good stuff too so I’m thinking of trying that out once I run out of my GH nutes.
