I am currently running 3x Super Lemon Haze and 3x Chocolope in a 5x5x8 with this 2000w LED and a 48” T5HO (3x 10k and 3x 2500k actinics).
I’ve browsed and browsed this forum and most lighting threads are pretty difficult to read through as a beginner. There seems to be an acronym for every single individual light out there and their respective suppliers. Without knowing what these acronyms mean, and without descriptions as to why any one light is better than the rest, I’ve just become more confused.
Sooooo, all that being said, I’m looking for some advice on how to modify my lighting setup to prioritized yeild both for this current harvest and future harvests.
The current LED is rated at 2000W (390 watts from the wall) and pushing 380-780nm full spectrum light. I have been considering adding two more of these lights to the setup. They seem to blast out tons of light and have great reviews and apparent par readouts. At $235, that’d put my total investment at $705 for a total of 1170 total true watts in a 5x5 for six plants.
Is there a better setup for the price that I should look into? Replies like “you should look at [acronym]. They make good lights” probably won’t be of much help since I won’t know what the acronym means or why their lights would be better than others.
You guys are all so great and have so much experience and knowledge to offer. I can’t wait to learn from you. Thank you so much in advance!
I (and many others) were in your shoes at one time. I bought Amazon LED’s and ended up with 1,300 plug watts in a 4 X 6 space. This year I consolidated and upgraded with do it yourself lighting. I bought latest generation LED’s on a strip (EB strips) and built my own fixtures. Three now sit in my space, running at 80% rated output, pushing 600 watts at the wall with higher efficacy, double the lumens and PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) which is a MUCH better metric to use as it relates to actual usable light. My electric bill went down $60 the first month. Half the electricity and twice the PAR values.
There are numerous technologies out there and the first consideration might be how hot a climate you are in? High Pressure Sodium (HPS) is good but generates a lot of heat. Same with Light Emitting Ceramic (LEC). Fluorescent lights just don’t make the cut for bud density.
If you are handy you can do as I did with a bit of help from the lighting guru @dbrn32. Or, you can go with a Quantum Board (QB) in a usable spectrum like 3,500 Kelvin. That will do everything. If you want to tag anyone, use the @ sign in front of their handle.
Thank you so much! I’m in the mid Atlantic, so it’s kind of a crap shoot for summer temps. The past few years have been staying pretty constant between 95-100 during the day, the normal is around 85. So it gets and stays pretty warm. So far, it’s been a decent struggle keeping temps below 85, but a window unit in the room is helping tremendously and is keeping it at 77 pretty consistently (at the expense of decreased humidity). That being said, if I could stick with LEDs, I’d prefer that. Both for lower electric draw and lower heat.
I’m a photographer by trade so I have a pretty good understanding of PAR, the kelvin spectrum, etc. I just need a more thorough understanding of how these are applied to the grow. So thank you for that.
I also like to think I’m fairly handy. Ive built multiple photographic light setups both with flash and constant lighting, so I’m ALL ABOUT a good DIY project if I can find the construction advice. Are there any specific threads or links you can think of to help out with that?
I’ll keep digging and look into what you’re recommending.
This is a somewhat long and rambling thread. But do skim through it as there are some good visual aids and photographs that help and you can find the gist of the conversation. There are some builds in there and there are a few folks knowledgeable and helpful with the latest tech.
You can also purchase kits and pre assembled lights. None of this is cheap but look at me: I spent about $800 on inadequate lights because I didn’t know better. I spent an additional $600 and got a total out of 720 watts (I run em at 600) so my setup has cost me around $1,400 now. NOT a good investment. But I’ve already recouped the cost of the new lights with the reduced electrical demand.
If you like, I’ll tag you to my journal and you can see what I did.
I am on the Central Coast of California; usually pretty mild.
@Sirmark - I have a brand name light that uses Chip On Board (COB) Epistar (brand) LED’s - 235 true watts. It works really good for a 2’x2’ space and that is all… I would need probably three in my 2x4x6 tent to get really good light. I am considering going with a 600watt HPS/MH ballast rather than daisy chain three LED’s. I need to run the numbers. Heat, operating cost, lumens/lux, ROI, etc. All have to be considered. Not that easy… I feel your pain. Following along…
Thanks for the heads up! Turns out the light I’m using is the Bestva 2000w DC series, so that’s good news!
I didn’t realize that they have a 3000w variant as well as the 1000w light with veg/bloom/combo modes. At the $270 sale price, the 3000w seems like a steal. The 1000w combo smart light comes in at $400 (at half off!), but has those very useful mode options.
Moving forward, if I decided to stick with Bestva, what combination/modification would you recommend based on my growing situation?