A customer has a question and I hope we can get some opinions on it, thanks
"I’m just trying to decide which type of light to buy, I was wondering if you could have a look at this item and tell me if it would be ok?
I have read that VHO’s are the best but I have been unable to find anything, I’m only really wanting to grow one plant, but I want to grow it as fast as possible."
One plant as fast as possible, then you want an auto. 90 days give or take from start to finish. As far as the light, a led may be more suited for your needs. They typically cover the full spectrum from veg to flower. Just my opinion. I use leds and they work for me. Just finished an AK auto in 98 days since soaking the seed
I agree with the above response. Have a Few WW autos. Heard its about 75 give or take. Good for impatient people like me. While the others flower naturally. Lol
Thanks, what kind of wattage does the led need to be? and I’m assuming you would start with one led from seed and then add more as it gets bigger? Also I just ordered blue dream which I don’t think is an auto so how long do you think that would take?
50 true watts per square foot.
I have meizhi 450w for a grow box 2x2x5!
This light is very awesome
Cool, what do you mean by 2x2x5? Do you still use this from seed? and how many hours per day do you use it?
For my 1st grow I grow a training plant (search stupid question thread).
60x60cm and 1.5m tall.
I start my 1st grow whit 4 cheap led light… Small led bulbs. Now I started a second grow (ak47 auto) and she’s in 12/12 schedule… After I will finish my first grow I will change that to 18/6 schedule.
You might want to remove the ebay link. Links are only allowed from Amazon and a few other sites. Just a heads-up, your call. I suppose since the original post is from ILGM, it’s ok.
You can look for Viparspectra 450w… This is good for veg stage and meizhi 450w is good for flowering stage, but both are good lights.
I just bought a 300W one, seems you can use it from germination stage, thanks for the reference!
Is it necessary to use some sort of reflective material to surround the plant?
Paint the walls flat white or panda film
That will depend on you. Since it won’t flower until you change its light cycle to 12 on 12 off. But most people will veg for 8 weeks then flower 8 weeks. Add in the drying and curing time, you’re looking at about 20 weeks. I started with a viparspectra 600watt and used it start to finish.
@OldStealth 50 true watts per square foot is good for HID, but that seems high for LED. I’ve always heard 15 - 25 true watts or 32 - 38 equivalent watts per square foot for LED. Obviously more light is better, but 50 true watts per square foot is going to create heat issues.
Note: In veg I used 25 true watts per square foot. I am in bloom now using 50 true watts per square foot and heat is a constant battle… especially in my reservoir since I’m growing hydro.
I just passed on what I’ve used. Not much heat with LEDs. My exhaust takes care of the heat.
My exhaust helps to keep the temp around 81° at the canopy… which is about 4° higher than I would like. As long as it stays under 85° though, I don’t worry too much. The problem I have though is keeping the reservoir under 72°. Right now I rotate frozen water bottles, but might invest in a small chiller. I have a 600w LED running full spectrum during flower pulling 250 true watts. My tent is 4.8 square feet, so right now I’ve got 52 true watts per square foot.
Check with the hydro guys. I’m a dirt farmer. Soil grow in my little grow box. My micro climate is easy to maintain.