i wanted to start my indoor grow of 5 Big Bud seeds and I’m just wondering the recommended lighting for such. prob gonna use a grow tent, i just wanna get the lighting right.
50watts at the wall/ sq ft if you use blurple amazon leds, cmh, or hps
30ish if you go high efficacy leds, like hlg, plc, bridgelux etc.
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How many bulbs/light fixtures though?
Maybe I’m overthinking it and only need that light and can adjust how close to plants they are
What size area are you trying to grow in?
Is it a grow tent, an open room, etc…?
It would be a tent, since Big Bud grows huge I was thinking a decent sized one. 5ftx5ftx7.5ft
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If you want plug and play, this light will be perfect for a 5’x5’.
There are other options. Cmh, hps, and diy.
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Yeah that’s a lot of $ lol. How about HPS, Cmh how many bulbs or fixtures in that case.
First welcome to the community ! @Drinkslinger has got you covered. I would like to say a 4 x 4 space will be a lot more affordable to buy lights for. A 4x4 space will turn out a lot of buds.
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Okay I hear you. What I’m asking tho is for 5 Big bud plants what type of spacing or lighting would I need like specifically not LED more so HPS or CMH
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You’ll need 1200 watts ± of cmh or hps lighting for a 5’x5’. Going with that type of light might save you a few hundred $$ up front, but you’ll pay for it every month in electrical costs. 1200w cmh vs 650w led. Then there’s the bulbs that need replacing in cmh/hps, but not with leds.
You could grow 5 plants in a 4’x4’, but you’d have to keep them med sized.
Good lighting is not cheap, but it’s essential for good bud.
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The general rule of thumb for HID lighting is 35-50 watts per square foot. A 1000 watt HID fixture in a 5’x5’ tent would put you at 40 watts per square foot - right in the middle. You will want a good air-cooled fixture with multiple angles on the “back side” like an Xtrasun 64 in a tent of that size. You could also do a pair of 600 watt HID fixtures, or a pair of CMH fixtures.
The “high cost of HID lighting” really depends on the cost of electricity where you live. I did a cost analysis of LED vs HID 6 months ago (based on the average cost of electricity in the U.S.) where you can see how long it takes to break even. You can read it here:
Don’t get me wrong - I love LED lighting and have plenty of it, but many people can’t afford them and there’s nothing wrong with HID lighting. I would much rather see someone get an HID light than be convinced they have to use LED, then go purchase cheap blurple lighting from Amazon.
Also @jakeforman if you do go with LED lighting, you might consider getting two of the HLG 320W XL fixtures. It is nice being able to have multiple lights at different heights when dealing with multiple plants.
If the cost is too much for you and you aren’t married to the idea of a 5’x5’ tent (you could just grow 4 plants for now), I have recommended to many economic-minded people the 1000 watt HID complete tent (4’x4’) kit from growershouse. Part number 4x4-1000HID-S