Multiple lights

So I usually do mostly outdoor grows, this time around I wanted to try starting earlier in the year inside and give them a good head start. I started off with just a couple lights that were laying around from previous smaller grows and now I’ve put quite a few in. However, they’re all pretty small wattage (I’ve been going cheap). Should I invest in a single higher wattage light or will a bunch of small wattage lights do the trick? Also does anyone have a recommendation on an affordable grown light, don’t want to spend an arm and a leg, thanks!

The best bang for your buck is probably going to be some light (no pun intended) DIY or a quantum board kit or panel. You want to get the best quality, not necessarily quantity. A lot of energy is wasted in heat in ‘cheap’ lights, and lots of manufacturers aren’t giving you accurate information…for example, they might advertise a fixture as 1000 watt, but it may only consume 150, and might only do the job a better light can do at only 100. And “full-spectrum” could mean many different color temperatures. @dbrn32 is the go-to guy for lighting on this forum. He can help you with the specifics as to what would work best for your situation. What size is the space you’re wanting to light?

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@elheffe702 right now I’m working with a pretty small green house. I think it’s a 3 by 2, and it’s about 6 ft tall. I should have grabbed a picture before I left for work. I’ll get one later and post it. I’m only going to keep them in there for a bit then transfer all but one outside.

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I missed that point I think. In that case, you could probably get away with something relatively cheap, depending on how big they’ll get before they go outside. With the right lighting, you could even flower in a space that size, with a single light, somewhere around 240-260 watts maybe. You might want something smaller just for while they’re little, or you could get something with a dimmer even. Lots of options.

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I’ll post some pics a little later, if you don’t mind giving me some feedback on it. And yeah that’s what I was thinking, I’m going to keep one in the green house for the entire grow.

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You won’t need a lot of light in a greenhouse unless you have very poor sun resource. That will depend on your geographical location and location of your greenhouse in respect to things that could potentially shade it.

I’m going to guess a few smaller horticulture specific lights would do it. I’d be happy to help you build something though if you would like.

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@dbrn32 sorry I should have explained better. They’re in a greenhouse but they’re inside… haha it was just a cheap alternative to buying a full blown grow tent. I do plan on putting it outside when the weather get nicer, I live in the mountains so it’s still pretty chilly out. Thanks! I’m not really happy with my set up right now, seeing this is the first time I’ve started this many plants inside and the fact that I’m trying to keep them inside for longer than I’m used to, this is definitely a learning experience haha. I’ll post some pictures when I get home, always down for some pointers!

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For sure! I’ll keep an eye out.

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@GrowGorilla,
if u get a chance, look up HLG 100w QB on GrowersLights com.

that light would be enough to veg them 2-3 ft tall in the 2x3 house.!

@dbrn32 I’d love to build my own QB board lights but the parts don’t seem that accessible in the UK. I wouldn’t know where to start without advice, I’m using a 1.2x1.2x2m main tent and iv just got a 90cm x 90cm (not sure how high) tent for starting plants off In.

Diyleduk is where I would start.

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So I was wrong about the size… it’s 2 by 1 ft.


@dbrn32 @elheffe702
Let me know what you think, I know it’s nothing impressive but it’s doing the job lol. I’m think I may get some reflective walls?

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Ya reflective surface will help. Those lights very good for first couple of weeks. Your plants will over grow them before long though.

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@dbrn32 so you think I should invest in a better light? They’re coming up on almost a month from seeds right now. I could just use these smaller lights as side lighting when I get the better light.

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I think it would be pretty beneficial. How big is the greenhouse? And do you plan to flower plants in it inside or just veg?

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I plan on leaving one plant in there for flowering, the rest will go outside once I get all I can out of what I’ve got now.


I saw this one on sale from Walmart, think it’ll do the trick? Maybe I’m just being cheap lol

Ist 2 ft by 1 ft, almost 6 ft tall

You wanna build your own?

You should know that claims about LED lights from various vendors are extremely misleading. Always look for the fine print. From their website:

Actual Power: 110W
LED Quantity: 100pcs(58Red + 10Blue + 14White + 18Sodium)
PPFD: 30cm-561.mol/-s, 60cm-142.mol/-s, 90cm-63.mol/-s, 120cm-38.mol/-s
LUX: 30cm-19100LUX, 60cm-4960LUX, 90cm-2380LUX, 120cm-1304LUX

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@TommyBahama yeah I saw that:/ I guess I just have to not be cheap lol