Ok guys, so time has come to purchase new lights… On a budget.
I was thinking of buying two leds, with a budget of under $500.
With the hopes of covering 3-4 auto plants per light.
Im looking at mars, spider, hlg, because of their price points. I don’t use a tent, I have a room dedicated to the grow with fans, dehumidifiers etc.
Can I get some suggestions? At this price point what are the best options? Im looking at mars because they have updated their lights this year, but it seems the more people use hlg and spider. Thanks in advance !
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I have HLG and Spyders,and the HLG is definitely superior, but the bigger Spyders are pretty close.Just my opinion,but I have them in the same tent and you can tell the difference.
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You should really have a plan as to how much plant canopy you will have, and have your canopy wrapped close with reflective material. Giving a plant count doesn’t really help much, as you could easily grow 3-4 plants in a 3x3 space. Or, have a single plant fill a 4x4 space.
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Thanks for the answer @dbrn32. I will want to cover around 4x4. I understand I can grow one large plant under the same space as 4. I should have written that I want to grow around 3 compact plants per light 4x4.
Mainly my question is between the brands. Which brands are better. I used to have a california light works cob, but I can’t afford to buy another one, especially when I want to cover more space and will need to buy multiple
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I concur.
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I find the hlg 260xl to flower four autos in a 3x3.5 closet beautifully you should be able to veg with it and throw in your lesser lights in flower time and it only cost 350$ with the code dude on their site( you could probably even fit 6-8 autos in that space)
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The “good” led fixtures are going to run in the $700-$1500 range per 4x4. You can stretch space or quality of fixture, but either way will end up in lower light density.
Imo you should probably look at a few different options. I don’t know your situation, so I’ll throw them out for you to consider.
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Go hid. You can probably get two 600 watt hps rigs for $500. That would give you about 30 square feet of flowering coverage. In open room heat would probably be more manageable.
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Consider opening up budget to get into some quality lighting.
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Consider running space that can be covered by quality led light and expand to more space later.
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What kind of yields are you seeing per 4x4 currently?
How much cannabis do you need (weight)?
Are you open to switching to photoperiod plants if it means higher yields per month?
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@dbrn32 Great info, thanks alot!
I will have to take a step back and replan maybe.
Was pondering the idea of buying multiple mars 1000 led at $140 each, Giving me more coverage.
So much cheaper, that’s my concern about quality of mars. I will do that or get one very good light and decrease my grow space.
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@KeystoneCops last indoor was a bit larger than 2x2 cob , 5.5 oz dried. Im about to harvest an outdoor, which may yield more ,I hope. But that’s it’s own soap opera
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You would need four MARS TS 1000 lights (current 301b 150w model) to cover a 4x4’ tent properly. MARS lights have more price volatility than HLG, but on average they’re about the same price (comparing assembled MARS lights to unassembled HLG kits). I would buy an HLG if you are okay assembling the light, because their customer support is so much better.
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I still want to know the answers on consumption and photoperiodism, if you don’t mind.
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If you want to take a chance on a budget quantum board, I’m using Kuarez lamps, I found out another company is selling the same lamp under another name G.E.A.L.T.H. The 150 watt board seems to be the best watts per dollar deal, and you can get 5 of them for your $500 budget. Both brands are sold on Amazon, and i have a feeling they will be at least 10% cheaper on black friday, I picked most of mine up 20% off on Prime day -You should be able to pick up 1 gealth for 10% off today though to check it out, mine is on the way tomorrow. Returns through 1/31/21 if you’re not satisfied. I wish I had a full grow under my belt so I could verify the quality through harvest, but all I can tell you is that they are cheap, and my plants took off after I replaced 530 blurple watts with 550 watts of these.
I am certain you would be better off with HLG, I just don’t have the flow to light up the area I want to with HLG right now, so I’m very budget conscious. Building my own lamps would be the next best option for me if I was doing it again, but I have these so I’m giving it a shot.
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The amount I need isn’t important because its for personal use, if I grow 2 ounces less I may be disappointed, but it doesn’t make much of a diff.
Im interested in exploring photos and cloning down the road, …why do you have a suggestion @KeystoneCops
My 2 cents - I’ve been successfully using a single Mars TS2000 in my 4x4 easily filling it up by flower usually can only fit two plants at a time in 4x4 here.
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If I had the option, I’d have one tent for vegetative mother plants and another tent for flowering cloned cuttings. There are a lot of advantages to such a system. For me, the ability to keep a plant that guarantees the same flowers/chemovar run after run is the most important benefit. The ability to flower clones is also huge, since they can flower immediately and work well in a Sea Of Green pattern.
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Other than more available strain and cloning, what other advantages are there in growing photos? @KeystoneCops
Yeild, and though I haven’t harvested yet, I heard auto’s were a harsher smoke than photo’s.
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