Led grow?

Peace pipetoker

Peace pipetoker

Member
I have always ran a CFL veg and HPS flower/bud. I am thinking of going LED for my flowering/bud. Any suggestions? I'm just starting up again and right now besides clones I have one plant to flower and bud it's In an area about 3 foot by 2 foot by 7ft tall. I heard led grows don't produce the density or quality of bud as an HPS bud.
 
$bkbbudz$

$bkbbudz$

Well-Known Member
You ask a valid question! However, the place to get the BEST answer on this is in the LED growers forum...just sayin.

Good Luck and Great Growz
 
$bkbbudz$

$bkbbudz$

Well-Known Member
Peace pipetoker said:
Thank you. I'm new to the site so I guess you can accredit this as a noob mistake. Wrong forum u guess
Click to expand...
No problem my friend...just trying to help you get the info you need from those who know. I am an HID grower and have no real experience with LED. I do know that, in general the real LED pros prefer DIY LED to the over-hyped and over-priced commercial units.
 
Peace pipetoker

Peace pipetoker

Member
$bkbbudz$ said:
No problem my friend...just trying to help you get the info you need from those who know. I am an HID grower and have no real experience with LED. I do know that, in general the real LED pros prefer DIY LED to the over-hyped and over-priced commercial units.
Click to expand...
Yeah I use HPS currently
 
Humanrob

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
Peace pipetoker said:
I want to convert to LED
Click to expand...
Why?

Knowing your reasons might help with suggestions. For instance, is it to have a light that runs cooler? Are you looking to save money on electricity (i.e. better efficiency)? There are lots of reasons to switch to LEDs.

Like buying anything, you have to know your budget before you start. These things have a way of escalating, the more you know, the more you know why the expensive ones often are actually better than the less expensive ones (not always the case with LEDs, some companies try to mediocre lights at top dollar). Once you know, you can't unlearn it.
 
Peace pipetoker

Peace pipetoker

Member
Humanrob said:
Why?

Knowing your reasons might help with suggestions. For instance, is it to have a light that runs cooler? Are you looking to save money on electricity (i.e. better efficiency)? There are lots of reasons to switch to LEDs.

Like buying anything, you have to know your budget before you start. These things have a way of escalating, the more you know, the more you know why the expensive ones often are actually better than the less expensive ones (not always the case with LEDs, some companies try to mediocre lights at top dollar). Once you know, you can't unlearn it.
Click to expand...
I want to be more energy efficient and run cooler. My budget at this point would be as low as possible. I just dropped $200 on nutes but I want to know my options with LEDs.
 
Peace pipetoker

Peace pipetoker

Member
Also I have one little 10 watt led flowering spotlight, I have never tried before because I didn't want to change the spectrum but would it hurt to out it in there with my daylight spectrum cfls? There on 24/0
 
Humanrob

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
I have a 2.5' x 2' x 6' space, and I've had several different lights in there. It started with CFLs, then went to a low level Mars burple LED light, for a while it had a 4000k LED Shop Light in it, and now it has a pair of Optic 120's in it. The Mars was the least expensive at $75 delivered. The shop light was actually $200 from Home Depot (its in my shop now, veg's nicely but not very potent for flowering). The Optic 120's were about $325 each, so I have $650 worth of COB-based pre-made LEDs in there now.

You could build a DIY COB light and probably get away with just two Cree 3070's, and it can be done for under (or around?) $200, I think, haven't priced them recently. I have a friend with a 2x3 grow cabinet, not sure the height but I'd guess around 5' tall. He did one grow with just two 3070's, and then added two more for the next grow. He did very well both runs.

How many watts is the HPS you are replacing? How many grams per grow have you been getting?
 
Peace pipetoker

Peace pipetoker

Member
Humanrob said:
I have a 2.5' x 2' x 6' space, and I've had several different lights in there. It started with CFLs, then went to a low level Mars burple LED light, for a while it had a 4000k LED Shop Light in it, and now it has a pair of Optic 120's in it. The Mars was the least expensive at $75 delivered. The shop light was actually $200 from Home Depot (its in my shop now, veg's nicely but not very potent for flowering). The Optic 120's were about $325 each, so I have $650 worth of COB-based pre-made LEDs in there now.

You could build a DIY COB light and probably get away with just two Cree 3070's, and it can be done for under (or around?) $200, I think, haven't priced them recently. I have a friend with a 2x3 grow cabinet, not sure the height but I'd guess around 5' tall. He did one grow with just two 3070's, and then added two more for the next grow. He did very well both runs.

How many watts is the HPS you are replacing? How many grams per grow have you been getting?
Click to expand...
I have 2 150 watts and 1 400 but I was only planning on using 1 150 in this grow. This is the first grow in my closet. I used to have a whole room.
 
Humanrob

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
For the most part, your expectations and your budget will decide where you go. Well, also, whether or not you have any interest in building your own light.

If you are on a tight budget you'll get a lot of snarky advice at Rollitup, because the low budget lights (mostly from China) are not efficient, have dubious spectrum's, have poor (if any) customer service and tend to die prematurely. That said, if your budget is low and your expectations are also, they will grow pot.

If that's your direction, my apologies, I have no information in that realm.
 
Peace pipetoker

Peace pipetoker

Member
I would rather stuck with HPS for that little closet I have 700 watts of HPS if I need it just the electric cost and heat. I am in the middle of hooking up an exhaust that will vent out the top vent of my house.
 
Rahz

Rahz

Well-Known Member
For the most part high efficiency LED is found in COB package from Bridgelux and Cree. If you can't afford to outfit a space with pre-made cob lamps, DIY is cheaper. Most of the cheap Chinese lamps aren't that efficient so switching from HPS to LED in that form ends up being the reason people say...

Peace pipetoker said:
I heard led grows don't produce the density or quality of bud as an HPS bud.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top