Can A LEC 315W Flower 3 plants in 25 gallon pots?

[Colo MMJ]

8 foot ceiling. They are small bushes at about 4 to 5 feet tall when entering flower. Ceiling is 8 to 8.5 feet. The plants would get half turns once a day or maybe two a day.

Currently flowering with one 1000 watt HPS per plant which is expensive.

 

[xmatox]

An LEC's footprint isn't as big as a DE HPS, so I don't think one LEC can handle flowering 3, 25 gallon trees. You would probably have to Scrog them very well too considering that the LEC's need to be above the canopy 4-5ft because of heat. You would be pretty close in that regard IMO.

 

[Colo MMJ]

I am wondering if a light mover might help. Is the heat higher than HPS? Maybe I could have a row or 2 x 2 (4 plants, run the light mover down the middle and half turn the pots each day.

I assume a 4 x 50 watt COB set up like Timber Grow Lights DIY kid on a Light Rail might be better. Anyone know how close you can get COBs to the plants? Can the COBs keep up with a LEC?
http://timbergrowlights.com/products/

 

[Growdict]

so you have 3,000 watts of HPS and are wondering if 315w of LEC will replace? Not even close. LEC is more efficient than HPS by maybe 25% or so, not 1000%. maybe 6x315w in a verticle setup since your plants are so tall already. also prime distance from canopy on LEC is 20-24" not 4-5ft

 

[GroErr]

Forget plant counts and use square footage. 1x 315w LEC can cover off up to 3.5'x3.5' well, have done it several times. That's rounded off to 12 sq. ft. Figure out your final footprint after stretch and adjust your numbers of 315's required. 2x 315's can replace 1x 1000w hps. in the right config/methods but not 1:1.

 

[xmatox]

so you have 3,000 watts of HPS and are wondering if 315w of LEC will replace? Not even close. LEC is more efficient than HPS by maybe 25% or so, not 1000%. maybe 6x315w in a verticle setup since your plants are so tall already. also prime distance from canopy on LEC is 20-24" not 4-5ft

The prime distance is dependent on strain, and probably what LEC you are using. I am running a few of the LEC 630's in one of my rooms, and when I was in flower I could not keep the lights that close to my plants. It was to hot for them. A single 315w could probably run fine between 20''-24'', but I wouldn't generalize the LEC's canopy height off of what you do in your garden and therefore I am wrong... Every strain is different, and what you grow in your garden might not grow like plants in other peoples gardens.

 

[Colo MMJ]

The prime distance is dependent on strain, and probably what LEC you are using. I am running a few of the LEC 630's in one of my rooms, and when I was in flower I could not keep the lights that close to my plants. It was to hot for them. A single 315w could probably run fine between 20''-24'', but I wouldn't generalize the LEC's canopy height off of what you do in your garden and therefore I am wrong... Every strain is different, and what you grow in your garden might not grow like plants in other peoples gardens.

Too hot as in giving off as much heat at a 1000 HPS or too bright hot?

 

[Colo MMJ]

Forget plant counts and use square footage. 1x 315w LEC can cover off up to 3.5'x3.5' well, have done it several times. That's rounded off to 12 sq. ft. Figure out your final footprint after stretch and adjust your numbers of 315's required. 2x 315's can replace 1x 1000w hps. in the right config/methods but not 1:1.

I was also considering dual ended bulb HPS with a fairly open reflector. People were saying they are getting 6x6 on them and they rate them at 8x8. One poster says their greenhouse has 2 for 10 x 20. I realize any review on Mazon is suspect.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010ISZJIQ/ref=s9_simh_gw_g86_i2_r?ie=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=QR64XH23P0Z02KH6174G&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=14bf09e4-93c8-43ff-8639-e7979e7d1787&pf_rd_i=desktop

I would guess 60% of Amazon reviews are written by bots.

 

[GroErr]

I was also considering dual ended bulb HPS with a fairly open reflector. People were saying they are getting 6x6 on them and they rate them at 8x8. One poster says their greenhouse has 2 for 10 x 20. I realize any review on Mazon is suspect.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010ISZJIQ/ref=s9_simh_gw_g86_i2_r?ie=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=QR64XH23P0Z02KH6174G&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=14bf09e4-93c8-43ff-8639-e7979e7d1787&pf_rd_i=desktop

I would guess 60% of Amazon reviews are written by bots.

Hps is certainly proven but out of the efficiency league compared to the 315's. On a watt for watt swap which I've done 2 of now the conversions have both increased production by 20-30% over their previous setup with hps. In a larger room/op it doesn't take much for that price difference in the initial investment to pay off, one grow typically. Another gain with the LEC's is watt-for-watt your cooling costs are lower as the greater efficiency converts to more light/less heat.

In a 6x6, even up to 7x7' I'd go with 4x 315's, the bleeding from unit to unit would cover off 7x7' and kill it, 4lbs. easily attainable with 1260w or almost 1.5gpw. Right strain and grow method and you could hit 2 gpw,

 

[Colo MMJ]

Thanks GroErr. I appreciate the knowledge and wisdom.

Any strains you like for big yield? N Lights?

 

[GroErr]

Thanks GroErr. I appreciate the knowledge and wisdom.

Any strains you like for big yield? N Lights?

I've done 1 grow for weight just to see what these LEC's could do, most of the time I'm mixing up strains or breeding runs so I don't even track most runs. I have a cut of HSO Blue Dream which can yield 1 oz. dry per gallon of soil, my son grows it, I keep a clone going but haven't flowered it for a while. If you have access to the real deal it's supposed to be a good producer too. I have a pack of NL but have yet to grow it out, but I've seen some very nice looking/yielding NL grown by other growers I know. Blue Dream is a good general strain in that it has a decent taste/smell and produces well, just not potent enough fro my liking but I have a couple of patients that ask for it because they can't handle the stronger strains. I just grab it from my son now if someone asks for it, he's pulling 6lbs per run with his 6x LEC's in an 8x10 room so I don't need to have it on-hand
.

 

[Colo MMJ]

I've done 1 grow for weight just to see what these LEC's could do, most of the time I'm mixing up strains or breeding runs so I don't even track most runs. I have a cut of HSO Blue Dream which can yield 1 oz. dry per gallon of soil, my son grows it, I keep a clone going but haven't flowered it for a while. If you have access to the real deal it's supposed to be a good producer too. I have a pack of NL but have yet to grow it out, but I've seen some very nice looking/yielding NL grown by other growers I know. Blue Dream is a good general strain in that it has a decent taste/smell and produces well, just not potent enough fro my liking but I have a couple of patients that ask for it because they can't handle the stronger strains. I just grab it from my son now if someone asks for it, he's pulling 6lbs per run with his 6x LEC's in an 8x10 room so I don't need to have it on-hand
.

May I ask how long he flowers BD with those 6 LEC's? What is he veg with? Thanks.

 

[GroErr]

May I ask how long he flowers BD with those 6 LEC's? What is he veg with? Thanks.

He has a lot more space so he vegges with the 4200k bulbs and LEC's vs. my smaller setup vegges with blurple LED's. He flowers with the 3100k bulbs. He only runs 2x strains alternating runs, the HSO BD and Blue RIpper 1 which is my cross and produces like the BD, both finish in 53-55 days under the LEC's.

 

[Colo MMJ]

53 to 55 days? Man that is fast. Have you ever run across anything faster?

 

[GroErr]

53 to 55 days? Man that is fast. Have you ever run across anything faster?

I have a couple of my Blue Ripper phenos that I just pulled from a pheno hunt that finish within that range. I also have a Jack The Ripper that's around 54-56, a Harlequin pheno at 49-51 days, and a Blue Pyramid that finished around 50-52 but none of those produce anywhere near the same rate as the Blue Dream or that one pheno of my Blue Ripper F1 cross.

If you have access to clones from a trusted source and known early finisher it could save you a lot of time searching for decent producing, early finishing phenos. You can pop a pack of regular seeds and get phenos that range from 50 up to 70 days and various levels of production, it's a bit of a crap shoot. Fem seeds can be a little better for consistency like the HSO Blue Dream I pulled was the first seed I popped from the original 5-pack.

I'd suggest picking a couple of well known producers like NL and BD in fems to start off unless you can grab some known/established clones locally.

 

[Colo MMJ]

Thanks.

 

[Checkit71]

So I got to ask since I'm transitioning from my 3x3 space running 2x250watt hps to now a 4x4 would running 1 315watt be good enough? Right now I'm considering either running LEC or 300watts of COB's in my new space.

 

[Colo MMJ]

I have a couple of my Blue Ripper phenos that I just pulled from a pheno hunt that finish within that range. I also have a Jack The Ripper that's around 54-56, a Harlequin pheno at 49-51 days, and a Blue Pyramid that finished around 50-52 but none of those produce anywhere near the same rate as the Blue Dream or that one pheno of my Blue Ripper F1 cross.

If you have access to clones from a trusted source and known early finisher it could save you a lot of time searching for decent producing, early finishing phenos. You can pop a pack of regular seeds and get phenos that range from 50 up to 70 days and various levels of production, it's a bit of a crap shoot. Fem seeds can be a little better for consistency like the HSO Blue Dream I pulled was the first seed I popped from the original 5-pack.

I'd suggest picking a couple of well known producers like NL and BD in fems to start off unless you can grab some known/established clones locally.

Thanks.

I just bought a pristine Blue Dream mother for $50 to churn out clones. She is a beauty. An old timer I know raves about Northern Lights.

 

[Yodaweed]

I think these 315 LEC's are more of a 400 watt replacement, they only give a 3x3 footprint so you would probably need 3 of them to do 3 huge plants.