HPS vs. LED Grow Lights — Which is Better for Growing Weed?

snakedope

Well-Known Member
I could care less what Spyder says, because I've grown under both LED and HID lighting, and know what the reality is. If grown under optimal environmental conditions for each light in question, there is really no difference in quality. You have no idea what you're talking about.
Maybe so, i accept your opinion, and respect it no matter what may be the truth
I just told my perspective on lights and the science behind them, you dont have to agree or disagree.
 

Cannabisco

Active Member
The only type of lights I would recommend placing 6" from canopy are cfl's, fluorescent & very low watt low intensity leds. The new leds I wouldnt recommend placing anywhere closer than 12" or you will get light stress, bleach, burn and possibly fry your terps & trichomes. But hey that's me, better to be safe than sorry.
 

snakedope

Well-Known Member
There are no shortcuts to growing dank weed, you must control the heat of a high intensity light (the more intense the better)
If you are trying to "Go Around" the heat problem sort of speak and trade your intensity for better heat management (Which is exactly what LEDs offer) then you better off growing mushrooms ;)
People don't realize 1 simple thing, making a plant grow is not a problem even with the smallest intensity light, people all over the internet show this, 90w UFO light will grow trees if given the time needed, but how can that be ? because a plant can bust through concrete, stone sidewalks, etc.. with just a little bit of light and water, and from there the options are unlimited.
BUT, to make a plant produce frosty rich trichomes is a whole different thing, you MUST have strength,
both from the light source and from the plant itself.

Read carefully, in the bible it says "for as a human, so the tree of the field", meaning, we are not so different from them, you can learn a lot about humans if u study trees
Like humans, you must add things that will help the process of what you are trying to achieve, if its muscles then u train and eat a lot of protein, if its a craft of some kind you practice it and perfect the tools and skills for it.

So, You must divide the growing production and trichome production into 2 different sections,
Why is that ? because at different stages you need different things, like muscles, your body needs water and food to keep itself going, but your muscles need high protein and stress to be at their finest, so you can give your plants just plain water and food and light, and they will survive just being alive, like us humans ;) but to grow their muscles you must have that extra kick, the PROTEIN !

We can all agree trichome production is a defense mechanism of the plant, defense from what ? well, some say bugs, some say UV, some say high intensity light.. we can agree on them all, but reality shows us, that indoor grows lack the bugs to maintain such high levels of stress and frost, also UV is not a factor in indoor growing as most of the people just grow with LEDs or HPSs
What are we left with ? oh yeah.. strong lights...
Its consisted, trichomes (lets call it the muscles of the plants for better clarification on the things above) like high intensity lights, they thrive under it, they cover the whole plant, protecting it not from bugs or UV but from the heat and the intensity of the light.

Peace
 

snakedope

Well-Known Member
Did you even read what i said ? i said its not the bugs, its not the uv, its the heat and light intensity !
LEDs like i said ! will grow your plant, but thats about it, it will have trichomes but very low if any (i think you are counting the white trichomes stalk instead trichomes heads) and i just say LED but it goes to any low intensity light.
 
Did you even read what i said ? i said its not the bugs, its not the uv, its the heat and light intensity !
LEDs like i said ! will grow your plant, but thats about it, it will have trichomes but very low if any (i think you are counting the white trichomes stalk instead trichomes heads) and i just say LED but it goes to any low intensity light.
Are you trying to say that LEDs are low intensity light?

Im not very versed in lighting but from my understanding LEDs produce higher PPFD for the same wattage as HPS.
So watt for watt LEDs output more light intensity compared to HPS.

I am confusion.
 

snakedope

Well-Known Member
You talk about the efficiency of a light source, yes, LED tech is more efficient at making light compared to HID, if you read the whole thread thats not what this is about, even though LED is more efficient as a standalone watt for watt then HID, it still comes in small wattage such as 2w 3w diodes that put out 300 Lm, so just like in any light source if you split it you wont get the total amount of light but get the total amount of each light source that you split, in our case HPS is a single light source that push 150K Lm, and a LED diode is a light source that push 300 Lm, it dosent matter if you put 300 of those next to each other, you still have 300 Lm max output but in 300 different places, you dont have now 300 X 300 lm output, because you spread the output to 300 bulbs.
 
You talk about the efficiency of a light source, yes, LED tech is more efficient at making light compared to HID, if you read the whole thread thats not what this is about, even though LED is more efficient as a standalone watt for watt then HID, it still comes in small wattage such as 2w 3w diodes that put out 300 Lm, so just like in any light source if you split it you wont get the total amount of light but get the total amount of each light source that you split, in our case HPS is a single light source that push 150K Lm, and a LED diode is a light source that push 300 Lm, it dosent matter if you put 300 of those next to each other, you still have 300 Lm max output but in 300 different places, you dont have now 300 X 300 lm output, because you spread the output to 300 bulbs.
Sure but how does any of that actually translate into a tangible effect that makes a difference to the plants?
 

snakedope

Well-Known Member
but it is bugs, it is uv too. it's not just light intensity
Reality says otherwise, you have no bugs in your indoor grow, not enough to justify trichome production
Also uv is rather lacking in indoor grows so it cant be that... maybe that and the bugs contribute to this manner, thats why i said we can all agree that its bugs, uv, strong light etc.. but the first two (bugs,uv) are clearly missing in huge qtys in indoor growing, and im not talking about nowdays im talking about like 20 years ago, everyone grew with HPS alone without any UV and got amazing results, still do.
So we are left with the light and the plant in this case.

I know u grew under blurple without uv and bug and hid, and i was saying the same things as you, you will have trichome production, but just very low, not comparable to higher intensity light
And yes, trichomes stalks without or very small and immature heads on them is a very REAL phenomena, just go to the grow journals section and check out LEDs and other low intensity grows.
 

Cannabisco

Active Member
Idk personally I've grown with both indoors and have gotten better growth, yield , potency, flavors & better trichome production when using leds vs hps.
My no trichome buds grown under led lights.. lol.
Pics from harvest & week 6 of flower.
The best chance of good trichome production starts with genetics.
 

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Cannabisco

Active Member
I've seen trichome laden buds that were grown under cfls & florescent lights.
Pretty sure it mostly is just genetics, sure light helps & uv can help as well.
So can pgrp rhizo products & the right nutrients at the right time. But honestly I think it all comes down to genetics & skill. Some have it , some don't , some will eventually get there & some are just hopeless and should just rely on dispos. Making excuses doesn't change factual results. As long as you have the right skills & genetics you can have trichome laden buds grown under any lights.. dare I even say flashlights.
For me, led lights just do the job better & at better cost efficiency.
 
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snakedope

Well-Known Member
Idk personally I've grown with both indoors and have gotten better growth, yield , potency, flavors & better trichome production when using leds vs hps.
My no trichome buds grown under led lights.. lol.
Pics from harvest & week 6 of flower.
The best chance of good trichome production starts with genetics.
You have trichomes, no doubt about it, and thats what i said before, you will have, a lot ? well that only a lab can determine, but my bet with every LED system that it will be very low (again, compared to HID, not compared to no trichome production at all)

I do agree fully on the genetics part, it all starts there, like i started a and you b, to each his own starting point (genetics), but, genetics wont define my later growth and abilits, they will define the limits and start lines, but reality shows us you can push them very hard, both ways, improve or degrade.

Cannabisco - If you had a heat problem then No frost will be the outcome, i had burned some plants aswell, i feel for you, THC and trichome coverage degrade drastically, ive seen this with my own burned plants, one day they were covered with frost, 2 days later the tent was at like 34C blasting the canopy with heat, needless to say i wrecked them lol
 
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