4'x4' Tent... 3 x 200w LEDs or 2 x 300w LEDS?

With a 4'x'4' tent I'm planning on having a total of 600w (true/draw) of LEDs. I can get a better deal on three total 200w lights vs two total 300w lights... so I'm leaning towards three 200w lights, possibly adding a fourth down the line.

That said, is what I'd gain in more even distribution of light by going with more lights of a lower wattage worth the trade off of penetration through the canopy or any other factors?

Which lights are you looking at?

I've already got one I've been using that I really like.

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How many plants do you want to grow?

4 trained plants in a 7 gal pot fits a 4x4 tent well, you could use 1 x 200W above each plant.

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Yup, that's the plan for the 4x4. This first cycle in the 4x4, I'm only doing 2 plants with two 200w lights. But will be taking cuttings from this grow to use in the next cycles where I want to do 4 (and have 3 or 4 200w LEDs total). And when I start growing clones, will probably do a SCROG... I think SCROG and clones would go well together with the light spread from four fixtures.

I'm kind of debating though on whether I should just get a couple of 300+ watt LEDs for the 4x4 and skip the work of doing SCROG.

Or even just get a single HID.

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I'd go with the two 300watts rather than 2 x 200W.

There's a video out by Black Dog LED showing the difference in yield between their 600watt and 1000watt fixtures. Your harvest will be a function of how much light you give your plants.

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Take a look at the Diablo Scorpion and the Timber Fatty, upper priced lights but worth the money.

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Yeah I've looked at HLG but I'm not convinced the price is worth it. I'm avoiding Chinese/Alibaba/Amazon cheapness with LEDs but HLG is a bit too far into the name brand premium for my little grow setup and needs. I've been really happy with Grow Light Science.

But in any case, I'm only doing 2 x 200w for the first cycle with 2 plants from seed. I'll be adding a third and probably a fourth 200w next cycle after I've gotten all the cuttings I need from this one and start with clones.

But I'm new to LEDs for the most part and coming from using a 600w HID in a 2'x4'... which had no trouble penetrating the canopy to some depth. I'm not sure what to expect when it comes to LEDs and penetration of the canopy... Is it really worth $1,400 invested in a single LED fixture @ 600w when I could get spend less than $1,000 and have 800 watts spread across four LED fixtures?

Hobbes said:

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Take a look at the Diablo Scorpion and the Timber Fatty, upper priced lights but worth the money.

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Click to expand...

I ordered a scorpion today. 20% off today only. Was 1119 total..