Good LED for Small Tent - *Never will be growing more than 4 plants at a time.

jixan

jixan

Active Member
Hello all,

Right now I am growing with CFL and think I am having pretty good results. I would however like to switch over to LED. Having to arrange the CFL's so close is just not that convenient. I am a pretty busy/lazy person so I don't want to have to worry about moving lights all the time for optimal coverage.

Back to the question, what is a good LED for optimal coverage in a small tent, 22"x36"x63"?

I am currently growing two Aurora Indicas and plan on growing them for the foreseeable future, they seem to stay rather short and fat. They are in 3 gallon smart pots, I plan on moving down to 2 gallons to conserve space and maybe grow 4 at a time. This does depend on if the LED panel I purchase is up to the task.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. TY!
 
Amaximus

Amaximus

Well-Known Member
jixan said:
Anyone have any personal experience with this panel?

http://hydroponicshut.com/pro-grow-180-watt-led-grow-light-hydroponics-hut.html

It may be why I'm looking for, would like to have some growers input though before I make any decisions.

Thanks!
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There are actually a bunch of documented grows on riu regarding the pro grow panels. I was going to link you some but there are so many you'd be better off just doing an advanced search for "pg180" and "pro grow".

In short though, The PG180 is a decent entry level led panel. It's price is low enough to be affordable, it pulls 160w which is efficient for that panel and has a three year warranty.
 
jixan

jixan

Active Member
Would it be worth the extra $100 for the Pro Grow 260? I currently am running 336 watts of CFL's, I know that the LED would more than likely out preform them due solely on the precise spectrum usage and penetration capabilities, I just don't want to over buy. I will be growing in a small tent for the perceivable future, and have no plans on increasing my grow space.

Thanks!
 
G

greenhornn

Member
i curently have a pro grow 260 i recomend them id spend the extra 100 and get it u wont be disapointed
right now im growing 5 of nirvanas bubilicious
 
G

greenhornn

Member
i plan on upgrading to the 550 soon since i just bought a new tent and would like to have a couple extra plants bought the jardin dark secret 120
 
jixan

jixan

Active Member
greenhornn said:
i plan on upgrading to the 550 soon since i just bought a new tent and would like to have a couple extra plants bought the jardin dark secret 120
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Hey greenhorn, that's great I am growing Nirvana's Aurora right now. What medium are you growing in?

Thanks!
 
dragongrower

dragongrower

Active Member
I have a setup question that pertains to what size/brand LED grow light I should get for my two tents...
1 tent that I have is 32x32x63 and it currently has a 400hps in it.
2 tent that I have is 48x48x79

I would like to make the smaller tent my veg/cloning tent, and use the large one for flowering.

What I was thinking was getting one of the following combinations, let me know what you guys think would be the best setup.

Vegging tent = 1 Pro Grow 400 from HH

Flowering tent = 2 Pro Grow 400's from HH
or
= 1 Pro Grow 550 from HH
or
= 1 357 Magnum Plus, not sure the specs on it but it pulls 357 watts...

So those are my three options besides using the 400hps/mh for vegging and buying a new 1000hps/mh for my flowering tent... I just don't think that my breaker box will be able to handle both HPS's and all the fans and stuff to keep them running cool, plus all the running cost...

Please help, I really need to make a decision soon on what to buy.
Thanks for the help guys...
 
Amaximus

Amaximus

Well-Known Member
The PG260 only draws 20 watts extra for the additional $100 price tag. That's $5 per extra watt.

No, it is not worth it, IMO.
 
IlovePlants

IlovePlants

Well-Known Member
Hello Jixan,
I want to suggest some things, but I'm working under the assumption that you have a single cab. If I were entering into the LED realm, I would want to see how different spectrum effects plant growth. Check out the Diamond Series XML, puffenuff just finished a grow with it. You can dial the exacts spectrum you want, one dial controls the white, and the other controls the red/blue led modules. Great features, dimmable lighting, and a three year warranty. It's just shy of 4$/watt, at 549$ for a 135watt unit. It may not be the cheapest, but the dimmable spectrum would teach you what light is important and when it is important.

Pro grow have a good spectrum, a decent price (almost 1/2 the XML), and great results. The light design is a little older by comparison, but a proven product. Hell, I don't have any experience with either of these, especially since I'm building my own. I will say this though 10w chips are the future, you can dim them, and their efficiency is now nearly as high as 3w chips.

Lucky for you you don't have Spectra still around claiming 2grams/watt on there 5$/watt light system. You would end up hating the led market for a quarter of the yield promised at double the cost of many other units.

Choose wisely and welcome to LED and other lighting,
ILovePlants
 
jixan

jixan

Active Member
Amaximus said:
The PG260 only draws 20 watts extra for the additional $100 price tag. That's $5 per extra watt.

No, it is not worth it, IMO.
Click to expand...
O wow, just looked that up. Nice catch, thanks! I don't think the 260 could perform with only that small amount of increase.

Hmm, I wonder if that small increase is actually a significant amount and it's a testament to the efficiency of LED energy conversion??? LED's big claim is decreased energy waste.
 
jixan

jixan

Active Member
IlovePlants said:
Hello Jixan,
I want to suggest some things, but I'm working under the assumption that you have a single cab. If I were entering into the LED realm, I would want to see how different spectrum effects plant growth. Check out the Diamond Series XML, puffenuff just finished a grow with it. You can dial the exacts spectrum you want, one dial controls the white, and the other controls the red/blue led modules. Great features, dimmable lighting, and a three year warranty. It's just shy of 4$/watt, at 549$ for a 135watt unit. It may not be the cheapest, but the dimmable spectrum would teach you what light is important and when it is important.

Pro grow have a good spectrum, a decent price (almost 1/2 the XML), and great results. The light design is a little older by comparison, but a proven product. Hell, I don't have any experience with either of these, especially since I'm building my own. I will say this though 10w chips are the future, you can dim them, and their efficiency is now nearly as high as 3w chips.

Lucky for you you don't have Spectra still around claiming 2grams/watt on there 5$/watt light system. You would end up hating the led market for a quarter of the yield promised at double the cost of many other units.

Choose wisely and welcome to LED and other lighting,
ILovePlants
Click to expand...

  • Thant does sounds really interesting. Unfortunately I am still growing my first pair of girls. I haven't even been through my first grow so I want to try and keep it as simple as possible. I just know myself to well and will sit and endless tinker with that knob until the rapture comes. I am wanting to find a reliable entry panel, that I can use for a couple of years until I'm ready to upgrade to something like the DiamondSeries.

    Thanks for sharing that with me ILovePlants, it will come in handy in the future.​




 
Y

Yomandude!!!

Active Member
The SolarStorms and Solarflares are something to look at! not the cheapest but they use 5W led chips. The 200W version is 449$ and it pulls around 160W actual.

A bit pricey for 160W but I would be interested in a comparison with the deeper penetration of the 5W chips.

Solarstorms are out of my price range, but it is one of the well known panels for good yields.

http://californialightworks.com/
 
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