Asterion Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 hi guys new here seeking a little advice from people more experienced then myself . I currently have a 4x4 tent with 600watthps but I want to add a smaller tent for veg to reduce time between crops. im going to go for a 80x80 tent but not sure about lighting it will be solely for veg but I am leaning towards hps light anyway as the price difference between a cheap hps and cfl isn't so much.T5s seem a bit pricey but don't really know so much about them I know mh is an option but I think id be ok with a dual spectrum hps. so opinions please and reasons why would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasquatch Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 I've just bought one of those 'corn cob' LED lights, it's 50w 6500K and 5500 lumens. It's E40 fit too so you can just bung it in any old reflector. Should be good for the first 2-3 weeks and of course no heat issues. There's various wattages this one was just under 25 quid. Worth a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asterion Posted April 10, 2019 Author Share Posted April 10, 2019 im gonna need full kit anyway but im after whatever is going to be the best investment in terms of quality smoke in the endgame.I have no idea what leds are like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasquatch Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 LEDs most accurately reproduce the light spectrum but CMH does a pretty good job and the price increase above hps isn't as drastic as LED. the heat from lamps is an asset in my non-tent growing environment. I've honestly no idea what 400v kit is like in practice but the improvement from CMH is exponentially better pricewise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asterion Posted April 10, 2019 Author Share Posted April 10, 2019 so for best results go for led you think? any particular brands? will be for veg only if that matters or not choosing an led I do not know lol.would pulling plants straight from a tent under led and then putting under hps cause any issues? my light is 600watt with a "super lumen" setting so it claims to be like 660watt would I need a similar intensity or could I just go for it/wean them onto the highest setting.thanks for your help I appreciate it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3potheads Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 I've just bought a Lightwave T5 for my veg box. Cheap and gets the job done. Not used LED but I would imagine it would be better than flouros. Seedlings/cuttings can't make use of loads of light which is why a lower power light is normally fine to start off with but moving onto HPS/high wattage LED once they are a week or 2 old. I personally have a 250w and a 400w MH and a 250w, 400w and 600w HPS bulbs and have a multi wattage ballast. This is so I only give them what they need at the right time, save on power costs and keep heat down when it's not needed. If your ballast is a single wattage with the boost then just get the correct wattage for the ballast. The other reason I went for a T5 is I plan to take cuttings just as a flip to 12/12 for flower, these cuttings will need to stay alive in the veg box for around 10/12 weeks while the others flower and dry in the main room. I'm hoping that a low wattage light will keep them alive and the low temps will let me get light close to keep the nodes tight. Time will tell. How long are you thinking of keeping them in the veg tent? 3ph 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasquatch Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 I'm only using this LED thing for seedlings, once bigger it will be MH and sodium until I can afford CMH . I can't comment on more powerful LEDs apart from to say they certainly seem to cost a lot more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asterion Posted April 11, 2019 Author Share Posted April 11, 2019 9 hours ago, 3potheads said: I've just bought a Lightwave T5 for my veg box. Cheap and gets the job done. Not used LED but I would imagine it would be better than flouros. Seedlings/cuttings can't make use of loads of light which is why a lower power light is normally fine to start off with but moving onto HPS/high wattage LED once they are a week or 2 old. I personally have a 250w and a 400w MH and a 250w, 400w and 600w HPS bulbs and have a multi wattage ballast. This is so I only give them what they need at the right time, save on power costs and keep heat down when it's not needed. If your ballast is a single wattage with the boost then just get the correct wattage for the ballast. The other reason I went for a T5 is I plan to take cuttings just as a flip to 12/12 for flower, these cuttings will need to stay alive in the veg box for around 10/12 weeks while the others flower and dry in the main room. I'm hoping that a low wattage light will keep them alive and the low temps will let me get light close to keep the nodes tight. Time will tell. How long are you thinking of keeping them in the veg tent? 3ph been looking for lower wattage mh or hps but finding it difficult to find anything in 250/400 watt range the ballast I have now is omega digital it goes from 250/400/600/660 it will be ok with a mh bulb. The original plan was to just switch bulbs out when I flip I do a 2 plant scrog and veg for 30 days in dwc so they get fairly bushy. Had to murder 1 of my 2 plants this time as it was a genetic hermie some stems were male some were female (BF gorilla zkittles) so due to this want to make a veg room so I can recover quicker from any future shortfalls my environment is pretty good so I don't think it was stress issue but could be wrong ofc. (nutrient heater broke on me without me noticing so i changed res with some properly cold 14degrees water) this did knock said tranny on its arse it wilted instantly and was recovered next day but thats the only bad stress factor I can think of and that was in early veg.Roughly 15 days to go on my 1 survivor then im upgrading my setup and il be starting dinafem blue cheese for my next run. The veg room im adding will be slowly built up well the BC is in veg so I can pop another 2 beans about 2 weeks after the flip in my new area. any and all help is appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InTheSystem Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 It is subjective really to your goals I guess.. For instance I use T5's in general - cheap and cheerful. I have my tents setup for perpetual also, so the t5's also slows the growth down to be more manageable and produces nice spacing between nodes. However, I use 4 foot t5 fixtures, so for coverage and low watts - it is the best bang for my buck. Fixtures are like under a tenner and so is each tube, so pretty cheap? You can run 3k and 5k for a full spectrum also which I have found to be very effective... Phillips T5 tubes don't perform as well as other though, which is the opposite when you are talking HID haha. In theory of course, t5 is not an efficient light compared to the others, particularly LED.. Taking a look PPFD/Watt alone LED wins the show (I have only seen Optic LED in action and they are impressive!). I do see light bleaching/stress on many LED grows though, so if you are buying a small vegetative purpose tent, maybe look at one with at least 2m of height? I am sure someone with actual experience growing with LED can offer much better advice though. They are very expensive though, so may be out of your budget anyhow if you are looking for an inexpensive solution. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 If just for veg, either MH or led I would say. I want to upgrade my veg chamber. I’ve got most of what I need and that includes a adjustable digi ballast that I’ll keep at 250 watts with a Mh bulb. Beauty of using this method is I could swap bulbs and flower in both rooms if need be. Led and cmh are the future though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cypher79 Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 I also use a 600w to flower with, and I use a 400w for most of vegging, with a 110w T5 for the first week of veg. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nl5 Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 I built a second vegging tent a month or so ago, it runs on a 55w floro, a 250w mh and a 600w mh in various stages, hopefully will cut the crop cycle down to 6.5 weeks 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasquatch Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 There are 150w fixed and 150/250w dimmable hps ballasts available, and 150w MH and sodium bulbs, maybe that would be a good balance between light output and costs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asterion Posted April 11, 2019 Author Share Posted April 11, 2019 600 seems to be the best bang for your buck from what im finding but im only looking on ebay really any places people could recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nl5 Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 8 minutes ago, michaeldbc said: 600 seems to be the best bang for your buck from what im finding but im only looking on ebay really any places people could recommend? Site sponsors wouldn’t bother with eBay mate, I buy my equipment locally have a look at it before buying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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