Which Light for Beginner?

[j.o.i.n.t]

@SamCooked You'll be fine with whatever I'd say. Most names are bullshit, there's too many of them for it to mean much -  an 8-10 weeker is an 8 -10 weeker (opinions really are like arseholes, eh? )

 

Then leave them a little longer.

 

Inside its worth thinning out, or removing, the very bottom branches and concentrating the growth on t'buds/leaves that can get light, air flow good too cos fuck mould, but other than that...its just getting to know the plant. Few rounds of cuttings off a mum you liked the smoke of, you'll get familiar with the stretch it gives (clones stretch a little less than seed plants imho), and feed levels it likes to be fed etc etc and start to dial it in (but non pretty plants, if they're producing still count, so worry not)... Another reason for mums.

Edited February 10 by j.o.i.n.t

[SamCooked]

@j.o.i.n.t Thanks for all the advice I really appreciate it  Might get a diary up at some point when I get cracking.

 

It's hard for me to not focus on the strain choice though, having only ever grown outdoors where reliable strains are so important! 

Would love to try some subbies seeds in the future.

[Lux_Interior]

On 10/02/2024 at 15:53, SamCooked said:

How many plants do you usually grow? 

 

Up to six in the flowering tent.

 

The only issue, I see, with LED lights is that currently the technology is moving so fast an LED light might, possibly, be outdated by the innovation in LED lighting, before the light itself wears out.

 

The reason I switched to LED was simply electricity costs. I grew HPS for years but gramme per watt I am happy with LEDs now. Cheaper weed.

 

There was/is a learning curve though.

[SamCooked]

17 hours ago, Lux_Interior said:

There was/is a learning curve though

 

I've never grown indoor to be fair, so whichever light I go with it will be a challenge but looking forward to it.

 

I have grown seedlings for outdoor grows in a small led set up but never flowered under lights.

[Lux_Interior]

1 hour ago, SamCooked said:

 

I've never grown indoor to be fair, so whichever light I go with it will be a challenge but looking forward to it.

 

I have grown seedlings for outdoor grows in a small led set up but never flowered under lights.

 

Inside the "whole" environment is key. The quality of the light is important but not the entire story.

 

Good Luck and I'll look forward to hearing how you get on. 

[KC]

I was really worried about changing to led but I didn't find any problems with it. I just had to feed/water a lot more often. Other than that it was a piece of piss really. 

Maybe because I've always had a cold room that required heating anyway or maybe because I'm not using a bar light. Boards give plenty of heat, or at least my one does. 

[SamCooked]

1 hour ago, Lux_Interior said:

 

Inside the "whole" environment is key.

 

Definitely a lot of reading to do and experience to be gained! Thanks for the wise words 

[SamCooked]

@KC I thought led's were meant to be cooler? I have no idea though to be fair! 

That was one of the reasons I was going to get led's because I thought they'd be cooler and maybe safer as a result 

[KC]

They are meant to run cooler, they should in theory as they're more efficient at making light, the real heat saver is because they are so efficient you can use less wattage than with hid. People moan about canopy temps being too cool with led but I think the board types are fine for that as they act like a big panel heater. 

[Hazeytones]

I run both boards and strips, the board is hotter than the strips for sure. I have to say I prefer strips though, you get a much better coverage with them.

[Military Grade]

I prefer boards with lenses

 

 

On what @KC says i totally agree, It also depends where a grow is located, i have mine in my bedrood so the heat the LED drivers kicks out is more than enough for temps all year round, i only need tube heaters for lights off temps for most of the year minus peak summer.

 

I also have a USB fan hanging above the light facing down blowing the warm air down the the plants and also cooling the LED Driver.

[Military Grade]

Imagine a large 4x4 tent with 4 XS1500 Pros
there'd be no spillage from one to the other and would be more efficient then the exapmle below.
 

How multiple boards have better coverage efficiency than multiple bar units.

Edited February 18 by Military Grade
spelling

[Hazeytones]

I'm out in the garage and had I not built a an insulated room with a central heating radiator plumbed in I would have just stuck with hps so yeah location is worth a think.

 

Also how you run your space makes a big difference, extracting from floor level with your heat soure up high pulls the heat down over your canopy helping to keep leaf temps up.

 

@Military Grade multiple boards positioned like that would be a winner, I was more comparing the likes of my

par+ 480 single board vs say a migro 4x4 strip light.

 

Another thing with a single board is I want to add a uv light in the middle, which I could with strips but with the board I'd have to offset it. I don't know if it would make much of a difference mind you.

[Military Grade]

@Hazeytones

Mine are ment to be used either on the poles or the sides of the tent via magnets below light level.

 

In their illustration images they are showed being used vertically like i have them, but i'm thinking about trying them horizontally on the next grow just to see how they perform.

 

Side on shot for height difference to main light.

Edited February 18 by Military Grade

[Hazeytones]

I was meaning the tube type uv as opposed to the led ones. I looked at the leds but read on the migro site they don't have the intensity required. Have you noticed an improvement in quality since using them?