LED Thread regarding stalk weight difference between LED & HPS

shogon92

Member
Hey guys,

Since switching to LED's i have been fascinated with how well they have worked for my plants; The density, Temps and the different hues that the LED have influenced on the leafs (Greens,Blue,Black,Purple,Lime)

Upon this change i was very happy but over time have noticed that weed grown with LED's seem to have denser stalks within the bud structure, where as HPS would normally leave a thin stalk which is barely noticeable once grinded up.

I remember watching a Youtuber called Horatio who featured on a LED vs HPS test (
) in this video he noticed that chopping the largest buds closest to the lights, both weighed near enough the same but then the LED's stalk weight was much heavier once bud had been stripped off on the exact same pheno? :wall:

I feel i get the yields but not the equal amount in bud as i would in HPS.

Please share your experiences with LEDs and how you think it may benefit or take away from your harvests compared to HPS

P.S this isnt a bash on LEDs as i love the new tech as much as HPS!
 

Johnny Lawrence

Well-Known Member
Regardless of the lights used, I feel for the trimmers that have to trim all that popcorn shown in that video.
Yeah, seems like a lot of time/money spent to grow popcorn.

Also, do these guys not own editing software? They never bothered to mention the types of lights used, and if they did, I wasn't about to sit through that 2 hour disaster.
 

Kushash

Well-Known Member
Yeah, seems like a lot of time/money spent to grow popcorn.

Also, do these guys not own editing software? They never bothered to mention the types of lights used, and if they did, I wasn't about to sit through that 2 hour disaster.
I didn't watch it either just flipped to about the 3/4 mark to see the buds being same as the picture shown. No disrespect to the growers but around here those buds don't represent what can be done with led or hps or anything else IMO.
 

chiqifella

Well-Known Member
leds have grown really pretty flowers here, very photogenic.
their penetration is for shit. managing brix with led's is near impossible.
led lights just never metabolized like hid lights have for me. fuck led. every year
we hear the same shit. but the proof is in your pudding. my led light lab results
were all telling for me. I put my led in the game room, the others are on a shelf, somewhere.
 

shogon92

Member
Thanks for the feedback, to be fair i noticed how crappy 70% of his harvest looked i gladly didnt go on his page for the growing part but only the comparison and Horatios opinion on it (even though we got no fucking comparison of lights,watts etc) I was unsure if this remains true with other growers.
I've got fantastic results with HPS and LED mixed but i seem to be dealing with the same issue of popcorn nugs just under half way down the plants, tops are dense full of bud with have dense weighty stalks inbetween
 

Johnny Lawrence

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the feedback, to be fair i noticed how crappy 70% of his harvest looked i gladly didnt go on his page for the growing part but only the comparison and Horatios opinion on it (even though we got no fucking comparison of lights,watts etc) I was unsure if this remains true with other growers.
I've got fantastic results with HPS and LED mixed but i seem to be dealing with the same issue of popcorn nugs just under half way down the plants, tops are dense full of bud with have dense weighty stalks inbetween
Just for reference - one of my flowering rooms is a 4x8. I originally had it set up with a pair of 600s in vented hoods, which comes out to about a gram per watt. This is on my third highest yielding strain, so not too bad.

About a year ago, I pulled the two 600s and replaced them with 900 watts of Cree & Citizen COBs. I was also able to reduce an additional 100 watts by eliminating the fan that was pulling air off of the hoods.

I'm still pulling the same numbers out of the space while using 400 less watts. Summer heat waves are also more manageable. I lollipop my plants, so in addition to the 2.5 units, I also get an additional ounce or two of popcorn, but that's it. The myth about LEDs not penetrating is BS - especially when you bring multiple light sources into the equation.

I still run a 600 in another room, but am going to switch it out soon with one of the ceramic 600s that are coming out.
 

dandyrandy

Well-Known Member
Hard to run hps etc. In a stealth op. That being said 600 watts in 12 sq ft with 16 3590's with a 4" carbon exhaust at around 100 cfm works great. Plants get lsted a bit not much. End up around 3 ft. First 18" are of the top zone shades most of the rest as it is quite full. 800 g of buds only. Bottom larf is maybe 150 or so. Top 18" are solid and depending on strain 4" cola diameter a foot long is common. I'd love to try cmh or others but I'd be making a bit more noise than I like. Lots of visitors and I only smoke. Others are Bible thumpers. In my state stealth is mandatory. ymmv
 

Canadain Closet Gardener

Well-Known Member
Hey guys,

Since switching to LED's i have been fascinated with how well they have worked for my plants; The density, Temps and the different hues that the LED have influenced on the leafs (Greens,Blue,Black,Purple,Lime)

Upon this change i was very happy but over time have noticed that weed grown with LED's seem to have denser stalks within the bud structure, where as HPS would normally leave a thin stalk which is barely noticeable once grinded up.

I remember watching a Youtuber called Horatio who featured on a LED vs HPS test (
) in this video he noticed that chopping the largest buds closest to the lights, both weighed near enough the same but then the LED's stalk weight was much heavier once bud had been stripped off on the exact same pheno? :wall:

I feel i get the yields but not the equal amount in bud as i would in HPS.

Please share your experiences with LEDs and how you think it may benefit or take away from your harvests compared to HPS

P.S this isnt a bash on LEDs as i love the new tech as much as HPS!
The video is more than 3 years old.
Cheers
CCG
 

sparkygeek

Well-Known Member
I've tried the first three generations of LED lighting and all three resulted in lower yield than my HPS... My last LED was a cheap COB... I like where they are going with the technology but, IMO, it's not quite there yet. I did a little research a few years ago and the LED limitation seemed to center on power limits for one of the light bands... (I think it was the blue spectrum) Since the limit was a limit based on physical science, I haven't been as excited about LEDs... My yields track very reliably with the amount of energy I use after accounting for other factors like strain, plant age,... For that reason I only consider the actual power used by the LED... For example, most LED manufacturers base their ratings on the wattage of the LEDs... Calling an LED system that puts out 200 watts of light a 400 watt light. I don't buy it for the reasons explained above... That being said, I've never compared LEDs with comparative watt usage to the old trusty HPS... I've seen pictures of interesting flowers when they are bathed with LEDs where the actual power draw compares with an HPS.

I have a friend that runs a 200 watt COB (rated at 400 watts) right next to a 150 watt HPS... The plant closer to the LED has significantly more vegetation and lighter buds... The plant closer to the HPS has much less vegetation but denser, heavier buds... The friend was considering just adding a second LED but I talked him into the 150 watt HPS... He's since been convinced that the HPS improves his grow despite the increased heat... An important factor when selecting lights.
 

SunPlix CMH

Well-Known Member
I've tried the first three generations of LED lighting and all three resulted in lower yield than my HPS... My last LED was a cheap COB... I like where they are going with the technology but, IMO, it's not quite there yet. I did a little research a few years ago and the LED limitation seemed to center on power limits for one of the light bands... (I think it was the blue spectrum) Since the limit was a limit based on physical science, I haven't been as excited about LEDs... My yields track very reliably with the amount of energy I use after accounting for other factors like strain, plant age,... For that reason I only consider the actual power used by the LED... For example, most LED manufacturers base their ratings on the wattage of the LEDs... Calling an LED system that puts out 200 watts of light a 400 watt light. I don't buy it for the reasons explained above... That being said, I've never compared LEDs with comparative watt usage to the old trusty HPS... I've seen pictures of interesting flowers when they are bathed with LEDs where the actual power draw compares with an HPS.

I have a friend that runs a 200 watt COB (rated at 400 watts) right next to a 150 watt HPS... The plant closer to the LED has significantly more vegetation and lighter buds... The plant closer to the HPS has much less vegetation but denser, heavier buds... The friend was considering just adding a second LED but I talked him into the 150 watt HPS... He's since been convinced that the HPS improves his grow despite the increased heat... An important factor when selecting lights.
Have you tried CMH grow light? David B-008.JPG 400W CMH Knob dimmingfixture-2.jpg 400W CMH Knob dimmingfixture-1.jpg
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sparkygeek

Well-Known Member
Then your friend isn't running a real COB.
In my post COB stands for Chip on Board... I'm not sure what you are talking about when you use the word COB but, I assure you, The LEDs are mounted on a "chip"... The manufacturer calls it a COB but maybe they don't know as much as you... I typically don't feed the trolls but they are clearly hungry...
 

LEDandCoffee

Well-Known Member
leds have grown really pretty flowers here, very photogenic.
their penetration is for shit. managing brix with led's is near impossible.
led lights just never metabolized like hid lights have for me. fuck led. every year
we hear the same shit. but the proof is in your pudding. my led light lab results
were all telling for me. I put my led in the game room, the others are on a shelf, somewhere.
Sounds like grower error :)

Shave them legs, let the LEDs do the rest
 

sparkygeek

Well-Known Member
I've never tried CMH but when I researched it I found only one vendor (Phillips) for the bulb and it was outrageously expensive... While Phillips makes very good products, my experience with them is when they have you over a barrel they give it to you... Unless a second vendor has entered the space I have no interest in CMH for this reason... No matter how good, I shy away from single vendor solutions in most cases...
 

Ryante55

Well-Known Member
leds have grown really pretty flowers here, very photogenic.
their penetration is for shit. managing brix with led's is near impossible.
led lights just never metabolized like hid lights have for me. fuck led. every year
we hear the same shit. but the proof is in your pudding. my led light lab results
were all telling for me. I put my led in the game room, the others are on a shelf, somewhere.
Yeah I'm sure your viparspectra s suck. How bout you get some real led instead of marketing hype.
 

sparkygeek

Well-Known Member
@chiqfella I agree with your assessment on penetration of LED light... Every LED I've tried had the same problem... Many people I've talked to are impressed with their LED grows until they actually use an HPS... Every comparison between LED flowers and HPS flowers I've seen, The HPS flowers are significantly beefier. Obviously LEDs will improve... I'll probably hold off on buying another until I actually see results comparable to HPS... I believe in the conservation of energy, LEDs are bound by the same law of physics... Who knows, maybe one of the trolls will stumble on a product that defies these laws...
 

chiqifella

Well-Known Member
@chiqfella I agree with your assessment on penetration of LED light... Every LED I've tried had the same problem... Many people I've talked to are impressed with their LED grows until they actually use an HPS... Every comparison between LED flowers and HPS flowers I've seen, The HPS flowers are significantly beefier. Obviously LEDs will improve... I'll probably hold off on buying another until I actually see results comparable to HPS... I believe in the conservation of energy, LEDs are bound by the same law of physics... Who knows, maybe one of the trolls will stumble on a product that defies these laws...
keep in mind even good weed, good growth, great taste, etc is subjective right?

@Ryante55
you mad bro? spent so much on useless lights? over and over? hoping for the power and heat save?....
Never used viperspectretes sorry--you take a negative review personal like you're a seller of
led lights thats weird
 
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