HPS vs. LED Grow Lights — Which is Better for Growing Weed?

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
It's getting cold out here, so temps are starting to drop a bit in my grow tent. Rather that adding a bunch of extra wattage with a space heater, I'm gonna take down the bar LEDs and put up my CMH plus QB setup. It will be 20% more wattage, so a few more BTU's, but also more radiant heat hitting the leaves is an added bonus during winter. If it got real cold around here, I'd likely revert to straight HPS during winter. There really is no best lighting source, because it depends on several different variables.
I think Cloudline automated inline fans are key in the winter. Lights out / nighttime is when I've always had issues with cold temps though. A little heater with a thermostat plus the Cloudlines has been keeping it cozy until the lights come back on. There is barely any swing between lights on and off.
 

Star Dog

Well-Known Member
I certainly didn't see any savings in fact it costs me more per crop to run led than it does with hid.

Hid radiates enough heat to be helpful with controlling humidity, without that radiated heat i need to run a dehumidifier.

I've still got my se/de hid but I'd rather pay the extra and reap the benefits of led at the end, i was reluctant to change tf i did.
 

PJ Diaz

Well-Known Member
I think Cloudline automated inline fans are key in the winter. Lights out / nighttime is when I've always had issues with cold temps though. A little heater with a thermostat plus the Cloudlines has been keeping it cozy until the lights come back on. There is barely any swing between lights on and off.
I don't really have problems with lights out. I run my lights at night, and lights out is during the day. Power is a lot cheaper at night on my plan.
 

Greengrouch

Well-Known Member
I’ve grown good weed under both. I like a 480w led in a 4x4 better than a 600w hps. I don’t need color corrective sunglasses to look at my plants now. 120w power difference is hardly noticeable on my power bill though. No real yield increase I hit about a lb either way.
 

snakedope

Well-Known Member
Tec moves on but not all ways to the betterment of the industry involved. I dont care what light you use just dont be saying one is better than the rest for all uses. All of you would laff at what I use but no one ever laffs at the end result when flame hits it.
People will always think like that, Most modern ? Better, more expansive ? Better, bigger ? Better.
Logic is out the window when it comes to high end big money tech and schemes.
LEDs are agenda driven lights, there's more to the story then better or worse weed grow lights.

I'm done dismissing this tech or the other, as I see it, good genetics will prevail in almost all situations, sure some will do better or worse, like PJ said, the heat is good in winter, and the cold is good in summer, it goes on for many things like that.
 

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
I don't really have problems with lights out. I run my lights at night, and lights out is during the day. Power is a lot cheaper at night on my plan.
I used to run mine at night too, but that was because it was trying to get the day temp down to HPS levels. I switched them to turn on at 12pm once I realized I could jack the heat up, mainly because having the entire day to work made harvesting a lot less stressful.
 

PJ Diaz

Well-Known Member
I used to run mine at night too, but that was because it was trying to get the day temp down to HPS levels. I switched them to turn on at 12pm once I realized I could jack the heat up, mainly because having the entire day to work made harvesting a lot less stressful.
I bet your highest power rate is less than my lowest rate. Power is super expensive out here. This is a special rate since I have an electric vehicle, and peak hours are higher than typical, but off-peak is the inverse:



This is the more typical non-EV rate plan:

Screenshot 2022-11-08 11.46.38 AM.png
 

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
I bet your highest power rate is less than my lowest rate. Power is super expensive out here. This is a special rate since I have an electric vehicle, and peak hours are higher than typical, but off-peak is the inverse:



This is the more typical non-EV rate plan:

View attachment 5223467
I couldn't find any sort of info on my energy company's page. I don't think we have peak hours here.
 
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