noob grower need advice on led lights :)

tokersmokercp

New Member
hey guys i am new to growing, i have got THC bomb seeds that i plan to plant.

i have never grown before, so i really need advice on my set up. i have read that blue lights are good for vegetation stage and redlights are good for flowering.

im going to be growing in my closet. i am lining it with Mylar for the reflective material. and just growing the plants in soil. i have bought two 225LED growing lights from eBay. one is all Red LED lights 660nm wavelength and the other is all Blue LED light 465nm wavelength.

i plan on growing 3 plants and having them outside in the natural sunlight then about 8 hours under the growlights for the vegetation stage, then 12/12 under the grow lights for flowering stage.

will these lights be sufficient to grow ? im using led and not hps because of the power bill.

any advice would be great!
 

lax123

Well-Known Member
Hi toker,
then u r just like me :)

But im using a wardrobe, 4 plants.

I type 225 led grow into ebay and what i get there is pure shit, dont buy it!
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Pflanzenlampe-225-Blau-Weis-LED-Pflanzenlicht-Wachstumslampe-Grow-Licht-14W-/190865992996?pt=DE_Sport_Camping_Outdoor_Lampen_Laternen&hash=item2c707fed24#ht_2513wt_1241

14W -> epic fail

Why not build your own light, its fun.
Instead of 14W u need more like 140W...

If you go DIY for 30€ u get about 65Watts in 30Leds + Driver, check out satisled there.
 

MysticMJ

Member
Pretty much what lax said. I bought the 14w upon impulse of wanting to start LED growing and did some more additional reading to realize 14w is completely useless and you'd probably be better off with a single 23w CFL bulb.

There have been a few test grows with the 14w led panel with very bad results.

I ended up cancelling my order a few hours after I ordered it and got a 90w LED UFO
 

Mechmike

Well-Known Member
I agree with everyone on this. 28 watts might be ok for a little basil but not for cannabis and a balanced spectrum of light is needed to make the magic happen. I started using LED several years back with 50 watt panels and quickly realized that they were inadequate because they don't penetrate well. They do make ok side lights though. My grow is 2' x 3' and the plants usually get 30-36" tall. I normally have 3 plants but sometimes only 2. I build my own led panels and currently the lights draw 390 watts when they're all on. For most of the grow 250 watts would be enough to give me a nice yield. I only run all the lights in the last month of flower. Usually I get between 6 and 9oz from this. I think it would be close to the lower number without the extra light in late flower. My point is that you will get good results with about 80w per plant. By 80w I mean 80w draw at the wall plug. For instance, 3 watt diodes typically draw under 2 watts. Stay away from any led grow lights that use under 3 watt diodes unless it's just for early vegging or clones. The 1 watters simply don't have the punch to penetrate the canopy. I recommend 2 or 3 smaller lights rather than one bigger one because leds are directional unlike HID and having multiple panels makes getting the light on target much easier.
 

Bumping Spheda

Well-Known Member
tokersmokercp: Don't buy those lights. If you already have, not much we can do. BUT, here's some tips.
A) Only introduce plants to both outdoors and indoors if you want bugs in your house. I know, it's free light out there, but from my experience moving plants indoors after they've been outside is a huge mistake. I had spider mites and fungus gnats galore. Was not fun. If you don't mind dealing with pests then perhaps you can make do. You've been warned! >.<
B) Mylar as reflective surface. Make sure this is meant for your intended purpose. A lot of this stuff has a very thin (measurements in Angstroms, a micron or two if you're lucky) and it allows light to pass through. If you get this stuff I'd wager you'd be better off with just your walls if they're painted White. Make sure you get the right stuff, and you might get what you pay for.
C) Three plants grown outside is a lot of plant. Once you move them indoor for flower you're gonna need a LOT of light to keep them happy. I'm guessing in the range of 200W, most likely more depending on the length of veg. Be prepared for LARGE plants that can eat as much light as you can throw at them.
D) GL, HF, Stay Safe!

NullyBeBallin: Not true.

Superstealthaus: Try 12". I'd say between 8" and 16" would be your sweet spot, but read your plant and don't try to stretch your foot print (or man handle your plant) too much. Too close and the Blue might bleach your girl, too far and your plants will stretch a lot in search of light. GL, HF, and Stay Safe!
 
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