Hey guys, I am currently in the planning stages of setting up my first grow, and I am having a hard time sorting through all the information I find on the web pertaining to LED grow lights and the such. There is tons of contradicting information, and everyone has an Opinion on LED, which too vary wildly. Originally, when first looking into lighting it was my understanding the LED could match or even outperform HID in both flowering and Vegging; while maintaining lower energy use and heat output. The downside was simply cost. However, after doing more research and listening to the advice and opinions of a few oldtimers... I am even more confused. It seems every time I do research on the subject I find people swearing on LEDs and acting like they are the second coming. Of course it seems about half these accounts are probably retailers and Customer Service reps for manufacturers. But still, people seem to like them. The other side of the spectrum are those who swear by HID and simply think LED are overpriced junked or too far off from true viability. My issue comes down to a matter of stealth and ventilation, while still trying to produce as much high-quality bud as possible. When it comes to LED I have been pointed in the direction of the Mars II for best quality per price. But I have also been warned to stay away from chinese LEDs for they are not reliable. Buy American, I pay exorbitant prices for 'quality'. Simply I do not know where to turn. Do I look into Mars II 1200w? Do I look into CLW or AdvancedLED? Or am I truly just better off biting the bullet and trying to make HID work? Thank you guys for bearing with me.
Been growing 20 years. I swore by mh/hps. I bought into the hype of l.e.d.... I own the mars 2 1200 you are looking at. I have to say I am glad I bought into the hype. Plants grow excellent under it. I have even sold both my 1000 watt hps setups and plan on buying another mars. It is real quality... I do not work for mars 2, am not a customer rep or none of that. I am a honest user of the light. Love l.e.d.. Just know one thing, although led does run cooler than hps, it does produce heat. Its manageable heat with proper ventilation, I guess it would depend on your space. I use my 1200 in a grow lab 120. Which is 3'11" x 3'11" . i keep tent in a spare bedroom, and keep my house at 72 for us humans. So tent is in constant 72. With a 430 cfm fan exhausting out of tent, I can keep tent below 81 at all times. So it is manageable Sent from my Nexus 5 using Grasscity Forum mobile app Sent from my Nexus 5 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
@[member="nuker121hydro"] The setup is going in a 7.5'x 4.5' walk in closet, which has a small AC vent. I am thinking of setting up a 3x3 tent for vegging and a 4x4 for flower. DWC. Does anyone know whether its worth the money to pay extra for the specific spectrums? How do your buds turn out compared to when you used HID?
first LEDs are not the secound coming and most LED companies are full of shit. they use misleading names for there lights instead of just saying what it is and charging an appropriate price. I dont hide that i am an advanced LED fan; and i have probably used this photo to much but you asked. View attachment 142628 you can see there are three Advanced LED lights in this picture and only one from Kind and one from Mars I dont use the mars or the kind anymore they sit in the closet. Advanced offered me my money back if the light didnt work like i wanted so i tried a light; now i have four from them. Does spectrum matter? Chlorophyll A out numbers Chlorophyll B by a 3 to 1 ratio; plants think so and they do everything they can to capture light that contains 430nm and 662nm. using spectrum you can also control some kool things - grow a sativa under a blue light in veg and see. when you get an LED that has the same intensity as the HPS or better but using the proper spectrum the plant is happier and happy plants make the best Paka lolo!! If you really want to experience LEDs you have to get Pro equipment.