50 Watt Blue And Red Led Plus T8 Florescent Uv Bulb. Is It Enough?

Discussion in 'Lighting' started by corduroyew, Sep 9, 2014.

  1. I've decided to keep a mother plant to take clones from rather than starting from seed every time and I need lights for the mother plant.  I have a 50 watt LED that is blue and red spectrum that I plan on placing directly above the plant.  In addition to that I plan to use a florescent T8 bulb that would normally be used for reptiles.  The florescent light is similar to a cool while florescent bulb but in addition to the cool white light typically visible the florescent bulb will also emit 30%UVA and 10%  UVB light.
     
    The question is, will this be enough light to sustain a healthy mother plant?

     
  2. You need at least 100 watts per square foot. If your mother is in a 2 x 2 x 4 you can use your 50 watt led panel on one side wall 2 t 8s one for each side wall and at least 2 42 watt CFLs split in y adapter with extension piece in 9 inch round hood. This would work or just use 4 42 watt CFLs....red and blue spectrums 6500k n 2700k combo works best
     
  3. I had suspected that a 50 watt led and a t8 uvb might not be enough but I didn't think it would fall that far short.  Do you really need 100 watts per square foot?  I haven't been at this very long but my 1st crop was grown in a 1.2m x 1.2m x 2m tent and I used a 300 watt LED leaving me with about 30 watts per square foot.  I used a 300 watt LED because of the many video's on youtube and because of the manufacturer recommendations saying that a 300 watt full spectrum is more than adequate for four plants in a tent my size.  Do mother plants need more light because you are taking cutting from them?  Or am I missing something?
     
  4. #4 Bongsauce, Sep 10, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 10, 2014
    I think the 50w led alone would be plenty....mothers and clones don't need much light at all. I recommend much more wattage for normal vegging or flowering though. I run my mothers under about 25w per square foot and they do great...healthy growth and plenty of clones.
     
    I have a 8"x8" box with a 13w cfl in it that has plenty of light for clones or small mother plants. You just have to keep the light close and not let them branch out too much...if you don't need clones just prune em back. I pull several clones off of each other my mother plants each week and they're less then 10" tall including the pot...I run alot of clones, but I still end up pruning my mothers and throwing away tons of cuttings every few weeks.
     
    just my 2cents :)   here's a recent shot of the mothers and clones, under 2x 36w cfls (pll)
     
  5.  
    That is what I was hoping to hear.  I will be vegging using a 450 watt LED and flowering with a 300 watt LED.  I know that you are supposed to use the higher power lights for flowering however my 300 watt LED has UV and IR which supposedly help with THC production.   I won't have enough room in my tent to keep my mother plant so I was just looking for the cheapest way to keep it alive and healthy. 
     
  6. Sounds kind of like a California works LED panel. Best of luck to you and your grow.
     
  7. It's actually one I made myself.  I took specs from a few different companies and California works is one of them.
     
  8. I wish I was handy with electronics like that
     

Share This Page