Besides the money saved on LED's o electric bill are they really better then the old time 1000 watt HPS as far as plant growth.
This is going to stir up all kinds of shit. Personally I prefer HPS, 600 and 1000w. But on the other hand ive seen beautiful bushes grown with LED. Now having a side by side going right now with a 600w hps and a 400w wall draw LED, the HPS is behind in density but also has way more bud sites with buds covering 2/3 the plant, where the LED side is really nice tops, well stacked and dense. So in my current situation we have 1 side that will finish within 10 days, and the 2nd is looking to be 3 weeks yet. Now the plants under the LED will be 1st, the lower ends of the plants have all been trimmed out, alot of fan leaf removed and about ready, as for HPS side, leaving it to finish. So can't give a complete answer yet but I bet there about the same weight dry if we took all plants at this time, given the HPS side needs extra time im going to guess will have a slightly larger yield when fully ready.
I've had 47% less energy usage and around 65% more yield Watt for Watt. You have to use proper LEDs tho. Sent from my SM-G9650 using Tapatalk
Iv grown the best smoke I’ve ever grown with LED never going back Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
Ok, I got a ES-300 which is 300 watts from wall and gives the same light as a 500 watt HPS, I also have a 1000 watt HPS over two plants right now that's about done. After this harvest I was thinking about getting another ES-300 which two of them would be 600 watts from wall and gives the light of a 1000 watt HPS. So I guess I will buy another one to save on electric and get same amount of light.
Reduced electric consumption. Runs a lot cooler (due to less energy being wasted and turned into heat) 5 Years with minimal intensity loss (long term costs are low) Ability to control specific spectrums and tailor them to your needs (more advanced but possible) Not too expensive if you build your own lamp from parts. (Figure about $1 per watt for a high quality lamp)
Yes I would like to build one using photo boost strips, but not for sure what all to buy. Wish PLC sold kits you could buy to put together.
IMO a mix of both worlds will give you the best results. CMH/LED. CMH has an amazingly full spectrum and a super long bulb life compared to HPS. There is one thing that I've noticed with LED that I don't much care for and that is the fact that you have to remove the heat from an LED with a heatsink and fan. With my CMH I can just let it get hot with no worry of damaging the light. I have to dim my 150watt boards down to 100watts each in order to not need the active air and then the area that could be covered with 4 boards actually needs 6.
Just finished my first ever grow with only LED lights. PAR38 Feit Electric full spectrum LED and GE full Spectrum LED bulbs. Added 2 red LEDs during flower. I am super happy and will stick with LED. There was literally no noticeable difference in my monthly bill either.
Four qb288 Rspecs with single heatsink combo $376: QB288 V2 Rspec Quantum Board (alternatively you can get two of these combos for $370: QB288 V2 Rspec & Slate 2 Single Combo) 600w Meanwell driver $180: HLG-600H-54a Stock and Price by Distributor As for other parts you will need: Copper wire $10: www.amazon.com/BNTECHGO-Electric-Gauge-Tinned-Copper/dp/B08KFS5342/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1& Wire connectors $16: www.amazon.com/Splicing-Connector-Lever-Nut-Assortment-Pocket/dp/B07NKSHVF6/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1 AC Plug (driver doesnt come with it) $4: www.amazon.com/Leviton-515PR-Straight-Blade-Rubber/dp/B000FKBZ7M/ref=psdc_6396120011_t2_B0015P708Y?th=1 For hanging the boards you can use leader wires $11: www.amazon.com/Fishing-Leader-Stainless-Spinner-Swivels/dp/B07HK6L23H/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1 Or you could build a frame from aluminum L beams Total $597 (not including shipping and tax) Here is a video of how one would build such a lamp (if you search youtube for "DIY quantum board build" you will get plenty of hits)