Where shall I begin...Howdy everybody, I wasn't exactly sure to put this so I guess first timer was a good enough place even though I've grown it for approx. 50 years off and on. The reason I going newbie is I'm just finishing first autoflowering grow, the LED panels I have were older than expected and were not up to par shall we say for growing cannabis (I'd used them to grow gollum jade plants for the past 5 years), anyhoo they are getting replaced. I've grown cannabis off and on since I was 15 I'm now 66, growing outside and inside is not a problem but the way I grow it is do a full grow outside, once females start making buds I clone them to grow inside (after re-veggin) during the winter. I have found that this actually produce 2 harvests and well quite profitable payig the bills. <grin> I could use a little advice on the LED panels they have on the market now, I have a 8x4 area already setup, I can expand it to a 8x8 with 2 light rails. I've not really done a grow in the past 5 years (intended on going into retirement but I need to buy a few acres of land away from here) so a little advice on the panels they have now would be a big help. After this summer the autoflowering plant will be grown inside under lights, yes I still have my old HID setup all I have to do is wire it back up and cut it on. Thanks.
30 required watts of LED lighting per square foot of grow space. OF QUALITY LED LIGHTING > Average cost if you assemble yourself .85 Cents to a buck a watt. example 8x8= 64 x 30 watts= 1920 in watts and cost .. Using HLG boards and TRC electronics power supplier. If your real...... and want me to spec boards and power supplier i will. if your not going HLG parts i am not your man.
Hey welcome to the city @ShamasMcNasty I prefer strips over boards because I can stagger them and even out the light distribution. I've posted lots of distributors before, the newer SpiderFarmer and Mars companies are producing ok lights. Apart from Horticulture Lighting Group (HLG), I sometimes order from KingBrite, but shipping can be pricey (not so bad). You may also want to check GrowDaddy out, as they have lots of strip builds for a reasonable price. It's really about what diodes are being used and what PCB board/heat exchangers they use. Get some boards with B-type drivers, or that have potentiometers already wired in, so that you can easily adjust the current. During early growing and veg, I use less power and bring the panels closer, but you want to be able to adjust the power easily. And there are now lots and lots of LED suppliers. Try to get boards using Samsung LM301B or LM301H diodes (but that isn't always true).
I don't need the specs, what you gave is good. I'm looking at a 4000watt model for the 4x8 area which could with light rail expand to a 8x8 if possible. But that panel is not 100% sure I'm going to get.
Those seem to be decent choices but the price I saw for the HLG site I'll never pay that, I have seen a 4000watt model I am interesting in but it didn't have the led bulbs I wanted. So far I'm not impressed when LEDs, it's looking like I'll use the HID setup I have in storage. but the MARS HYDRO FC-E4800 BRIDGELUX 480W does seem promising to use with a light rail to cover a 4x8 area. (correction the 730 watter seems better but it is out of stock.)
It's going to be a couple months before I put it all together but I have a spider model and the one I mention bookmarked. Depending on things it's possible I might get 2 panels, I really didn't want to break out the HID setup even though they really kicked out.
Refurbished HLG 600 R spec LED Horticulture Grow Light – Horticulture Lighting Group Refurbished Scorpion® Rspec® – Horticulture Lighting Group Refurbished HLG 100 Rspec® LED Veg Grow Light – Horticulture Lighting Group Two off these twin boards setups equal 640 watts,with the heat sinks 160 watts per board. 370.00 $ for all the boards and heat sinks You need 2 off these QB288 V2 Rspec & Slate 2 Single Combo – Horticulture Lighting Group One of these OPTOTRONIC® P7 Series LED Driver OT600/UNV/5A6/2DIM/A/P7 – Horticulture Lighting Group For 79.00% Total for 640 or 600 watts for a new LED light. if you ask HLG will wire up your light or they videos how to or we can help you. Before assembling your looking at 450.00$ plus a mean well which is 79.00 plus HLG wiring it up. The cost after that is wiring and the hangers which is about 50 bucks
Heck, just wire up the HID lighting and call it a day. Unless you really want the latest in tech or you have heat issues or headroom limitation, just use the tried and true lighting that you know. Save yourself the money. The recs on led you got on this thread were solid imho.
From what I was looking at it's going to cost around $600 fir a panel I liked, not happy about having to spend money like that on something that isn't return a cost. The heat isn't that much of a problem since the HIDs would be used mostly during cold weather, it is the power bill I didn't like paying. But I just might go that route after all I still got the equipment, just made another order for some seeds...Bruce Banner, Critial Purple is hanging up drying.