LED light for grow tent with maximum 36" height

[Jayfro21]

Hey all,

Just curious if anybody has any thoughts on an LED light that would work in a grow tent with a max 36" height. By my calculations, I would have about 8" to top of pot and maybe 2-4" allowing for height of lights, there would be a maximum of about 2" from pot to light source. So assuming I could keep the plant around 18", there would only be about 6" to the light source. I know this is close, so I am wondering if anyone has had any experience with an LED light that would fit this scenario? There are currently CFLs in the tent and I just like LED so much better, from decrease in watering to canooy penetration to better heat control. Thanks for your thoughts!

Jayfro21

[FarrahMoan]

I got nothing man, if my LED's are closer than 18" they burn plants.

[RosettaStoned]

I have my galaxy hydro 300s 12" away from top of plants and they look good. Although I will be converting these to cob or lm561c led diode strips after this grow is over.

[D.A.A.S.69]

Morning Jayfro, that's gonna be hard to find, and the bad thing about Led, is the damage doesn't always show up fast, like bleaching takes a while to show.
I like Led lights. But if you ain't got enough head room, they will sure bleach-burn your plants, is there any way you could get a taller tent.?

[Jayfro21]

I will eventually get a tent with 5-6 feet of vertical height, but for now I have a closet with that much vertical height and the aforementioned tent, which I’ll continue to use with CFLs. I also have the Galaxy Hydro 300 W and have some P13 flowering that I did 12/12 from seed, in less than one gallon pots with coco + GH trio nutes. They are about 36” tall and stretched a bit, but filling in nicely. The main cola on the middle plant is only like 3 inches from the LED, and I’ve already supercropped it in flower once. I got like 50+ seeds of this P13 for free, so I’m just going to see how it does and push the limits of the LED height. My next grow will be autoflowers and I’ll have plenty of vertical space to keep the light at a proper distance.

[Locrian99]

Go 6’ minimum for tent height. My 5’3” tent is going to be pretty tight height wise growing a short strain that was topped twice.

[Jayfro21]

Here is the set-up...

[gdogfunkly]

For a tight space like that, you will want to do as much LST as possible when they are young to keep them short and flat and you will be able to manage the height with better control.

[Jayfro21]

Yeah I know, I'm just being lazy and seeing what will happen with no intervention. I did two grows in the smaller tent with all kinds of topping and LST, and it just got on my nerves. I bought the the LED and moved to the closet so I wouldn't have to move the light around, but lo and behold these damn plants stretched like 2.5 feet! Live and learn

[JimmyPapaya]

I have a tight space as well. Botanical BDSM is the key as gdog said. I'm 40 days into flower and I'm 12 - 16 inches from the lights. I train mine from the start to be like a lil Bonsai tree. Good luck bro!


2nd grow
Outdoor DIY Grow Box 4' X 3' X 8'
Galaxyhydro LED 300w Full Spectrum
ViparSpectra LED 450w Full Spectrum
Coco Loco & Kindsoil
5 gal Smart pot
Blue Dream Feminized - GYO

[Jayfro21]

Thanks dude! I love growing even more than I love consuming, so inevitably I have a surplus! I guess that's a good thing...

[MadMike]

I'm currently growing in a fairly short room (4') and I do find it a bit tight for keeping the plants away from the lights. But, there are options.
Viparspectra has 300w with dimmers for both the veg and bloom settings. I have two and having the option to dial them down is helpful.
You can also shade your light when things get too close. I am currently doing that with my Viparspectra 600w since I can't raise it any more. You can see what I mean in my current grow journal.
You can also train the shit out of them to stay short. I scrog heavily because I have to. It has the added benefit of increasing yields significantly.
I basically have a canopy that is only about 6" thick. And you need to take account of the stretch period. I was ready for it this grow and then I realized I didn't account for it enough.