So, I'm trying to decide if growing is worth it for me, and want to start small and, whenever possible, with stuff that can be later re-used for something else if I decide this isn't worth it.
CFLs seemed like an obvious solution, but while I wasn't looking the world has changed. It seems that nobody sells them here any more, even on Amazon, except for the 100+W growlights that aren't much use for anything else, old inventory and/or suspiciously cheap knock-offs...
So, I started to look at LED lights and thought of those outdoor/security floodlights... Ones without sensor (which I don't need anyway) can be surprisingly cheap, even if you need to wire your own plug. They usually have a reasonable-looking heat sink, and, of course, a reflector, their power/flux ratios don't look like the puffed-up ones often found on cheap growlights ("600W" which isn't even 100W actual drawn power.) you get about 1000lm per 10W with a reasonable brand, which sounds about right... I've seen some YouTubes of people growing both errr... conventional vegetables and pot using those, but just because it worked for 3 dudes on YT, doesn't mean it's generally a good idea. Are there any catches or things I should be aware of if I go that route, and what other options are there?
Smell is also a bit of a worry... I cannot afford any, but, again, I don't really want to buy a filter just yet. Guess, figuring out whether or not I (and the neighbour) like the smell of ona instead is the safest option, as low-smell strains seem to not always perform as advertised.
The rest I think I can jury-rig Space Bucket style (how much height I would need with a LED, though?) and grow a lowryder of some kind or some other small and quick strain as a test... Did I miss any major points?
CFLs seemed like an obvious solution, but while I wasn't looking the world has changed. It seems that nobody sells them here any more, even on Amazon, except for the 100+W growlights that aren't much use for anything else, old inventory and/or suspiciously cheap knock-offs...
So, I started to look at LED lights and thought of those outdoor/security floodlights... Ones without sensor (which I don't need anyway) can be surprisingly cheap, even if you need to wire your own plug. They usually have a reasonable-looking heat sink, and, of course, a reflector, their power/flux ratios don't look like the puffed-up ones often found on cheap growlights ("600W" which isn't even 100W actual drawn power.) you get about 1000lm per 10W with a reasonable brand, which sounds about right... I've seen some YouTubes of people growing both errr... conventional vegetables and pot using those, but just because it worked for 3 dudes on YT, doesn't mean it's generally a good idea. Are there any catches or things I should be aware of if I go that route, and what other options are there?
Smell is also a bit of a worry... I cannot afford any, but, again, I don't really want to buy a filter just yet. Guess, figuring out whether or not I (and the neighbour) like the smell of ona instead is the safest option, as low-smell strains seem to not always perform as advertised.
The rest I think I can jury-rig Space Bucket style (how much height I would need with a LED, though?) and grow a lowryder of some kind or some other small and quick strain as a test... Did I miss any major points?
Comment