Am i ok with this LED light?

[ponzi314]

So currently i have a AC Inifity 2x4 tent and in that tent i have a SF1000. Im running one plant right now. I have ALOT of issues but they arent related to the light just me. Ive been growing with this setup for couple years now, i think i only have like 5 grows under my belt. All of them have been using AUTO's because i thought they were suppose to be easy mode.

Ive learned that they are in fact the opposite and that photos are more forgiving. So i ordered some photos( Humboldt Seed Company Blueberry Muffin) and i was thinking about maybe doing 2 at once to make up for my failed plant. Im trying to minimize costs so my question is can i get by with my current light?

Would it be better to just do 1 plant instead of 2?
Will i absolutely need a new light and are there recs for ones under 200 for a 2x4

[Allenpro]

Well the "if you have to ask" rule applies again. I have a 2 x 4 tent I use to make mothers and then harvest and according to my PPFD App the SF folks lie like most LED sales info does. I bought a SP 2000 for the tent and at 12 inches above the plant the best I could get in the corners was 230 PPFD and a 1000 PPFD. Never trust the area they say the light covers trust the PPFD maps and if they dont post a map keep on looking.
With all my venting behind me I would grow one plant in the center and take a couple of clones to grow in the corners and see how they do.

[Bluey]

You'll need a more intense light growing photos than you need for autos.

In a 4x2 look for bar style lights in the 320w range from Marshydro and spiderfarmer

[Allenpro]

Good point, I never thought about that, but it makes sense. With the lights on 6 hours longer it takes less light to get the DLI.

[golfnrl]

A couple of considerations. The general guideline for LED’s is 30-50 watts per square foot of grow space, 2x4 = 8 SF. 8sf x 30 watts = 240 watts minimum for your tent and 400 watts max. There a two kinds of LED lamps, quantum board and bar style. Each have their pros and cons. You want a full spectrum light. Usable light is your biggest concern. Look for the true power rating or the wattage drawn from the wall, sometimes light companies lie about the true power rating. Not as prevalent as it used to be but pay attention. More important than wattage is light spectrum. You want a full spectrum light. Quantum board LED’s are usually a little less expensive than bar style, but bar style LED’s are superior in how they can dissipate heat. You’ll want a light with dimming capabilities. Look at the usable light of the fixture, sometimes referred to as PPFD. Quantum boards are generally a little less expensive than bar lights. Buy the mot powerful best quality lamp you can afford. Check out the info at this link.

https://www.growweedeasy.com/5-best-...t-for-cannabis

[Bluey]

Bar style lights beat quantum boards in every measure except cost.

I've tried a custom lighting setup I built myself, then moved to quantum boards and finally bar style. Two small quantums beat one large quantum but you cannot go past the bar style for a large sweet spot and it can be placed lower to the plant also without burning the plant.

All the major brands are full spectrum and the only features really worth having are as follows

1. Dimming, continuously variable...a must if you have low headroom
2. Automation... for on/off times
3. Wireless control, often via a phone app. Handy to monitor and to finely adjust the light intensity
4. A removable driver with a cord long enough to place it outside of the grow room & lung room if you have one. This will remove about 7% of the heat generated by the light from the room

Features that you don't want or need

1. Sunset/Sunrise settings (no advantage when growing cannabis, if anything, a disadvantage)
2. Adjustable spectrum (not needed or desirable on full spectrum lights)
3. A light mover (scam)

Look for reputable LED'S. Samsung, Osram and Bridgelux appear to be the main ones although there are others that are quite good. The two brands I mentioned earlier are the market leaders in excellent budget lights but give nothing away when it comes to yields and how long they last.

Supplemental top lighting is not necessary and a waste of money if using full spectrum main lights.. Under canopy lighting works great to boost yields up to 20% compared to top lighting alone and there all you need are cost effective outdoor flood lights, water resistance is key here. Aim for about 20% of the above canopy power under the canopy. Side lighting helps too if you can't do under canopy.

[ponzi314]

I was thinking of maybe adding another SF1000 but that wont get me to the min 230w requirement, i guess i should do it right and just upgrade my led. I didnt realize i could get a new light under 200$. Just saw that link that Golfnrl shared though and those lights are way out of the price range lol I hope another spiderfarms/mars hydro is enough. Thinking of going 300 watt but going to do some research on bar vs quantum. I feel like for my shape of tent the bar might be better but i could be completely wrong

[Smallgrow]

Defiantly go bar style as people have said.
Mars hydro , Spider Farmer, AC Infinity are good brands and lower prices than the HLG, Photontek of the world.
Be carful with no name brands off Amazon, I know the prices are tempting and some may be okay, but safety is also important and the lower the quality the more risk of issues

[ponzi314]

I think im between these 2 right now
Mars Hydro FC-E3000 and Spider Farmer SE4500. Leaning toward the mars hydro though just because its alot cheaper

[Smallgrow]

I don’t have first hand experience but I think someone here might be using the
FC- E3000

I started in the same trap as you and bought a Marshydro 600 which was super under powered even for one plant at like 80w from the wall

[ponzi314]

I ended up actually going with the Spider Farmer G4500, it was inbetween the 2. 320W so a HUGE upgrade from current SF1000 and it is app controllable so thats cool for a nerd like me lol. when i first started i had a 2x2 so the SF1000 i think was perfect for that but since moving to 4x2 i guess its just not enough.

[Smallgrow]

Nice! That should serve you well.
Better to have a bit too much light than not enough. Its really the most important piece of equipment we have as growers, so a good place to stretch for the most you can get.
My Photontek 465wpro is absolutely shoe horned into my 3x4 tent, but I’m not short on light that’s for sure.

[Bluey]

Good choice Ponzi

That's the perfect light for that tent.

The app can be a bit of a pain as there is a not so clear process to save the new settings (Marshydro app, not sure about the SF app) but once you have a play with it you'll work it out.

Now download a PPFD meter app for your phone and setup the light in your empty tent and calibrate the app on your phone to one of the review sites that are reputable. Now you'll know where to set heights and fine tune from there.

[ponzi314]

So i have that photone app for iOS and unlocked the full spectrum thing. I'll have to research on ppfd tho, I'm assuming for certain stages of plant you want a certain reading.

[Smallgrow]

Correct , they have a good bit of info for reference in there app and on their website

[Bluey]

Yes. Seedlings around 300 to 400, veg stage around 400 to 700/800 and flower 700/800 to 1200. Drop the light levels slowly last 2 weeks, same with nutes. Sativas will take much more light than indicas Light levels measured at canopy level assuming you train and mainline your plant for a flat canopy.

[ponzi314]

Was just watching few videos and i think i understand it now. 2 things though, you mention with a sativa you might need more light. How can you tell? That's part I'm on sure of.

basically I'll get my numbers with empty tent, I'll find out % to par level for a couple ppfd ratings. But some things the videos mention is that you will never get even amount of light across tent. What to do in this case? Go for center value and let the outsides be.

lastly this will be my first photo grow so i might just do it naturally , maybe just top them? I'm unsure as i really want it to go right this time. Plan is also to do 2 3gal pots

[Smallgrow]

@Bluey’s guideline are textbook for PPFD, start at the lower end of the range measured at your canopy level. If everything else is perfect start to raise it up gradually, when it upsets the plant you have too much light.
My suggestion would be just leave it at the lower end for a grow or two. The more light you give them the harder it is to keep them happy. Different plants will be happy at different levels. The lower end is enough to get excellent results if you know what your doing.

Light spread is always a problem, mostly it just is what it is for a given light and grow space, don’t sweat it.

Most people will train with LST, and/or top to help deal with height in the tent, as well as increase yield. Good to keep it simple, but these technics are very attainable for newer growers.

A tonne more info on these topics and all your questions are available on the main GWE. Spend some time there reading it all a couple times if you haven’t, use the search feature for your questions. That’s what most of us have done

[Bluey]

When you calibrate it do it in the centre of the tent with the door held shut at the bottom so the reflections work...it will probably be at around 12" to calibrate around 1100PPFD but check on that.

When measuring light measure at canopy level around the middle of the tent. That light has a very even light spread.

As small grow said, if you push light levels hard you are bound to run into problems with nutes and the plant will start to suffer but later in mid flower this is the way I go if you can manage the nutes and the heat....mid flower you want 23⁰C and late flower 22⁰C. Don't let temps climb unless growing sativas, they will be fine for a couple of degrees C more and dont like it under about 24, they seem to slow down too much in their growth if much under that.

I know sativas can handle much more light as Ive grown them with 1300PPFD, without CO², on the canopy but the buds started to foxtail and one or two got a cauliflower burn on the very top of the bud. Indicas and their crosses will not handle anywhere near that...1000 is about there max.

So rule of thumb is go conservative on the light, focus on managing temps and humidity and nutes and once you learn how your strains behave with small adjustments and how your room works with everything then start pushing them little by little but watch them very closely...they will tell you exactly what they need or what they are suffering from very early and you need to learn to read them. Achieving that will allow for some awesome bud at harvest.

[ponzi314]

Appreciate all this help! I hope i made the right choice. I switched the light up and went with AC Infinity IONFRAME EVO3 instead. Now i can't wait for my current grow to finish so i can get this new light setup lol

[golfnrl]

I've not heard a lot about ACI's LED's but the rest of their stuff is top shelf IMHO. My guess is that light will grow good weed.

[ponzi314]

yea i couldnt find many reviews either but all their stuff i have has been good quality so i said what the hay