Lighting question.

[Tersky]

So i was doing a little research and saw that i should be shooting for 50 w/sq.ft. I have a 3x3x6 tent with a 315 LEC CHM which means im only getting 35 w/sq.ft. Should i get supplemental lighting or do you think the 315 is enough for the 3x3 space? It's the first grow in that setup and everything is going fine, just thinking if i need to do some tweaking.

 

[starramus]

Tersky You should be OK with that light for vegetation, but for bloom you might need to add some supplementary lighting. 315 covers 9 sq. feet for veg., and only 6 for bloom cycle as quoted by some manufacturers.

 

[Tersky]

Thanks starramus. Im gonna look into some supplemental lighting. Anyone have suggestions? I know i can rig up some cfl's but would it be better to get led strips?

 

[Bengfan]

Hey Tersky. My understanding of the 315 lec/cmh is that it will veg. a 4x4 and flower a 3x3 area. Though I have never used one if it were me I would just give it a try this run and see how it does. You can always add or even change light but why not see what you really have there first. Btw, from what I read those who do own and use your same light seem to be very happy. Good luck!

 

[Farmall]

One thing about LED strips is that you wont need to supplement ventilation. You will get some decent output with the right strips ...

 

[Tersky]

Yeah i checked the manufacture and it doesnt really give specifics but it does say for "For high light levels we recommend a 3x3 coverage". I'm going to see how this light does this grow and am just going to look into possibly adding some supplemental lighting later. Maybe something in the red spectrum as i am using 4200k bulb. I may not need it. Mine is a vertical bulb and those tend to have higher par ratings than the horizontal bulbs. Buds are forming nicely right now and since it is my first grow with this light i should probably see what it is capable of.

That being said im still going to look at how i would go about supplementing light in case i need to. Gotta do some research!