Veg/Bloom switch or Full Spectrum light?

[ArrEll]

Hi all. On my first grow, I used a cheap Chinese LED - an Aogled 1,000w with only 100 pcs (diodes?) in it. My harvest wasn't so hot..."Larfy" buds, not very potent. It was my first grow....I made a lot of mistakes. Bad soil, marginal choice of Strain for my little tent, etc.

Now I'm using a slightly better Bloom Plus 1,000w LED with 342 pcs in it (diodes?). Listed as "Full Spectrum", the User Reviews were glowing. I'm almost four weeks into my 2nd grow. My plant is looking like a Champ. Should I be using an LED light (I prefer) with a Veg/Bloom switch? I'm unsure of how this grow is going to finish up, though it looks great now. I could get a Spider Farmer 1500 for a bit more .... it has a Dimmer switch, but no Bloom switch.

Does everyone here use Full Spectrum lights, or did that cause my failure on the first grow? Would one with a Veg/Bloom switch be better? I do very Small grows.

 

[gorillaglueaaron]

Sounds like an off brand light which I advise against. I can help you chose a light if you let me know the size of your tent.

Check out this thread for more:

Could my blurple be better than a full spectrum?

I've sort of already talked about this already but I never asked anybody for their opinion on it. So I have a tolys 600w LED from amazon (you can look it up if you want, it doesn't really make a difference). I haven't checked the actual wattage but a review on their 1000w model said it ran at...

www.thcfarmer.com

 

[Aqua Man]

Link the lights and give some info on the space. Typically run veg and bloom if it has switches.

 

[ArrEll]

Link the lights and give some info on the space. Typically run veg and bloom if it has switches.

OK TY both for responding. I have a 2x2x4 ft tent - but I'm upgrading to a 2.5x2.5x5 ft 3" one (I have a limited grow space), so let's go with that one.

This is the light in Question: (got it off Amazon)
Bloom Plus LED Grow Light BP1000 Sunlike Full Spectrum Led Growing Light for Indoor Plants 2x2 ft Led Grow Lamp High Output Plant Growing Lights for Hydroponic Indoor Seeding Veg and Flower Greenhouse

Is this light sufficient for Flowering also? It's not Dimmable, nor does it have a Bloom switch. It's plenty bright, and covers my areas well. Yes I know - I need a better light, if I want Bodacious Buds.

Before I buy: I was thinking of a Mars Hydro or Spider Farmer 1500 watt, with at least a Dimmer switch. Good enough? Or do I NEED a Veg/Bloom SWITCH?

What does everyone else use? I see a lot of flat LED lights like mine, with Full Spectrum light OR a Blurple/Cob light...isn't that a bit low tech?

And: My first Grow was sort of a Flop because the light I used was definitely not strong enough....(it was NOT this light).

 

[Aqua Man]

OK TY both for responding. I have a 2x2x4 ft tent - but I'm upgrading to a 2.5x2.5x5 ft 3" one (I have a limited grow space), so let's go with that one.

This is the light in Question: (got it off Amazon)
Bloom Plus LED Grow Light BP1000 Sunlike Full Spectrum Led Growing Light for Indoor Plants 2x2 ft Led Grow Lamp High Output Plant Growing Lights for Hydroponic Indoor Seeding Veg and Flower Greenhouse

Is this light sufficient for Flowering also? It's not Dimmable, nor does it have a Bloom switch. It's plenty bright, and covers my areas well. Yes I know - I need a better light, if I want Bodacious Buds.

Before I buy: I was thinking of a Mars Hydro or Spider Farmer 1500 watt, with at least a Dimmer switch. Good enough? Or do I NEED a Veg/Bloom SWITCH?

What does everyone else use? I see a lot of flat LED lights like mine, with Full Spectrum light OR a Blurple/Cob light...isn't that a bit low tech?

And: My first Grow was sort of a Flop because the light I used was definitely not strong enough....(it was NOT this light).

Hkw big is the space? That light maybe at most covers a 2x2 but I would say maybe both lights?

 

[gorillaglueaaron]

Veg/bloom switch isn't necessary and is usually a bad thing because it usually means it's a blurple. If you live in the us I'd go with the viparspectra xs1500 but if not then maybe an hlg 100w or 135w QB. I have a 2x2x4 tent as well and I'm about to get 2 sf1000 lights but there's no need to spend that much. That's just all the space I have so I'm trying to maximize the coverage, I won't even be able to put the lights at full power without burning the plant.
What I suggested above is what I recommend but you could choose any of the following and I'm sure you'll be happy:
Mars hydro ts1000
sf1000
viparspectra p1500
viparspectra xs1500
Hlg 135w QB
Hlg 100w QB (If you get this then get the 3000k one)
Build your own so that it can meet your requirements if you have the time

 

[ArrEll]

Veg/bloom switch isn't necessary and is usually a bad thing because it usually means it's a blurple. If you live in the us I'd go with the viparspectra xs1500 but if not then maybe an hlg 100w or 135w QB. I have a 2x2x4 tent as well and I'm about to get 2 sf1000 lights but there's no need to spend that much. That's just all the space I have so I'm trying to maximize the coverage, I won't even be able to put the lights at full power without burning the plant.
What I suggested above is what I recommend but you could choose any of the following and I'm sure you'll be happy:
Mars hydro ts1000
sf1000
viparspectra p1500
viparspectra xs1500
Hlg 135w QB
Hlg 100w QB (If you get this then get the 3000k one)
Build your own so that it can meet your requirements if you have the time

OK then I'm in business! TY both very much for responding. I'm still New at this, and got a bit confused at many references I had read online about "switch to bloom"....I thought I had missed something "major". Yes the Bloom Plus 1,000 I have in the 2x2x4 tent is enough to finish this Grow, but only Just. I will move up to a 1500 light for the new tent (which is 1/2 ft. bigger, plus taller for more headroom). I believe a 2,000 watt would be too much.

So Spider Farmer and Mars Hydro would be best, and what most Growers are using at my level? Done. I'll keep the BP1000 light, and maybe get to use it in the future. I knew I was a bit undergunned, with my first light...it was a real Cheapo (50 bucks) 1,000w Chinese light (I guess they're ALL Chinese lights, really), and I had little confidence in it. As I expected, my buds were slow to form and "Larfy"...a disappointment. You get, what you pay for.

Looks like I'm closer to the mark, with this light - as you can see by this pic at 25 days from germination. Wanted to be sure these flowers have a good chance to form & fatten. My 3rd grow will definitely be even better, with a 1500 light.

I'll get better at tying them down, with practice. My 1st attempt:

(Tested a single Lowryder seed...it sprouted...bottom right lol).

 

[gorillaglueaaron]

I would get rid of the light you've got and just get a new one. It seems to good to be true, $50 for a light is not enough. Also, the sf and ts lights would work but those are probably the worst out of the ones I recomended.

 

[gorillaglueaaron]

One more thing, if you're upgrading to 2.5x2.5, then that's more than 1.5 times the size so you'll need a 1.5x better light.

 

[tomatoesarecooltoo]

I bet that this light would be killer in a 2.5 x 2.5

HLG 225

HLG ELITE is 225W LED lamp is powered with our custom designed high efficiency Full Spectrum White LED with boosted Red and Deep Red LED. HLG 225 is equivalent to 315W CMH.

horticulturelightinggroup.com

What do you think @Aqua Man

 

[Aqua Man]

I bet that this light would be killer in a 2.5 x 2.5

HLG 225

HLG ELITE is 225W LED lamp is powered with our custom designed high efficiency Full Spectrum White LED with boosted Red and Deep Red LED. HLG 225 is equivalent to 315W CMH.

horticulturelightinggroup.com

What do you think @Aqua Man

Yep more than enough light and quality product. We should run lights about 80% power and this would meet that mark easily.

 

[Growrx]

Yep more than enough light and quality product. We should run lights about 80% power and this would meet that mark easily.

Do these run hot? No heat sync’s?

 

[Aqua Man]

Do these run hot? No heat sync’s?

They are almost all heatsink... just a small board.

 

[Growrx]

I meant the 300+ models.

 

[Aqua Man]

I meant the 300+ models.

Depends on the specific light... hlg always have good heat sinks if the fixtures need them. It all depends on how many watts you are pushing through which boards but yes you dont always need to have a heatsink for thier boards. If you link a light i can try to explain that specific light.

The 225w is not super efficient but its in the top few for lights its size. And the lower wattage you not gonna notice a difference.

 

[ArrEll]

I would get rid of the light you've got and just get a new one. It seems to good to be true, $50 for a light is not enough. Also, the sf and ts lights would work but those are probably the worst out of the ones I recomended.

I was also looking at:

I would get rid of the light you've got and just get a new one. It seems to good to be true, $50 for a light is not enough. Also, the sf and ts lights would work but those are probably the worst out of the ones I recomended.

Would you recommend this one first? User Reviews are about the same; price also....

Grow Light, VIPARSPECTRA 2020 Pro Series P1500 LED Grow Light with Upgraded SMD LEDs(Includes IR) and Dimmable Function Full Spectrum Plant Grow Lights for Indoor Plants Seeding Veg and Bloom

off Amazon

 

[tomatoesarecooltoo]

Go with that hlg 225, a little more expensive but you will save money if it prevents you from going through another upgrade right away, plus you are supporting a smaller American company. If you are dead set on viparspectra get the p2000. Either of these lights will let you run it dimmed and turn it up if you increase your space.

 

[tomatoesarecooltoo]

I am only pushing because I made this mistake to the fullest, always upgrading by the bare minimum and now I have at least 3 lights I don't use and I am using 3 lights to light a small space. I wish I had just bought a killer light from the start. Of course its up to you in the end.

 

[gorillaglueaaron]

I was also looking at:


Would you recommend this one first? User Reviews are about the same; price also....

Grow Light, VIPARSPECTRA 2020 Pro Series P1500 LED Grow Light with Upgraded SMD LEDs(Includes IR) and Dimmable Function Full Spectrum Plant Grow Lights for Indoor Plants Seeding Veg and Bloom

off Amazon

The p1500 has too much blue light. Go onto the viparspectra website and look at the xs1500. It's got a much better spectrum and it's brighter. For a 2.5x2.5, the xs2000 or xs2500 would be better (I forget which one it is).

 

[MIMedGrower]

The light the op linked is a 90 watt board. It will work fine for a 2x2 space with no added co2. If a 2x4 space need 2. Etc. it is not necessary to buy a different light.