Advice for switching to LED

Caffeine · Jan 18, 2022

Hi,
I am just returning to growing after a little break and I want to switch to LED from my usual HPS.

I have a 2.4 x 2.4 x 2 m (roughly 8' x 8' x 7') tent. I understand the basic concepts about LEDs, like PAR and PPFD, but am struggling to translate all the info into the setup that I would need

I'd really appreciate any suggestions for number of lights/specs/brands etc. I have about £700 (~$950) budget, give or take. Is that even enough?

Edit: should have said that canopy area likely to be more like 5' x 5'

Thank you

Caffeine · Jan 18, 2022

That should have been

Caffeine said:
Hi,
I am just returning to growing after a little break and I want to switch to LED from my usual HPS.

I have a 2.4 x 2.4 x 2 m (roughly 8' x 8' x 7') tent. I understand the basic concepts about LEDs, like PAR and PPFD, but am struggling to translate all the info into the setup that I would need

I'd really appreciate any suggestions for number of lights/specs/brands etc. I have about £700 (~$950) budget, give or take. Is that even enough?

Edit: should have said that canopy area likely to be more like 5' x 5'

Thank you

That should be 6' x 6' canopy area

PipeCarver · Jan 18, 2022

Caffeine said:
Hi,
I am just returning to growing after a little break and I want to switch to LED from my usual HPS.

I have a 2.4 x 2.4 x 2 m (roughly 8' x 8' x 7') tent. I understand the basic concepts about LEDs, like PAR and PPFD, but am struggling to translate all the info into the setup that I would need

I'd really appreciate any suggestions for number of lights/specs/brands etc. I have about £700 (~$950) budget, give or take. Is that even enough?

Edit: should have said that canopy area likely to be more like 5' x 5'

Thank you

Take a look at the spiderfarmer stuff An SE5000 might be what you are looking for...They are a sponsor here and offer discount codes..Dirtbag...one of the top growers here is using one now ...I have a Se3000 small for your needs but its good for a smaller area....I also have a 1000w hps..I've shut off and I'm flowering under the SE3000. like the led after years of hps....believe it or not I'm getting bigger better harder buds off the led......

Is $950 Usa your light budget or entire set up budget? fans, ( intake,exhaust,osculating) air conditioning, ( humidifier , dehumid carbon filter if needed) pots, nute's and so on..... Is this just one light for veg and flower? Will you veg separately?

If its just for lights you are good to go, you should be able to get a good light with that budget.... SF has a new SE1000......https://spiderfarmer.eu/

jguit · Jan 18, 2022

If you're going to flower in the entire footprint of your tent, an SE-7000 might be a better option as it's spec'd for a 5x5 flower area.

Caffeine · Jan 19, 2022

PipeCarver said:
Take a look at the spiderfarmer stuff An SE5000 might be what you are looking for...They are a sponsor here and offer discount codes..Dirtbag...one of the top growers here is using one now ...I have a Se3000 small for your needs but its good for a smaller area....I also have a 1000w hps..I've shut off and I'm flowering under the SE3000. like the led after years of hps....believe it or not I'm getting bigger better harder buds off the led......

Is $950 Usa your light budget or entire set up budget? fans, ( intake,exhaust,osculating) air conditioning, ( humidifier , dehumid carbon filter if needed) pots, nute's and so on..... Is this just one light for veg and flower? Will you veg separately?

If its just for lights you are good to go, you should be able to get a good light with that budget.... SF has a new SE1000......https://spiderfarmer.eu/

Hi, thanks for the info. No, the budget is just for the lighting, and I will be using the same light for all stages.

I've also read about varying the intensity and distance between light and canopy through the different stages. Is there a general rule for that, or is it trial and error?

Caffeine · Jan 19, 2022

jguit said:
If you're going to flower in the entire footprint of your tent, an SE-7000 might be a better option as it's spec'd for a 5x5 flower area.

Thanks for the advice - spider farmer seems to be popular brand. It's a bit of a minefield, with so many on the market.

PipeCarver · Jan 19, 2022

Caffeine said:
Hi, thanks for the info. No, the budget is just for the lighting, and I will be using the same light for all stages.

I've also read about varying the intensity and distance between light and canopy through the different stages. Is there a general rule for that, or is it trial and error?

you should pick up a meter to gauge the lights intensity or there are apps for your phone you can get...I'm old no cell phone...I use one of these $35 cdn amazon

Petrochemical · Jan 19, 2022

You can Daisy chain those spiderfarmers too...dimmers good boards n drivers....I own two.

phxazcraig · Feb 5, 2022

Two pieces of advice from experience. First, you need a PAR meter. Not a chart from the manufacturer with distances on it, and not a cell phone app. A real PAR meter. LED's are too different to characterize in general terms. You need to measure. This is even more so if you have a dimmer control, which you should.

Second, size. I'm easily lighting a 4x4 tent with an HLG-600r, the 650r replacement should do a 5x5. But if doing bigger than that, I think you'll need more power to do it right.

Bonus advice: Get a tall grow tent. Strong LED's want distance between light and canopy (or you turn down the power, and then why have that much power?).

Advice for switching to LED

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