Need help lighting 5x7 room with 6 plant RDWC

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jaypru369

jaypru369

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I was going to get some led lights in the area of $200-300, (probably amazon) but I am second-guessing if a 2000watt led from amazon would be sufficient for this area. I see simply rule of thumb for 45 watts per sqft, if thats the case i need around 1575 watts, correct? how does this apply to LED's when actual draw power is roughly 75% less than what they are labeled as? I aint looking to grow no few ounces per plant, really looking to achieve closer to a LB per plant, what kind of lighting is needed for this in a RDWC setup? I have my bro coming out to help build RDWC and fine-tune it for me so no worries there. thanks for any help
 
jaypru369

jaypru369

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Are you stuck on led? I think two 315 cmh or a 1000 watt de hps on a light mover could get you a nice yield.
not stuck but that seems like a lot more effort and costs but what do i know, was trying to go led bc its grow has no windows so i will have challenges with heat, i have exhaust system to exhuast out through under door gap but might need to add vent to door for intake.
 
FourthCity

FourthCity

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I was going to get some led lights in the area of $200-300, (probably amazon) but I am second-guessing if a 2000watt led from amazon would be sufficient for this area. I see simply rule of thumb for 45 watts per sqft, if thats the case i need around 1575 watts, correct? how does this apply to LED's when actual draw power is roughly 75% less than what they are labeled as? I aint looking to grow no few ounces per plant, really looking to achieve closer to a LB per plant, what kind of lighting is needed for this in a RDWC setup? I have my bro coming out to help build RDWC and fine-tune it for me so no worries there. thanks for any help
I would forget what the lights are labeled as, the power draw is the lights wattage, thats the number you want to use for comparison. 40-50 watts/sqft is a good rule of thumb and from your post I gather you are working with 35 square feet so 1400 watts would probably be fine. Good leds will generally perform better than hps or cmh lights with the same wattage but as Aquaman said the price of entry is much higher for leds. With your budget in mind I also agree that cmh or hps would be the way to go, they will be worth the money which is more than can be said for some of the cheap leds out there.

If you do decide to go the led route, amazon does not have the best deals in this category. Good leds will usually start around $1/watt and will have full spectrum white light (most of your selections were full spectrum), not several multicolored looking diodes that make blurple light. You want the light to be in the 3000k or 3500k spectrum for the best results if you are going to use it in veg and flower. Kingrbrite, a seller on alibaba has inexpensive leds that have been highly praised by many growers here who can also confirm that it at least uses fairly high quality up to date parts. I have experience with Timber and HLG, both of which have worked very well for me but will be a little pricier than kingbrite. If you start with cmh or hps you can save up some cash for next black friday as HLG tends to have some pretty great deals.

Oh, and you will probably be dissapointed expecting a pound per plant. Its not that it cant be done but it is difficult not to mention its usually more practical and efficient to grow a larger number of smaller yielding plants. How long you veg the plant, the genetics, environment, and many other variables will play a bigger role in your yield than what kind of light you are using. If you have anything less than a perfect setup and can get over a gram per watt you are doing pretty good.
 
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jaypru369

jaypru369

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43
I would forget what the lights are labeled as, the power draw is the lights wattage, thats the number you want to use for comparison. 40-50 watts/sqft is a good rule of thumb and from your post I gather you are working with 35 square feet so 1400 watts would probably be fine. Good leds will generally perform better than hps or cmh lights with the same wattage but as Aquaman said the price of entry is much higher for leds. With your budget in mind I also agree that cmh or hps would be the way to go, they will be worth the money which is more than can be said for some of the cheap leds out there.

If you do decide to go the led route, amazon does not have the best deals in this category. Good leds will usually start around $1/watt and will have full spectrum white light (most of your selections were full spectrum), not several multicolored looking diodes that make blurple light. You want the light to be in the 3000k or 3500k spectrum for the best results if you are going to use it in veg and flower. Kingrbrite, a seller on alibaba has inexpensive leds that have been highly praised by many growers here who can also confirm that it at least uses fairly high quality up to date parts. I have experience with Timber and HLG, both of which have worked very well for me but will be a little pricier than kingbrite. If you start with cmh or hps you can save up some cash for next black friday as HLG tends to have some pretty great deals.

Oh, and you will probably be dissapointed expecting a pound per plant. Its not that it cant be done but it is difficult not to mention its usually more practical and efficient to grow a larger number of smaller yielding plants. How long you veg the plant, the genetics, environment, and many other variables will play a bigger role in your yield than what kind of light you are using. If you have anything less than a perfect setup and can get over a gram per watt you are doing pretty good.
okay thanks for the insight, maybe next time around ill go with more plants and smaller yield. For CMH or hps what is all needed for that setup and how much hotter does it make the room? ill need an ac unit in there if i go that way.
 
jaypru369

jaypru369

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2 cmh I would say. You not going to get enough LED for that money. 2 should do a 3.5x7ish giving you a bit of room.

I edited my math was poor lol typically a single 315 will do 3x3
okay so two smaller ones will be better than one bigger one say 630?
 
FourthCity

FourthCity

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okay thanks for the insight, maybe next time around ill go with more plants and smaller yield. For CMH or hps what is all needed for that setup and how much hotter does it make the room? ill need an ac unit in there if i go that way.
These you can get off of amazon all day, the cmh fixture generally includes everything with only the bulb sometimes being sold separately. You will need adequate cooling, imagine having a medium sized space heater on full power, thats the best approximation I can make to the heat output of 630 watts of cmh.
okay so two smaller ones will be better than one bigger one say 630?
The more lamps you have spread out the more even the light distribution is.
 
Aqua Man

Aqua Man

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okay so two smaller ones will be better than one bigger one say 630?
honestly start small you will make enough off the first grow if it goes well to buy the light ya want. I like the spectrum of CMH but I'm an LED grower and I only have 1 1000w HPS set up at a friends in order for me personally would be LED (not all created equal so I'm talking quality LED like HLG) then CMH (just because of spectrum) or HPS (because its a great flowering light). CMH has a bit of UV why i like it (not a lot but hey) and HPS is just a good proven grower. Like @FourthCity said light spread is important also. So i would likely go 2 315CMH then after you crop and make some $$$ back get ur LED if ya like

If going LED later I would highly consider quality LED strips
 
jaypru369

jaypru369

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honestly start small you will make enough off the first grow if it goes well to buy the light ya want. I like the spectrum of CMH but I'm an LED grower and I only have 1 1000w HPS set up at a friends in order for me personally would be LED (not all created equal so I'm talking quality LED like HLG) then CMH (just because of spectrum) or HPS (because its a great flowering light). CMH has a bit of UV why i like it (not a lot but hey) and HPS is just a good proven grower. Like @FourthCity said light spread is important also. So i would likely go 2 315CMH then after you crop and make some $$$ back get ur LED if ya like

If going LED later I would highly consider quality LED strips
okay cool, so is CMH the best option here for the whole grow? not trying to switch lights through outgrow but might be able to add a cheaper light in flower if worth it.
 
Aqua Man

Aqua Man

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okay cool, so is CMH the best option here for the whole grow? not trying to switch lights through outgrow but might be able to add a cheaper light in flower if worth it.
yeah whole grow. CMH growers claim a bit more frost on the flowers which is supported by science because of the UV but its still not like supplementing UV in terms of amount of UV provided. HPS may get ya a little more bulk on the buds but we are splitting hairs now. The biggest impact will be how well the grow goes by far. Both light will grow great bud.
 
jaypru369

jaypru369

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yeah whole grow. CMH growers claim a bit more frost on the flowers which is supported by science because of the UV but its still not like supplementing UV in terms of amount of UV provided. HPS may get ya a little more bulk on the buds but we are splitting hairs now. The biggest impact will be how well the grow goes by far. Both light will grow great bud.
okay makes sense, thanks. So if i run CMH cant i get some small uv lights for side lighting or something?
 
jaypru369

jaypru369

108
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yeah whole grow. CMH growers claim a bit more frost on the flowers which is supported by science because of the UV but its still not like supplementing UV in terms of amount of UV provided. HPS may get ya a little more bulk on the buds but we are splitting hairs now. The biggest impact will be how well the grow goes by far. Both light will grow great bud.
also for CMH can i get used hoods and new lights or should i just go new eveything?
 
jaypru369

jaypru369

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nope just keep it simple man. Trust me money better spent elsewhere right now. Make sure you have good air exchange
i have a good exhuast system and carbon filter, however worried about negative pressure with the door closed, no windows so exhausting out under door gap, door is loose fiiting but i suspect i may encounter NP so might have to add intake vent indoor to relieve that.
 
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