Noob Question On The Hps Vs Led

Timecode · Oct 30, 2017

So after spending time reading all over on this topic, It seems to me that LED is just in everyway more efficient?! except the upfront cost?

Having said that, does this mean everyone should or would likely be moving to this way of lighting?

Oh one more side question, I read that per watt LED is a higher yield than the HPS so again makes me curious as to why HPS is relevant still?

(is there something about LED watts i should look into, i think the marketing of 300w LED can actually be far from that) if my research was correct on this, how would you detect and test this correctly? and are there pros and cons to this issue?

gravekat303 · Oct 30, 2017

Leds< hps
Leds dont yeild nearly what hps does

GreenZion · Oct 30, 2017

Timecode said:
read that per watt LED is a higher yield than the HPS

I don't really agree... And feel like there's still a lot of passionate debate about that.
I've red that led are better for terpenes production but I'm unable to provide scientific source to confirm.

Timecode · Oct 30, 2017

GreenZion said:
I don't really agree... And feel like there's still a lot of passionate debate about that.
I've red that led are better for terpenes production but I'm unable to provide scientific source to confirm.

Im far from an expert so I just float around different sites, blogs, forums, just kind of reading, watching and its quite hard to decipher this whole debate. I suppose HPS has been tried and tested for a long time so I can be sure that its going to be a great use.
I guess I wondered if there is actually true science out there in the industry behind this, mostly im reading blog/ youtube videos of peoples comparisons but i can't really take that as gospel

DemonTrich · Oct 30, 2017

Cough
Cough

CMH!

I get the same yield if not more, and better quality with 4x 315 cmh than I ever did with 3x 600hps.

gravekat303 · Oct 30, 2017

DemonTrich said:
Cough
Cough

CMH!

I get the same yield if not more, and better quality with 4x 315 cmh than I ever did with 3x 600hps.

What's the cost per light on the 315s

MW7945 · Oct 30, 2017

Upfront cost vs electrical costs really.

There's LED's fully capable of producing yields similar to HPS.

Timecode · Oct 30, 2017

MW7945 said:
Upfront cost vs electrical costs really.

There's LED's fully capable of producing yields similar to HPS.

Thanks, Is it ok to say that LED setups work nicely with autoseeds? I mean im months away from even buying the kit, i need to find the space first of all. But my aim is to get a rough blueprint of what I'll be making.
- I like the idea of the Auto seeds, as a newbie they sound alot easier and more forgiving to a certain extent.

MW7945 · Oct 30, 2017

I guess my advice would be if you're going to go with LED buy something that's going to last, and isn't cheap. CXB3590, Vero29, LMC561C, etc. etc.

Don't skip out and get a viparspectra, higrow, or any of that. They're okay for growing. But won't even begin to compare to a HPS.

DemonTrich · Oct 30, 2017

gravekat303 said:
What's the cost per light on the 315s

Using existing hoods will save some $. Just need ballast, bulb, and adapter. It what I did. I now save almost 150/mo on power alone since the switch from a total of 6x600 hps/mh to 7x 315 cmh.

MIMedGrower · Oct 31, 2017

The lights are all just tools. Different situations require different tools.

I like hps because I duct the filtered exhaust under my living room in winter as supplemental heat at night during lights on.

It saves a whole tank of propane per year. About 425 gallons.

And the propane is much more expensive than the air conditioning is during the hot months for my small Grow.

I use single ended bulbs because I have a low ceiling.

I compared cmh and have determined it is best used as a supplemental lamp to the hps.

It just didn't have the footprint or intensity of the 600w Hortilux super hps in my opinion. The mixed spectrum with 2 600's and 1 315 cmh gave me the best results in quality and yield.

The hps are in sealed air cooled sun system blockbusters which are the highest par direct down 4x4 area reflectors I could afford.

And the cmh was in the sun system remote open vertical reflector which is supposed to give highest par at 2.5' x 2.5' from 16".

The hps also should achieve its highest par at 16" but I ran both bulbs averaging 18" to avoid plant stress. The 600's cover 3.5' x 3.5' effectively. The 315 covered 3' x 3' at that height.

But I have switched back to hps only to test my own comparisons and the recent plants have been equally as frosty and more potent than ever.

Not only in my opinion but in everyone who has medicated. And they don't know what light I used.

I am sorry I don't have lab tests. We are not allowed to work with dispensaries anymore so I have no lab results only blind testing.

They are not turning colors as much under hps. But smell and taste seems unaffected. Each different plant is still well, different.

The leaf to bud ratio is better with hps. Cmh grew leafier shorter plants. Because of the fuller spectrum with more blue light. More red grows taller plants with more bud and less leaf from my observations. I also tested the Hortilux blue mh in 400 and 600 watts. They have even more blue light in the spectrum.

This mirrors the university of michigans indoor light testing. They suggest more blue light for leafy greens and short crops and more red for flowering and fruiting.

Also plants transfer photosynthesis to the strongest wavelength available so the differences will always be minor. The U of M also chose hps over Mh as a single light flowering light source. Determining lumens or watts was a better indication of results than spectrum to begin with.

The popularity with de hps systems in all kinds of plant production is proof of the power and coverage being the main factor I think.

Maybe the old school ed rosenthal tests had something. He said wattage increased potency as well as yield. He didn't recommend using less than a 600 hps back then from extensive lab testing. It's in his book.

I also found that it is easier to keep the plants green through the cycle under fuller spectrum lighting. The university also says blue light promotes leaf health more than red.

So there are even more variables that would effect different growers with different rooms and plants such as genetics. The breeder that I got my present genetics from never used anything but hps. So will my results be better if I copy his style more closely?

I don't know. I'm just practicing and trying to get better at this stuff.

Sorry for the long post. Mrs. MMG's special chocolate nut muffins have me high as a kite tonight. :-)

StandingRock · Nov 5, 2017

MIMedGrower said:
The lights are all just tools. Different situations require different tools.

I like hps because I duct the filtered exhaust under my living room in winter as supplemental heat at night during lights on.

It saves a whole tank of propane per year. About 425 gallons.

And the propane is much more expensive than the air conditioning is during the hot months for my small Grow.

I use single ended bulbs because I have a low ceiling.

I compared cmh and have determined it is best used as a supplemental lamp to the hps.

It just didn't have the footprint or intensity of the 600w Hortilux super hps in my opinion. The mixed spectrum with 2 600's and 1 315 cmh gave me the best results in quality and yield.

The hps are in sealed air cooled sun system blockbusters which are the highest par direct down 4x4 area reflectors I could afford.

And the cmh was in the sun system remote open vertical reflector which is supposed to give highest par at 2.5' x 2.5' from 16".

The hps also should achieve its highest par at 16" but I ran both bulbs averaging 18" to avoid plant stress. The 600's cover 3.5' x 3.5' effectively. The 315 covered 3' x 3' at that height.

But I have switched back to hps only to test my own comparisons and the recent plants have been equally as frosty and more potent than ever.

Not only in my opinion but in everyone who has medicated. And they don't know what light I used.

I am sorry I don't have lab tests. We are not allowed to work with dispensaries anymore so I have no lab results only blind testing.

They are not turning colors as much under hps. But smell and taste seems unaffected. Each different plant is still well, different.

The leaf to bud ratio is better with hps. Cmh grew leafier shorter plants. Because of the fuller spectrum with more blue light. More red grows taller plants with more bud and less leaf from my observations. I also tested the Hortilux blue mh in 400 and 600 watts. They have even more blue light in the spectrum.

This mirrors the university of michigans indoor light testing. They suggest more blue light for leafy greens and short crops and more red for flowering and fruiting.

Also plants transfer photosynthesis to the strongest wavelength available so the differences will always be minor. The U of M also chose hps over Mh as a single light flowering light source. Determining lumens or watts was a better indication of results than spectrum to begin with.

The popularity with de hps systems in all kinds of plant production is proof of the power and coverage being the main factor I think.

Maybe the old school ed rosenthal tests had something. He said wattage increased potency as well as yield. He didn't recommend using less than a 600 hps back then from extensive lab testing. It's in his book.

I also found that it is easier to keep the plants green through the cycle under fuller spectrum lighting. The university also says blue light promotes leaf health more than red.

So there are even more variables that would effect different growers with different rooms and plants such as genetics. The breeder that I got my present genetics from never used anything but hps. So will my results be better if I copy his style more closely?

I don't know. I'm just practicing and trying to get better at this stuff.

Sorry for the long post. Mrs. MMG's special chocolate nut muffins have me high as a kite tonight. :)

Well said. But I’m a CMH guy :)

To OP: the point is man you just gotta try stuff and figure it out like we all did. There’s not a right answer only what works for you.

Noob Question On The Hps Vs Led

Noob Question On The Hps Vs Led

Timecode

gravekat303

Premium Member

GreenZion

Timecode

DemonTrich

gravekat303

Premium Member

MW7945

Timecode

MW7945

DemonTrich

MIMedGrower

StandingRock

Noob Question On The Hps Vs Led

Noob Question On The Hps Vs Led

Timecode

gravekat303

Premium Member

GreenZion

Timecode

DemonTrich

gravekat303

Premium Member

MW7945

Timecode

MW7945

DemonTrich

MIMedGrower

StandingRock

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