Whats a good light for flowering stage

[2Bad]

Just be careful I don't want to sound like a dick but cheap lights mean expensive fires.

 

[MIGrampaUSA]

Just be careful I don't want to sound like a dick but cheap lights mean expensive fires.

I think his final choice was the 240w Phlizon bar light. I've not heard about people having issues with Phlizon lights. They have a solid reputation.

 

[RootsRuler]

My biggest problem isn't buying the light if i was in the US i could easily buy a more expensive light, problem is I'm growing these plants in Cuba, and apart from spending the 200$ on the lights, i still have to buy a temperature and humidity monitor, light spectrum monitor, and a few other trinkets which will probably put me into the 300$ range, and once everything is bought i have to pay a person (a mule) tu bring those things here so i would be spending roughly around 1000$ with everything included. It's why I'm trying to stay under the 200$ budget.

I think your budget is unrealistic for the size you want to light. I wouldn't lower the space as much as I would try and get the right size fixture.

2 Phlizon Pro 2000W's will get you close to your wattage goal and will give you the flexibility of still having light if one stops working. Each one is around $200 so that'll blow your budget but I don't see how you'll be able to get that much wattage into the tent for any less. The Migro Array 8 with Red would be a great light that would meet your needs but it's $520.

Yes, it'll be a PITA to get it into your hands but once it's done it's done. So one time hassle for years of smoking pleasure!!!

 

[elusiveshame]

Just be careful I don't want to sound like a dick but cheap lights mean expensive fires.

Tbf, marshydro is somewhat pricey and still pure junk. I wouldn’t say cheap cost = poor quality or high cost = excellent quality.

 

[elusiveshame]

I think your budget is unrealistic for the size you want to light. I wouldn't lower the space as much as I would try and get the right size fixture.

2 Phlizon Pro 2000W's will get you close to your wattage goal and will give you the flexibility of still having light if one stops working. Each one is around $200 so that'll blow your budget but I don't see how you'll be able to get that much wattage into the tent for any less. The Migro Array 8 with Red would be a great light that would meet your needs but it's $520.

Yes, it'll be a PITA to get it into your hands but once it's done it's done. So one time hassle for years of smoking pleasure!!!

I don’t think his budget is unrealistic (there was a 4000w led he showed that fit the specs).

My 4x4 tent only cost me less than $700:

Tent: $80
Light (4000w led): $212
Hygro outlet: 50ish
Light timer outlet: 40ish
Humidifier: $50-60
Bottom watering setup: $50 (actually cheaper, but I’m including the cost in my first configuration)
Fan + filter + fan controller: $150 (6” fan)
Misc things (net, extension cord, surge strip): < $50

So far it’s been performing beyond my expectation (which wasn’t all that high to begin with):

Is it optimal? Nah. Does it perform well? I think so. I’d be hard to convince that a $200 Amazon light can’t get the job done.

 

[Harpua88]

I understand this is out of your initial budget, but I wanted to at least give you an example of a good quality refurbished light, made in the US, by a good company that will stand by it. It will last a long time, give you solid performance, and the extra investment will pay off in quality and yield.

By the way the titie of your post says you're looking for a good light for flowering but in your post you said you're looking for an all-around light. HLG has refurbished red-heavy lights too, and they're not the only ones who do.....

Refurbished HLG 350R

HLG 350R Commercial Indoor Horticulture LED grow light is designed to replace a single-ended 600 watt HID with just 330 watts. With a rectangular footprint this fixture is ideal for flowering smaller grow spaces or vegging in commercial grow.

horticulturelightinggroup.com

 

[2Bad]

Oh Ok @MIGrampaUSA Phlizon sounds good I must of missed that post. @elusiveshame Pricey? What models you talking about? I love my 480 watt $400 light .

 

[RootsRuler]

I don’t think his budget is unrealistic (there was a 4000w led he showed that fit the specs).

My 4x4 tent only cost me less than $700:

Tent: $80
Light (4000w led): $212
Hygro outlet: 50ish
Light timer outlet: 40ish
Humidifier: $50-60
Bottom watering setup: $50 (actually cheaper, but I’m including the cost in my first configuration)
Fan + filter + fan controller: $150 (6” fan)
Misc things (net, extension cord, surge strip): < $50

So far it’s been performing beyond my expectation (which wasn’t all that high to begin with):

View attachment 1345400

Is it optimal? Nah. Does it perform well? I think so. I’d be hard to convince that a $200 Amazon light can’t get the job done.

I was referring to his hitting the 480w mark as suitable for maximum production. If you're happy with the end product then great but to optimize OP's grow 480w is the number he wants. Can he do it with half that? Sure. You're proof of that but what could it have been with more photons available to the plant? Not saying yours is wrong in any way. Everyone is different and expectations vary.

Could OP do it with Quantum boards? Sure. I do. Do they do the job? For the most part but my own preference, with the limited knowledge I have about growing, tells me that a bar light setup will be more conducive to the grow style I use. Add on that most of the growers that I respect on this site also employ bar lighting for the same reasons I would like to switch to that style of lighting. If I could I'd sell OP the 2 Quantam boards I have cheap and upgrade to this I'd do it today:

Amazon.com

I also have to take into account that OP doesn't have the access we do to gear that he may need so my feeling is, if you have the chance, get what you need now and what you expect to "grow" into because that chance may not come around again or the hassle to make it happen will be too great.

 

[elusiveshame]

I was referring to his hitting the 480w mark as suitable for maximum production. If you're happy with the end product then great but to optimize OP's grow 480w is the number he wants. Can he do it with half that? Sure. You're proof of that but what could it have been with more photons available to the plant? Not saying yours is wrong in any way. Everyone is different and expectations vary.

Could OP do it with Quantum boards? Sure. I do. Do they do the job? For the most part but my own preference, with the limited knowledge I have about growing, tells me that a bar light setup will be more conducive to the grow style I use. Add on that most of the growers that I respect on this site also employ bar lighting for the same reasons I would like to switch to that style of lighting. If I could I'd sell OP the 2 Quantam boards I have cheap and upgrade to this I'd do it today:

Amazon.com

I also have to take into account that OP doesn't have the access we do to gear that he may need so my feeling is, if you have the chance, get what you need now and what you expect to "grow" into because that chance may not come around again or the hassle to make it happen will be too great.

That is a nice light. And yeah, my setup is far from optimal - I'm just looking to grow a few pounds a year, and I think this will work for me. I'm just saying that I don't think his goal is unrealistic in his price range as he's aiming for the same size I have. I mean, if he's hard set on 480w, then yeah, he'll have a tough time finding those exact numbers on his budget, so some give and take will have to come into play somewhere.

That said, I think a bar light would be far better than these single board lights as you get better coverage. One day I'd like to try out one of them, but I can't justify spending $600+ on a light - at least right now. Maybe when this cheap Amazon light burns out I'll consider spending a bit more.

 

[MIGrampaUSA]

I was referring to his hitting the 480w mark as suitable for maximum production. If you're happy with the end product then great but to optimize OP's grow 480w is the number he wants. Can he do it with half that? Sure. You're proof of that but what could it have been with more photons available to the plant? Not saying yours is wrong in any way. Everyone is different and expectations vary.

Could OP do it with Quantum boards? Sure. I do. Do they do the job? For the most part but my own preference, with the limited knowledge I have about growing, tells me that a bar light setup will be more conducive to the grow style I use. Add on that most of the growers that I respect on this site also employ bar lighting for the same reasons I would like to switch to that style of lighting. If I could I'd sell OP the 2 Quantam boards I have cheap and upgrade to this I'd do it today:

Amazon.com

I also have to take into account that OP doesn't have the access we do to gear that he may need so my feeling is, if you have the chance, get what you need now and what you expect to "grow" into because that chance may not come around again or the hassle to make it happen will be too great.

The Op is on a budget. Hopefully he decides to come up a couple of hundred $$ to get the bigger light. I can say that a high quality 240w bar light should easily light a 3 x 3 or a 2 x 4 area but to adequately light a 4 x 4 would take about 450w-480w. The lights I like are pretty much square. I bought mine to cover the whole canopy of the tents I use. I have 2 ROI-E720's in my over-sized 4 x 8 which don't need to be run any higher than 75% in that space. I also have a NanoLux 630w bar light that is lighting a 5 x 5 tent. Considering that I picked up that 630w light for $350 on a Black Friday sale, I'm tickled pink in its price vs performance. @BigBlonde that 630w Nano Lux comes out to 25.2 watts per square foot. So maybe 25w is the new standard when speaking of lights that are rated in the 2.7-2.9 umols/J ... The Nano Lux was a beast in my 5 x 5. It's geared up for tomato and pepper starts and greenhouse autoflower plants right now ... lol.

The NanoLux 630w can still be found for $400 at a number of Grow Generation grow stores for those who might be interested in it. You can find their brick and mortar stores in most legal states.

 

[RootsRuler]

That is a nice light. And yeah, my setup is far from optimal - I'm just looking to grow a few pounds a year, and I think this will work for me. I'm just saying that I don't think his goal is unrealistic in his price range as he's aiming for the same size I have. I mean, if he's hard set on 480w, then yeah, he'll have a tough time finding those exact numbers on his budget, so some give and take will have to come into play somewhere.

That said, I think a bar light would be far better than these single board lights as you get better coverage. One day I'd like to try out one of them, but I can't justify spending $600+ on a light - at least right now. Maybe when this cheap Amazon light burns out I'll consider spending a bit more.

Understood. Again, your setup isn't "wrong" in any way. It works for you. That's what's most important.

I would think in Cuba his grow is pretty much THE ONLY source of weed other than outdoor guerilla growers on the island for him. For that reason alone I would be optimizing as much as I can to produce as much as I can with what I have available to me.

I justify cost by comparing what I can get a pound of weed for in Cali. Weed at the quality level that I can produce in the tent is currently going for around $1,600 a pound which is what most of the true hydroponic indoor is going for nowadays out there. A $600 light can produce around 2lbs of high quality weed in my 5 x 5. Pretty much pays for itself on the first run.

 

[MIGrampaUSA]

Understood. Again, your setup isn't "wrong" in any way. It works for you. That's what's most important.

I would think in Cuba his grow is pretty much THE ONLY source of weed other than outdoor guerilla growers on the island for him. For that reason alone I would be optimizing as much as I can to produce as much as I can with what I have available to me.

I justify cost by comparing what I can get a pound of weed for in Cali. Weed at the quality level that I can produce in the tent is currently going for around $1,600 a pound which is what most of the true hydroponic indoor is going for nowadays out there. A $600 light can produce around 2lbs of high quality weed in my 5 x 5. Pretty much pays for itself on the first run.

Michigan prices are about $99 per OZ retail at the local dispensaries. The market is over-saturated which has driven prices down. I'm pretty sure prices will start rising again once we get through the phase where only the strong survive and the rest either get gobbled up in acquisitions or go belly-up completely.

 

[RootsRuler]

Michigan prices are about $99 per OZ retail at the local dispensaries. The market is over-saturated which has driven prices down. I'm pretty sure prices will start rising again once we get through the phase where only the strong survive and the rest either get gobbled up in acquisitions or go belly-up completely.

The price I quoted is wholesale so retail would be more expensive which gives me just that much more justification.

 

[Zerberus]

I decided to go with the

VIPARSPECTRA 2023 Upgraded P2000​

I will only be using it for seedlings and flowering stages because i can do veg stage outside on my roof so a 2x4 tent should be more than enough for 3 plants at a time, which is good for this light, i will have to build my own tent tho they are all over 20 pounds so it's super expensive to have a mule transport it to Cuba, so i am also buying 2 rolls of 4'X25' Mylar reflective foil. I'll buy the humidifier here in Cuba so i won't have to transport it either. Just going to buy and bring with the light a PH meter, temp and humidity meter, some PH controllers to keep it adequate for the plants, and a fan and carbon filter, I'll do the installation myself... I'm pretty handy and crafty, what i need now is some knowledge on DIY bottom watering systems...

Anyone have any experience with those?

 

[RootsRuler]

I decided to go with the

VIPARSPECTRA 2023 Upgraded P2000​

I will only be using it for seedlings and flowering stages because i can do veg stage outside on my roof so a 2x4 tent should be more than enough for 3 plants at a time, which is good for this light, i will have to build my own tent tho they are all over 20 pounds so it's super expensive to have a mule transport it to Cuba, so i am also buying 2 rolls of 4'X25' Mylar reflective foil. I'll buy the humidifier here in Cuba so i won't have to transport it either. Just going to buy and bring with the light a PH meter, temp and humidity meter, some PH controllers to keep it adequate for the plants, and a fan and carbon filter, I'll do the installation myself... I'm pretty handy and crafty, what i need now is some knowledge on DIY bottom watering systems...

Anyone have any experience with those?

Does it have to be bottom watering? I made a top watering system with a pond pump, a drip distribution head, some 1/4" drip line and 1/4" drip T's.

Pond pump goes in a 30 gal reservoir and is plumbed to an 8 port drip distribution head. The drip head distributes water out to each plant with a watering ring around each plant. Watering rings consist of 5 drip T's. One to connect to the feed line and 4 to distribute water evenly. The pond pump is set to a timer to turn on and the duration of the time before off determines the amount of water being distributed.

 

[Zerberus]

Does it have to be bottom watering? I made a top watering system with a pond pump, a drip distribution head, some 1/4" drip line and 1/4" drip T's.

Pond pump goes in a 30 gal reservoir and is plumbed to an 8 port drip distribution head. The drip head distributes water out to each plant with a watering ring around each plant. Watering rings consist of 5 drip T's. One to connect to the feed line and 4 to distribute water evenly. The pond pump is set to a timer to turn on and the duration of the time before off determines the amount of water being distributed.

Can you show me some pictures would like to have some visual aid.

 

[RootsRuler]

Drip T head

Auto Irrigate System

The green top is the 30 gal bin I store the nutrient solution in and where the pond pump goes. When the timer goes off the pump turns on and begins to pump the solution that is in the reservoir up to the drip distribution head and gets distributed out to each pot with a feeder line and watering ring. The amount of water the plant gets fed depends on how long I program the timer to stay on for.

The machine to the left of the reservoir in the second pic is my dehumidifier. I let it drain back into the reservoir so that I don't have to refresh the reservoir as often. I like to hand water so I use this system when I have to leave for more than a few days. I have it set up with the watering rings but have not used it since I've been home able to attend to the plants but set it up in case something comes up at the last minute and I have to leave. The last time I used this system I was gone for 6 weeks.

 

[elusiveshame]

Oh Ok @MIGrampaUSA Phlizon sounds good I must of missed that post. @elusiveshame Pricey? What models you talking about? I love my 480 watt $400 light .

Anything over $200 is pricey to me :P I'm just a cheapskate, though. A Spiderfarmer 450w is $475, Mars Hydro is about the same price.

I just snagged a bar light for $160 haha gonna give it a shot in the 4x4 on my next run: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MF2247G