Which new light should I get and what to do with old one?

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Gmix

Gmix

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GreenGalaxyFarm hit the nail on the head use what you got & save up for something more powerful as said your grow will be limited by your light & You’ll probably want to upgrade a 100w-150w depending on how much you want back typically one plant won’t be enough to last from one harvest to the next & as they say buy cheep buy twice.
The choice really is yours albeit some have given you good options on what would work.

When I say it depends I meant how much do want back are you looking to go fully self Sufficient as your light will limit what you can get back.

You could use that light in the future to add to a better one it’s not worthless if you do decide to upgrade.

Witchever way you go bud I wish you good luck & would love to see you throwing up some nice grow pics.

We all started somewhere be it a halide/hps, Fluorescent light or a street lamp 🤣
They used to be the goto place for free lights not that I did 🤫
 
jesterthejedi

jesterthejedi

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Not sure what your budget is, but these are great, inexpensive, have full spectrum and weed+plants love them. I have one in use in my tent for extra coverage. As for your existing light, reuse it or donate it to a fellow plant lover.

 
GreenGalaxyFarm

GreenGalaxyFarm

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but 10watts isnt much of a feasable upgrade considering the 90w he currently own
Try this one. I have a pre dimmer sf1000 by spider farmer that I got for around $50 and one of these. Both are in my flower closet and they seam to be working great. I find the one pictured is a little stronger than the spider farmer but I’m sure the sf1000 will last longer. I’m just started my 5th week of flower and I’m very happy with both lights. View attachment 1323060View attachment 1323061I also added a pic of my plant that is using those cheap lights. I can’t tell you how long they will last, but so far so good.
 
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elusiveshame

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You're doing great! I was convinced you are a native English speaker based on your posts. I think what you are referring to as "imperial", I think of as "english" units. Ounces, gallons, miles, Fahrenheit, etc. We use these in the United States, but amazingly, the English don't use "english" units (except for some things like "pints" of beer). Personally, I find the metric system incredibly complicated. To go from millimeter to meter you need to multiply by 1000, and then to go to kilometer you need to multiply by 1000 again. Where's the logic in that? In the english system you multiply 1 inch by 12 to get 1 foot. Then by 3 to get 1 yard, and then by 1760 to get 1 mile. Completely logical! :).
Ounces, kilos, etc are called imperial 😅 we call it metric in the US and “standard” for inches, pounds, etc.

The rest of your post I hope is all in jest, because there’s a reason why science uses SI units and not lbs, inches, and miles lol
 
GreenGalaxyFarm

GreenGalaxyFarm

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If he uses his light and the 100w then it is. Or buy 2 $50 dollar lights.
ok yes, or even just more of these bloomplus lights as he has, im sure quite a few can fit in a tent, buy one every month till its full
 
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bibsoconner

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ok yes, or even just more of these bloomplus lights as he has, im sure quite a few can fit in a tent, buy one every month till its full
Hmm. I'm leaning more towards the plan of save my money and buy a light double in power, like 200 watts or so. I think I need recommendations on that size.
Based on my limited research with a Lux meter on my phone, I don't think two (or three) 100 watt lights solve the problem. The light seems to be very much directed downwards from the light. Yes, I realize light goes everywhere and can leak out of tent, etc., but generally the light is directed downwards. That means that even if you have two 100 watt lights, the plant directly underneath one of those lights is still seeing the light from only one light mostly. If you want it to get more light, I suspect you need a more powerful light. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I want a light that is powerful enough to grow 2 to 3 plants all the way from seedling to harvest time. I'll use the existing light for other things like maybe a 2nd small run while the main run is going on.
OR, I move to South Africa and say "just outdoor growing for me!". :)
 
BigBlonde

BigBlonde

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I'm leaning more towards the plan of save my money and buy a light double in power, like 200 watts or so. I think I need recommendations on that size.
That's the size I have, the ViparSpectra XS2000. It is 240 watts at its maximum setting.

The light seems to be very much directed downwards from the light.
It's the nature of the beast for panel-type lights. Whether that's good or bad depends on how a person grows and the size of their grow space or tent--both for width and for height.

I realize light goes everywhere and can leak out of tent
The concern about light leaks has to do with light leaking into the tent during the plant's dark time.

I want a light that is powerful enough to grow 2 to 3 plants all the way from seedling to harvest time.
One XS2000 is considered by the manufacturer as being well-matched to a 2x4 tent, and a tent of that size can grow 2 to 3 plants. Most light sellers will have documentation describing how to use their lights, including the light dispersion pattern. So I recommend research and careful shopping. Download the manual and see if the specifications match what you want to do.

I'll use the existing light for other things like maybe a 2nd small run while the main run is going on.
A seedling and early vegetation tent, perhaps? I'm going that route. I have a new, smaller tent ordered to start plants while plants are flowering in my other tent. I'll be using a ViparSpectra XS1000 in that 2x2 tent.
 
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elusiveshame

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This is what I’m using in my 4x4:


It’s low heat (seemingly anyway) lights pretty darn good, and not bad for the price. The dimmer on mine doesn’t work all that well - seems like it’s at full power way before you get the dial all the way turned, but for the price I can’t complain.
 
GreenGalaxyFarm

GreenGalaxyFarm

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If you want it to get more light, I suspect you need a more powerful light. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
sounds like you are aiming for more even canopy coverage.. then your option is bar style led or a 'massive' quantum board
 
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bibsoconner

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Because @Gmix requested photos, and because I'm so proud of these guys, here's some photos. If you saw my earlier posts, you'd know that I'm a total beginner and I had a ton of mistakes with these guys. It's amazing they're still alive. They went from inside to outside and now back inside. The big one is in the flowering stage. Her sister is still outside (an experiment) but I'll probably bring her in because the inside one is doing better. I'm on a 12/12 schedule.
I'll be subjecting you guys to more photos and questions on a separate thread. I'll need to know how I know when to harvest AND how to harvest. Like I said, I'm a total beginner. My anxiety levels have gone through the roof doing this. Good thing I smoke every day :).
 
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bibsoconner

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This is what I’m using in my 4x4:


It’s low heat (seemingly anyway) lights pretty darn good, and not bad for the price. The dimmer on mine doesn’t work all that well - seems like it’s at full power way before you get the dial all the way turned, but for the price I can’t complain.
Both your recommendation and the ViparSpectra XS2000 look like they would work well for me! And about the same price. I'll take my time and do the research. I need time anyhow to save my pennies!
 
Newbgrower1

Newbgrower1

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im serious tho, a few small ones will work im seeing what @Observationist is doing with his 4x 150w lights its decent
I agree with you 100% I have 2 100w lights in my tent I’m only growing 1 plant at the moment but thinking of vegging 2 in there in spring. The only problem is trying to line them all up and make everything level. But I guess if you have the room you can move the plant to the light so you don’t have to re level every time you move. I gotta check out that 4 light grow you are talking about. Sounds interesting.
 
Gmix

Gmix

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Hi again bud may as well add how to know when it’s ready see them trichomes the clear looking things that’s what you want to look at under a handheld microscope you can buy them for £5 or Hook a good one upto a phone & see them on screen.

When they are clear there not ready after that they go milky then amber.

That becomes your choice as to exactly when if you chop how do you like your high.

If cut when all milky no amber you will get a speedy head high

The usual guff is to cut when there’s 10% amber & the rest milky
However it is a growers preference as to how much or little amber there is when you chop.

Looking good btw 👍

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Dr.Dave

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Hi, I have a BLOOM PLUS LED Grow Light BP 1000W (which I'm told is really 90W??!!). I got it from Amazon and it cost about $40. I got it because price was a consideration AND because I'm new and I figured I should start small and get something better at some point. Based on my limited research, it seemed like a good bet. It had decent reviews.

I'm interested in a new, better light for 2 reasons:
1) I've been told (on these forums!) that what I have is probably sufficient for seedling and veg stages, but not flowering. And some folks mentioned it's not that great period. It is not adjustable wattage. Not sure if that's a big deal. You can adjust the height by letting the pulleys out/in.

2) I'm thinking I need two areas, one for seedlings/veg and one for flowering. That is, I want an area that is 12/12 for lights and one that is 18/6 for lights.

Can you make some recommendations? Remember, I'm a novice, AND as I indicated, cost is a concern. I suppose I could go up to $100.00 . I see "ViparSpectra" mentioned a lot here, but I can't tell if that is because the company itself keeps posting here, or if folks really like them. I should close my saying I have a preference for Amazon. Not that I love huge businesses, but I know them; I know I can return stuff to Amazon if it's wrong or broken, etc.
My plan is to use the new, more powerful light for flowering, and the older, weaker one for veg phase. Sound good?
Thanks!
100 Watts of the wrong spectrum of light and not enough PAR (photosynthetic active radiation), will stunt your grow. I use a 3x3 tent with a Mars Hydro TS2000 (310 Watts at the wall) that uses 4 spectrums including far red. I recently decided to buy the new Mars Hydro TS3000, which is 450 Watts and provides much better light coverage at the edges thanks to the change they made to the diode configuration at the edges of the quantum board. This light at $340 is a bargain!
 
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