A very simple Question for expert LED user

how much LED watt would i need per square foot for Indica During VEG and how much would i need per square foot for flower? its a simple question but remember im using bushy indica and not sativa would like to produce an ounce per plant with a min of one plant per square foot.

thank you any information will help me greatly but your experience would be most helpful. cash flow is not a huge problem.

Just finished 8 plants @ 16-19 inches tall in a 2'x4' area (8 sq. ft.). I used 3 gallon Airpots filled with coco and perlite. My yield was 49 grams per plant using 2 Advanced DS200s with a total wattage of 370.

So, 46.25 watts per square foot gave me 49 grams per square foot on very heavy and solid (no popcorn) Indica dominant plants.

I don't like much veg time so I want as much light as possible when I do.
I use blue biased leds for cuttings and early veg, t-5s and indagrow 215s (induction) for a week or two to bulk them up, then into flower.
Now that I think about it, my late veg uses as much power as my flower!( 40-50 watts per sq. ft.)

Bottom line; your only limited by $$$ and heat.

so pretty much the same as an HPS? right now i am running a 600w hps for my 4x4 flower area but i am battling alot of heat in this high dessert BS so i was thinking on trying to save with an LED set up. my set up is mothers under CFL 4 diffrent indica strains in a 2x2 area then a clone area for 32 clones also CFL just a cabinet. Then a 4x4 CFL 3week veg area where my clones veg 6 in a 18 gallon "tote" that is a mix of miracle grow soil(Flushed heavy)peat/coco, and perlite. im switching to promix and perlite with diffrent neuts then i have now after i research more. so to replace my 600w hps i should use about 600w of LED in the same area? if thats true then i only save money on my heat cost?

simple question.. yet no simple answer to give..

there is many variable at play, which make it impossible to answer


you need to tell us more to give a more direct answer. tell us your exact wants / needs.


are you building or buying?


I can give you some "simple" answers, but it wouldn't apply to anything.. 20 watts a square foot for veg. flower you want to try and start at 40 watts and up. see I know someone who vegges with 11 watts a square foot, and has told me nothing he's ever used can compare ( 30 year grower ), he uses a combination of CW led, and 660nm red. I wouldn't believe him, but he has pics, and pics of every other lighting, it truly does not compare, even given that he's using 11 watts a square foot with super dense branching !