Convinced that LED's are the way to go!!!

however, i don't understand the wattage system or nm meaning. i know nm is a nanometer but how does that relate to growing specifically. i'm looking on ebay and theres a 12" x 12" panel that contains 225 leds putting out a total wattage of 14w(seems super low) its a mixed blue and red spectrum(about 60% red) and i wanted to know if i were to put 8 of these in a 2ft x 8 ft room(15sqft) would i get the same or better yield than using two 250w HPS lights. alot of people seem to say that you WILL indeed get more yield because of the specific light spectrums in red and blue but i want to know if 124watts of pure LED lights(8 panels times 14w) would be enough promote healthy growth. i was also looking at color specific panels and found the exact same panel on ebay in all blue and all red. i'm assuming that i can use the blue for vegetative growth and red for flowering without any reprecussions. or is it better to have a mixed light spectrum throughout for iono, voodoo purposes or something? i am growing 4 plants hoping to get about 5-6 onions per plant so if i can take the LED route and go with these panels i will essentially save $150 in costs as these lights are like $10 a panel no bullshit. assuming that i would need 8 for the flowering stage and maybe 2 for veg(since plants will be closer together and don't need supplementary side lighting) i would essentially cover my entire light system costs with $100-150 depending on the brand and stuff like that. i just want to know if 14w panels using 225 tiny leds WILL INDEED grow 4 plants as long as i have an ample number to give even lighting.

2ft x 8 ft room(15sqft)

Click to expand...

I hate maths to.

would i get the same or better yield than using two 250w HPS lights

Click to expand...

Not a chance in hell bro ,not a chance in hell .

....this is the thing though, are you saying no because you use hps and you biased, or because leds suck. i originally wanted to go with the 2 hps lights but it was suggested to me to use LEDS for equal results. i mean, i just want to have my information down packed so i don't regret getting one or the other and then i'm like.....damn i shoulda went with the LEDs, or damn, i shoulda went with the hps. and like i said, assuming i get LEDS i will be running 8 lights which for the space sounds more than ample since the room is literally like a long dick. 2ft of width to 8 ft of length. thats essentially 2 lights per plant. are you saying that it still doesn't make a difference or is it also because of the low wattage?

5-6 oz per plant? your gonna need a 400w for each one and even then it will still be difficult.

i think you need much more research before saying LED is the way to go. LED is A way to go, no always THE way to go.

nm just measure the color of light learn it use yeah and brush up on your arithmetic your gonna need it to make it in growing.

14w led panels are crap those piss poor led barely create any light intensity and when it comes to big buds you need light intensity. you get faar more intensity from a higher wattage single soure than multiple low wattage source equal to the total of the other.

when it comes to LED you really got to know your shit before investing..

and there is a lot of evidence that the all blue/red light setups are not the best choice LEDs. and that white leds would be better.

go with the HID.

for veg I use LED but todays tech you should look at 3 watt diodes as a minimum .

those mickey mouse panels on ebay should be fucking banned.

Even the Donald Duck ones are shit...

I was so convinced LED was the shit I spent 1800 dollars on top of the line mickey mouse (blackstar 500) panels and ended up selling 3 of the 5 I bought. I do like them in veg though!

Do you use HPS for flowering Dbkick?

i just started doing my research today and was REAL iffy as i been getting told to use mh/hps all the way. it was suggested to me which is why i came up with the post to ask questions but i was almost certain that the low wattage leds would have been crap. hearing this though makes me almost 100% certain to go with a pair of 250w hps if i can't find a decent 400w setup for cheap. all in all i think LEDS are more expensive than getting hps/mh in terms of initial price.

No matter whether you go with HID or LED you're approximately going to get the same grams per watt. Usually HID costs less, but some believe that in the long run you save with LEDs because of their life span.

Can always do what i did....and gradually add to your LED lights using house lights as your plant(s) grow and you have money available.

The LED panels you are lookin' at are pure garbage! HID is a wonderful thing the grow with (have had 4 1000w HPS with the stink buddy setup) but LED's are coming up big and they are a beautiful thing to see. it saves you in not just some heat and energy but in your nutrient too, because you have to water less frequently (not always the best because if you have more heat, the plants uptake of water is increased,which in return the plants metabolize faster because of the access water[and nutrients] are needed so they do grow a tad bit slower with LED). it all depends on your current situation. what are your exact room dimensions and what are your restrictions? Is stealth a factor? if you're trying to grow 4 plants to get 5-6 oz your going to need to do some lst'in or super cropping and would need 2 decent panels to cover them all ($250$+and up like two 240 blackstars at your own risk) or you can get one nice panel like a penetrator pro series and bush out two plants, not saying for sure you'll hit your mark because it does depend on your grow experience and seeing as your asking you shouldn't get your hopes up too high if you come shy of your mark especially with all the different genetics out there. there's really no better source of light because everyone's situation is different but we all have the same goal.....the heady stash!!!! keep doing research and stay on that higher positive level my friend. =) I've been doing mad research and still haven't decided on a great LED panel yet. I'm deffinatly heading toward the predator series when the funds are there but as for now im intrigued with CFL's. its all about learning and building on what you already have. Good luck and always stay happy!!!

i'm almost convinced to stay with my original 400w hps set up idea but i was thinking of getting 1 hps system and then having the other side of the room lit with a 125w cfl on top and a couple maybe 25w on the sides(125w cfl light side) so one side is lit solely by the hps and the other side is cfl and they i'll switch the lights every few days. my closet is long and thin. 2 ft in width and 8 ft long approx. has a height of 8 ft so its hard to light it properly which is why i've been so left and right on what type of lights to get

buddy if you want bags (ounces...) of weed, the setup you are describing is not going to cut it, not nearly. If you are a true pot head and you want a bunch of weed dont fuck around, get the right equipment from the get go (inline fan, scrubber, portable fans, good lights and a timer and you are good to go). you have just enough room to grow a decent amount of weed, but honestly, 250watt hps, unless you are a genius, or very experienced grower, you will not get much at all out of it, just a few hairy buds and you will want to upgrade your setup right away. thats my opinion, good luck buddy

a hell of a lot of mixed reviews. i ORIGINALLY wanted to get 2 400w lights n have em on each end but that's 800w of heat. i was planning on having a mini venting system but in general i'm a bit on the fence. during the winter months which hopefully it'll get down to 60 in october THE LATEST i'll have the a/c off completely which should leave indoor temps around 65-70 so the closet temp shouldn't be higher than 75 even without ventillation.

I went with LED's for two reason's. Number one is heat, since my build is inside a big screen tv I can't have heat as an issue. I scored a haight ppf-800 180w on craigslist for $150 , and just last night I ordered a 2012 blackstar 240w. Going to run them side by side inside the tv.

Number 2 is energy cost and carbon footprint. Grow is strictly organic and energy efficient~ish