What would you do? Cmh mixed with led or go all led?

So I am about to get some more lights for my 5x5 and am just looking for some opinions. Right now I am using a 315 cmh and an alibaba sf1000 for 4 autos taking up about 3x3 of the tent.

Next run I am going to use the whole 5x5 so I will need to add more lights. I was thinking about getting another 315 cmh and 2 sf2000's or something similar.

My other option is to go straight Led but I am worried about not having enough heat in the winter. If I went with all led i think around 800 watts would be sufficient but correct me if I am wrong since I am new to led.

So would you guys go for the led cmh mix or just Led? Also is there a big difference between boards and strips?

Thanks for any input

The one thing to consider is that LED typically required warmer canopy temperatures compared to HID due to the IR output levels.

I would skip the spider farmers and look at a better light like the HLG. If it was my tent I would pop an HLG 650r in there and be happy as hell.

Renfro said:

HLG 650R

High Efficiency Commercial Indoor Horticulture LED grow light designed to replace a double-ended 1000watt HID with just 6100 Watts. 1700 PPF @ 2.8PPF/W. Full-spectrum. LED Module made by Samsung. Powered by Samsung LM301H LED and Deep Red LED 660nm

horticulturelightinggroup.com

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Yea if i went all Led I was looking at that but the shipping cost to Europe plus customs fees might make it too expensive for me. I was also looking at the zeus pro.

I know everybody loves HLG but how is it different from Spider Farmer? I read somewhere that hlg use top bin diodes and Sf doesnt but what does that mean exactly?

chronnie49 said:

I read somewhere that hlg use top bin diodes and Sf doesnt but what does that mean exactly?

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I think Spider Farmer is basically Mars, but I am not 100%. Binning diodes is basically sorting them by quality as they are tested after manufacture. So the high bin diodes have optimal characteristics.

I dunno what you can get where you are at but you may wanna look at the gavita LED's

The heat requirements for led might be a problem for me too so thats why I was thinking about using 2 cmh and 2 boards. If i have to use a heater at least half of the year then I would probably just stick with my original plan.

Yeah if you need to supplement heat to run LED then it's no bueno. Going with CMH may be a good idea, for a 5x5 area I would want a 1kW DE CMH. Gonna need a tall tent though for that. More costly route but more even lght distribution and can be run a little closer allowing taller plants would be four 315 CMH lights.

The gavita does look nice but I need to stay around €1000. If i do decide to ditch the cmh then thats bring up another question. Strips or boards? I aee theres a thread on that topic already so Ill check that out.

If I used cmh and led could I run at regular HID temps since the cmh would raise the leaf temps?

Here's some F'n CMHs mixed with some DIY LED action. I stand in favor, of mixin' em.
https://www.rollitup.org/t/3thirteen-seeds.999759/post-15490293

chronnie49 said:

If I used cmh and led could I run at regular HID temps since the cmh would raise the leaf temps?

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I'm only starting my second grow but I found HID temps to work fine. The CMH doesn't have the IR output of an HPS but it does have some warmth to the light. Personally I'd hang two 315w's as high as your tent will allow so all benefit from the UV, etc... and balance it out with some sort of LED strip lighting for even PAR values all around.

chronnie49 said:

Yea if i went all Led I was looking at that but the shipping cost to Europe plus customs fees might make it too expensive for me. I was also looking at the zeus pro.

I know everybody loves HLG but how is it different from Spider Farmer? I read somewhere that hlg use top bin diodes and Sf doesnt but what does that mean exactly?

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There's a UK HLG too.

CMH mixed with LED is actually my favorite so far, but in summer I have to run just the QB's.

Chip Green said:

Here's some F'n CMHs mixed with some DIY LED action. I stand in favor, of mixin' em.
https://www.rollitup.org/t/3thirteen-seeds.999759/post-15490293

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Lookin great.

B|uDreamer said:

I'm only starting my second grow but I found HID temps to work fine. The CMH doesn't have the IR output of an HPS but it does have some warmth to the light. Personally I'd hang two 315w's as high as your tent will allow so all benefit from the UV, etc... and balance it out with some sort of LED strip lighting for even PAR values all around.

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My tent is 7 feet tall and i scrog pretty short plants so the cmh would be 3-4 feet above the canopy. From what ive read about strips they can be a lot closer than cmh so wouldnt the strips block some of the light?

PadawanWarrior said:

There's a UK HLG too.

Best LED Grow Lights UK & Europe | HLG LED No1 in UK Europe

Do you want the Best LED Grow Lights in the UK & Europe? We are the Official Distributor for The Horticulture Lighting Group the No1 LED Grow Light manufacturer today

hlg-uk-europe.com

CMH mixed with LED is actually my favorite so far, but in summer I have to run just the QB's.

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I didnt know i could buy them here so thanks for that.

chronnie49 said:

I didnt know i could buy them here so thanks for that.

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Try coupon code "RIU10" for 10% off. I don't know if it works on the U.K. site or not though.

You can run your cmh closer than 3-4 ft. I've had finished plants within 18 inches or closer from the bulb. Strips run at decent power will work at 18 Inches as well, if you run em softer than they would need to be closer.

I've never personally done it but I got a buddy that kills with the combo of led and CMH.

Apalchen said:

You can run your cmh closer than 3-4 ft. I've had finished plants within 18 inches or closer from the bulb. Strips run at decent power will work at 18 Inches as well, if you run em softer than they would need to be closer.

I've never personally done it but I got a buddy that kills with the combo of led and CMH.

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I usually hang the cmh 16-20 inches above the canopy so I didnt think putting them at the top of a 7 foot tall tent was a very good idea. (No offense to who suggested it)

Sounds like everybody who has tried cmh and led together has great results so I might just stick with that idea.

I think 2 led's around 200 watts each and 2 315 cmh would be plenty of light. Then in the summer i can make a 4x4 canopy and just use the led.

Im not buying anything for at least a month though so I am still open to opinions.