Grow Room Grow Tent LED Lighting Question

[Randar]

Hey all,

I recently moved back to the US from Europe and will be looking to expand my growing operations since the state I am in will (99% certain) legalizing recreational use this year. My question is, I see lots and lots of grow tent kits online for sale. I don't want to spend too much, but I also want something that will give me a good amount of light. The best budget tent kits I see typically come with a 300W light. Now, I've also priced the piece parts separately, and can get a similar setup with a 600W for almost the same price. The setup I'm looking at is a 24" x 24" or even a 24" x 48" footprint. Height will be around 60". So should I try to go with a single 600W LED, or would two 300W LEDs be better for a tent that size?

Randar

 

[AutoWonders]

Hey all,
I recently moved back to the US from Europe and will be looking to expand my growing operations since the state I am in will (99% certain) legalizing recreational use this year. My question is, I see lots and lots of grow tent kits online for sale. I don't want to spend too much, but I also want something that will give me a good amount of light. The best budget tent kits I see typically come with a 300W light. Now, I've also priced the piece parts separately, and can get a similar setup with a 600W for almost the same price. The setup I'm looking at is a 24" x 24" or even a 24" x 48" footprint. Height will be around 60". So should I try to go with a single 600W LED, or would two 300W LEDs be better for a tent that size?Randar

The last 2x4 tent I was in (5 gallon smart pots), I grew three plants with two 350 watt led lights. I am from the school of more light spread versus one light of higher wattage.
You might as well get the bigger tent, the 2x2 will definitely have limits. I just bought another 2x4 tent (84" tall) yesterday and that will be replacing my current 4x4. I would really love to have a 2x6, but don't want to go custom with China. Also, I've owned the expensive tents and have found them, in the end, to be a waste of money. That is the reason I am dumping my Gorilla tent. It was a pain in the ass from the get go.
If you want more headroom, you can put the inline fan/carbon filter outside the tent. I've been doing that for years, or you buy a taller tent. The 84" tall tent I just bought was a mere $114.00. Good luck.

 

[Randar]

Well, I ended up getting a 2'x4'x60" grow tent. Since I only plan to start with one plant once legalization happens later this year, I decided to build my own LED light system. Mainly because I really love the DIY aspect of this and other hobbies. So, a quick trip to the local hardware store and voila!

It's composed of 16 100W off-the-shelf LED lights (3000K and 14W each actual draw). I was able to pick them up on sale for about $1.25 per bulb. So overall, the total cost for the light materials was about $35.

I figure if I need to expand the lighting, I can easily build another one and cover the entire tent.