Led light for newbie

[olbobcat]

The mars ts1000 is a good reliable light. Dimmable and you can pull the driver off and mount outside the tent if needed. HLG is nice also.
I own both Brands

 

[Lucky001]

Im assuming that in a 2x2 the maximum wattage would be 150w? Can i go 250 or its too much?

Btw im going to plant autoflower using LST
How many in my growbox size?1?2?
Tnks!

?

 

[MesaBoogie]

It's kind of hard to answer how many will fit in that space. Possibly 2 if they are in smaller pots. As for wattage I find with my 100w board with samsung diodes does a decent job of flowering 1 large autoflower plant in a 3g pot. I get anywhere from 3-6 ounces depending on the plant. I'm sure more wattage wouldn't hurt but not necessary.

If this was my grow I would start with the HLG that JDM61 posted earlier. I would start with 1 autoflower in a 3 gallon pot. After 30 days I would evaluate if I want to start or have the room to start another plant. If space is going to be tight I would wait until day 50ish. At that time you should be able to start a 2nd plant in there as by the time it starts to get large you will be harvesting your first.

 

[LearningMore]

You can buy a dimmer off Amazon (make sure you get three-prong). I’m on my first grow, but I LOVE my HLG Rspec lights. Once I sorted out other issues (don’t cheap out on soil!), my plants have thrived under the light.

 

[jdm61]

I would probably advise against attaching an external dimmer to any driver that’s not dimmable are ready

You can buy a dimmer off Amazon (make sure you get three-prong). I’m on my first grow, but I LOVE my HLG Rspec lights. Once I sorted out other issues (don’t cheap out on soil!), my plants have thrived under the light.

I would probably advise against attaching an external dimmer to any driver that’s not dimmable alaready, even ones where you have to pop the little plugs and get to the plastic screws.

 

[LearningMore]

I would probably advise against attaching an external dimmer to any driver that’s not dimmable are ready

I would probably advise against attaching an external dimmer to any driver that’s not dimmable alaready, even ones where you have to pop the little plugs and get to the plastic screws.

Great to know, thanks. I bought the 300 and 600 with built-in dimmers, but figured one would work for the 100. Don’t want to cause a problem, though!

 

[DCLXVI]

What's your budget? If you want to stay reasonable for a new grower, the Mars TS1000 is quite nice. I have a Migro Aray2 120W. Love it, but it's a fair bit more expensive. The HLG Is a great choice as well.

If you have the 2.3x2.3 mars tent, I have the same one. There is enough space for 2 plants and nothing else, or I would say easily 1 plant and room for a power strip, humidifier, venting, fans, etc.... It's a lot tighter in there once you get "the essentials" packed in.

Also, if you need to be discrete and stealthy, I highly suggest taping up all the seams and passive vents. Incuding that nice view port on the front door. All those velcro closures leak like crazy. Same with that nice large port hole in the ceiling. Get your setup dialed, then close off those points and tape around anything going in or out. Makes the carbon filter work properly and you should be able to control your grow environment better as well.

Aluminum backed foil tape on the inside and I personally use Gorilla Glue Waterproof Patch and Seal tape on the outside.

 

[DCLXVI]

Tent shots for ya:
I could clean it up a bit and probably stuff a second one in there but one in a 3 gal plus the other bits is tight enough. I've got all my electrical stuff sitting on bricks to keep it off the floor in case of accidental flood. You can see some of my aluminum tape work on the top left between "power strip hiding" and "driver" tags. Thats the view port window sealed off on the inside.

Taping on the outside: If you're not using it, seal it! It's not a bad tent for the $, just leaky. It's like a tuned Honda Civic. Put in a little work and it'll punch way above it's weight class.

 

[Simplicio]

A light is a disposable commodity that keeps getting cheaper.
I vote for the cheapest dollars per watt, assuming good spectrum and efficiency.

Many lights are available on amazon for less than $1 per watt that appear to be good.
Here's one for $0.73 per actual watt
Amazon product

 

[olbobcat]

A light is a disposable commodity that keeps getting cheaper.
I vote for the cheapest dollars per watt, assuming good spectrum and efficiency.

Many lights are available on amazon for less than $1 per watt that appear to be good.
Here's one for $0.73 per actual watt
Amazon product

I own that light as well it works well. Have the long one, which fits my area well. Not the best LEDs so you are not getting the same level of light. Last gen Samsung, not 301s. They had a better price when I bought it it was 139 - 20 We will see how it does in the long run. Plants seem to dig it.