Indoor LED Light question..

[Gandolph420]

Just wondering realistically how many plants you could fit under higher watt LED lighting. I think me and a friend are taking the plunge on some serious LED lighting.

I was looking at the blackstars since it seems the brand everyones "raving" about, and after research is seems the most practical. I was looking at the 900W with only a 16 sq. ft coverage which doesnt seem that great. So I was wondering would it be better to purchase there 600W and 240W for a better light spread? the price is relatively the same with 60W less power.

Would I have to move the plants around since the two panels are considerably different power ratings?

Im new to LED lighting and with all the research I havent been able to find a straight answer...

I have loved my HID lighting and its done me wonders but I feel like I should decrease my carbon footprint a bit, and with HID I have to run more fans, a/c, waste in bulbs, and the carbon footprint is unbelievable.

Any help would be great, or even direct me to some great info would be nice too!

Cheers!

 

[Hugo]

 

[ElGuapo]

Depending on the size and shape of your area, for the money, I'd go with 3 240 watt units or 4 180 watt units. For a little more, 4 240s. I just had one of my 240 watt units take a dump, so all my girls are crowded under the remaining 3 units. The redundancy and light spread are why several smaller units are better than one big one.

 

[Gandolph420]

Well I have a 4x4x7 tent for my auto's right now. I see what your saying, I hadnt put too much thought into them crapping out. Well I guess maybe im better off going that route.

If you dont mind me asking, how many plants do you grow under the 4 units? Not exactly sure what kind of space you have either so.

Thank-you very much for the all the info so far!

 

[GCase]

Gandolph420. The 240W most of which are BlackStar cover a 2' x 2' area very efficiently. Up to about four plants in 3 or 2 gallon square containers forming a 2' by 2' area. Four is pushing it because the LED is ineffective at hitting the lower canopy. Three is probably best for one 240W. We do have some LED experts who will drop by for sure.

 

[Muddy]

I've got an area just about the same size as yours. I'm running two BS 240s in there right now and they aren't quite enough. I'd suggest 3 or even 4 of the BS 240s for your area. LEDs work best when you grow within their core penetration area, which is about 2' x 2.5' for those lights. Having multiple lights will also let you raise and lower them independently, which is very helpful when you have plants of differing sizes.

 

[Scott817]

I have a 4x4 tent and use a 1 290w GLH LEd and 1 BS 240w and 1 HH 180w and it seems that is still a little short of maximum lighting that I would like. I also add a 150w HPS when I have more plants in the tent that I do now. Here are a few pics for reference.

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I could see like 6 BS240w would be like the optimal setup for this size although 4 would be nice if the tent isnt too full. More is always better than less

 

[Gandolph420]

Well I couldnt have asked for a better response!

Where would be the best place to purchase these Blackstars? There own website? oor...? I am located in Ontario, Can if that makes a difference.

I think Ill grab 3 of them to begin with, but I know I will need atleast one or two more by the end of the grow, which will give me a few weeks to save up. Ill go with 2 plants per light to be safe.

Also I have couple cheap t-5 4 lamp floro's for side lighting I can put up for now aswell.

Also would it be realistic to have maybe 90w LED's to put on the floor(facing up) to penetrate the lower canopies? I think if these things do what I want them to do I might just invest what I can in them for my photo's. These auto's are kind of a test run for my real medical grow....

 

[Muddy]

Go right to Gotham Hydro for the Blackstars. http://www.gothamhydroponics.com/. They are the US distributor. Also, call them instead of placing the order on line. They will usually give a bit of a discount if you do.

Side lighting is fine but I wouldn't advise putting anything on the floor. I doubt they would be that effective and besides, the floor always ends up a mess.

 

[autoberry]

Gandolph, when you say high watt, you mean 3w yes ?. The coverage is dependant on, Firstly the "lense" thats fitted, ie 120 degree or 90 degree etc. this dictates spread of "Mixed Spectrum". Remember it is your res to "pack the canopy" "level" using 1989 VHs video boxes !!. then your little fellow on floor will, get some more photon mixed action, and become a canopy player. 1no 3w led at 120 degree will give 2.5 times that comparative to incandescent, ie, 25watt flux. So a 240w led mixed spectrum 600whps/mid.

under 510 wat, ie 1no240 3 spectrum, 2no 135, 7 spectrum. led's 6-8 no will flurish, with 3 units spread is better and mixed. i payed 300 for 240w 3mix, 210 for 135w 7mix. i use 25w 3mix/spec 2ft led low temp 28mm tubes for popcorn enlargement, 5-6 no tube, so low watt it's unreal 45 ea. posted. popcorn do swell up though. led = 'Shorter Internodes" = more bows, plus longer in veg, = more bows, better flowering from "Mixed Spectrum 3wlow temp. led. CAB TEMP SO MUCH BETTER IN MID SUMMER. 27.5C, MEAN TEMP, AT AMBIENT OF 25.5. PEACE TO ALL LED GEEKSXX.........