Lighting Replacing CFL with LED. (info needed)

[WEEDOSHI]

Hey all,

I'm thinking about revamping my 4th grow to something totally new. My last 3 grows were all CFL ( 5x 55w CFL 5700k) i pulled okay yield and good potency.

My power consumption for my (mini) grow room is: 600w
My power consumption after i replace CFL with LED: 325w

This is a pretty considerable change to me in electricity usage.

I normally grow 1 plant at a time, with a maximum of 2.

I'm thinking about purchasing the 50W UFO LED. The seller claims it will be equivalent to a 200w HPS.

A few questions regarding LED -

1. How long do the LED last before they need replacing?
2. Can you replace the LED's by ordering new ones?
3. How hard is it to replace the LED's yourself?
4. Is it really equivalent to a 200w HPS, or is that just a marketing gimmick?
5. Will i be able to grow 1-2 autoflowers the 50W UFO LED?

Thank you everyone.

 

[Red eyed c]

What's your budget for an led chad & what size space u growing in? A 50w UFO won't do you much good on its own & wouldn't match a 200 hps imo,but you could mix cfl & led if you wanted to go that route with the 50w. If your wanting to go straight led then you will need more wattage & coverage for 2 plants,have a look through this led review section,each review has a link to the grow and you can see what others use https://www.autoflower.org/f147/

 

[Chester]

The approximate minimum real wattage per square foot is 30 watts ... if the canopy of your two plants take up less than 2 square feet then 50 watts should be good to go. More wattage is not always better ... w/watts come added heat. For me about 45 watts per square foot works well because I don't have a lot of ventilation ... I have an Advanced LED Extreme Flower 120 watt UFO ... will flower 1.5 small (20") plants nicely ... my 100 watt ds100 will do 1.5 plants also though both together have done more, one each works better ... A quality LED should last about 10 years of constant growing ... some have lights that are replaceable ... most growers that are unhappy w/ their LEDs bought knock offs and did not get to experience the true wonder of growing w/ LEDs ... There is a huge amount of info available here and lots of growers w/ LED experience ... good luck w/ your grow ...
:thedogsbollocks:

 

[WEEDOSHI]

The approximate minimum wattage per square foot is 30 watts ... if the canopy of your two plants take up less than 2 square feet then 50 watts should be good to go. More wattage is not always better ... w/watts come added heat. For me about 45 watts per square foot works well because I don't have a lot of ventilation ... I have an Advanced LED 120 watt UFO ... will flower 1.5 small (20") plants nicely ... my 100 watt ds100 will do 1.5 also though both together have done more, one each works better ... A quality LED should last about 10 years of constant growing ... some have lights that are replaceable ... most growers that are unhappy w/ their LEDs bought knock offs and did not get to experience the true wonder of growing w/ LEDs ... There is a huge amount of info available here and lots of growers w/ LED experience ... good luck w/ your grow ...
:thedogsbollocks:

Thanks

Yes i think the 50w will be enough for 1-2 plants. I only grow for myself and personal use.

Thank you for the replies guys. and Red, ty for the link to the section.

 

[Red eyed c]

Im not sure of your space but to get optimum results you do wanna aim for 45-50w per sq ft chester mentions,hes at 45w per sq ft,so a 50w UFO would only cover just over 1ft squared for optimum results,which is a tiny space for 1-2 plants.if your space is 2x2ft that takes you to 12.5w per sq ft which would be pointless bud.if you don't wanna spend a lot check out the LEDs from china thread in the led section,its a sticky thread and you can pick up some good LEDs for a lot cheaper buying direct,there are reviews for some Chinese companies to. I run 180w led in a 2x2ft space,45 per sq ft and 2 plants in there is a squeeze sometimes. If your gonna splash out,do it right mate,or you could end up disappointed and out of pocket in money,and plants not grown to the full potential.

 

[Chester]

I'm a firm believer in 100 real LED watts per plant minimum ... one small plant has about 2-3 sq ft of canopy ...
:thedogsbollocks:

 

[Red eyed c]

I'm affirm believer in 100 real LED watts per plant minimum ... one small plant has about 2-3 sq ft of canopy ...
:thedogsbollocks:

Yeah I'm at 90w per plant mate,2 plants under 180w in a 2x2ft tent works perfect :smokebuds:

 

[WEEDOSHI]

I'll only be running 1 plant per 50w of LED. Reviewed my grow-room and it's 1mx1mx1m. I could also add a few of my CFL's for added power (each CFL is 55w) and i can stick all 5 in there with my LED light, but i would end up using quite a bit of power.

What are your thoughts guys? I plan to grow a Dutch Passion Auto Blueberry (have grown twice before) and want to push at least 100-150 grams (growing in soil, 35L container). Should i just use the 1 LED (50w) or should i throw everything i have at this monster?

 

[Red eyed c]

In a 1m x 1m space I'd throw it all in,the 50w led & all the cfls,but that's me mate,if you want big yields you gotta supply the light in abundance,just tickling it won't do : I know your wanting to save leccy,but your adding more with the led that way. The only way to truly save leccy is to buy a bigger led and loose the cfls.It will cost more,but in the long run you will save money. :smokebuds:

 

[WEEDOSHI]

Thanks Red!

I'll be adding the CFL's and start a grow-thread soon(ish) waiting for the seeds.

Probably will need to put another exhaust fan as these CFL's produce quite a bit of heat.

Thanks everyone