Lighting Wondering if I should get new lights for my 2x4 ?

[Atulip]

@Delps8

I missed the AC infinity uneven par map before. I like Migro personally. Comparable number of diodes/watt as the hlg diablo boards, not blue heavy on the spectrum, and priced just right. Migro has been what I'm eyeballing for my new tent purchase in a few months.

Vipar throws me off with their $0.60/watt price point... cheap lights scare me, but I honestly can't find anything to really fault it for. 3 year warranty too, same as migro.

 

[Delps8]

Nice rabbit hole @Delps8 !!!!!!

And once the kimono is opened, you cannot unsee it!

HLG sent me an email about their new 750w 'Enhanced spectrum' light.......with a VERY nice introductory price.

So geeking out spectrums a little bit more, well at least a little bit more than usual!

They did a lot of other changes, but spectrum wise, They basically took away 2% from blue and distributed it to red and green evenly.

That's a good move. Some HLG lights are pretty evenly balanced. Even their R spec's aren't heavy red.

I just compared Shane's distribution and where did he come up with so much red? Holy crap! Almost 49%!!!!! That's pretty crazy! I'm gonna have to ask him what is reasoning was on that. Turning an indica into a sativa?
All joking aside it does tend to increase the efficiency of the unit at least in the theoretical output. That's a huge amount of red! At least he's got the blue where it needs to be in my opinion.

Mars and Spider are moving toward more red, as well. As you've said, more red results in a more efficient light and it reduces materiel costs. Red photons don't directly impact plant morphology/shape but the higher % of red reduces the amount of blue and that reduction impacts morphology.

I'm all for that shift. I use a variety of lights including a Growcraft veg light and then I switch to their flower light. Last year I added a pair of Spider GlowR80's to the flower light. I got more red (660)/less blue, dropped my input wattage by 50 watts net, evened out the PPFD map, and reduced ambient temperature by ~2°F.

I know he never shows it, but does Shane Grow cannabis? I can't remember for sure or not. I thought I heard him mention that one time about A Medical grow ........ But I'm sure I was stoned when I watched it !

I really don't know but cannabis is medical only in Ireland so I wouldn't think so.

I am tempted to get that new light! But I'm already adding under canopy lighting to this next grow.

That's a good way to add light. Of course, you're already at 1kµmol on the canopy, right? ;-)

I think HLG tends to be a more red shifted than the Mars for sure. This new HLG Light has 43% red. Total red, 38% green In 19% blue

Agreed. They have R Spec lights, as well.

 

[Delps8]

@Delps8

I missed the AC infinity uneven par map before.

A lot of LED's sold as "HPS replacements" have that same pattern. It could be that AC Infinity is mimicking HPS to attract that part of the market but the more plausible rationale is that it lowers cost of production and most growers will still get a good grow so why not?

Not knocking AC Infinity by any means. I have a lot of their equipment but have gone elsewhere when it comes to grow lighting.

I like Migro personally. Comparable number of diodes/watt as the hlg diablo boards, not blue heavy on the spectrum, and priced just right. Migro has been what I'm eyeballing for my new tent purchase in a few months.

Same here. He seems to be "personally invested" in his business and in the industry so kudos for that. This year, he revamped the product line and the 150 is stellar. What size tent?

Vipar throws me off with their $0.60/watt price point... cheap lights scare me, but I honestly can't find anything to really fault it for. 3 year warranty too, same as migro.

The XS 1500 Pro is a good light so they nailed two of them together for the XS 3000. They're at a price point that's hard to beat. But the difference between that light and the agro Aray 150 is pretty small and the 150 is in a class of its own, though the Vipar has more blue which is good if there are height constraints.

My concern about the Vipar is that the XS 1500 Pro is that it's all downhill for the rest of their product line. The other companies that are in this thread have broad product lines with good lights but they have some standout products and have other products and technologies that are pushing the envelope. Spider is doing a great job with digital integration, for example. But Vipar? They've got the XS 1500 Pro and…?

Granted, this issue is pretty "in the weeds" (pardon the pun) because we're talking about $90 grow light, but given that that's the only product that competes with the other companies, I'd look for another solution. (Full disclosure—I have an XS 1500 and consider it money well spent but it fills a very small role in my grows.)

 

[Atulip]

What size tent?

I'm still in the early planning stages... So far it's gone from a 4'x4' to a 5'x5', to yesterday I was looking at rearranging my grow room to fit a 78"x78" tent.

Now I'm thinking I'll end up in a 2.5'x5' because my back doesn't like reaching in deep places and don't need all that much bud these days, but a 2'x4' feels a little cramped to me.

 

[Delps8]

I'm still in the early planning stages... So far it's gone from a 4'x4' to a 5'x5', to yesterday I was looking at rearranging my grow room to fit a 78"x78" tent.

Now I'm thinking I'll end up in a 2.5'x5' because my back doesn't like reaching in deep places and don't need all that much bud these days, but a 2'x4' feels a little cramped to me.

Sorry to hear about your back. I've been fortunate to not have anything go wrong with my back but I understand the pain can be excruciating.

A 2' x 4' is pretty cramped, I'll attest to that, but lights aren't designed for a 2.5 x 5. Of course, you could run a 2' x 4' light and just have extra room in the grow space.

Another option is to look at lights for a 3' space. Manufacturers haven't covered themselves in glory with their 3' lights.

Could you get buy with a light light the Spider G4500 which is stellar in the 2' x 4' space or do you want to cover the entire 12.5 square foot grow area with light? That's a ~50% bump over a 2' x 4' so it's different problem to solve.

 

[Atulip]

Sorry to hear about your back. I've been fortunate to not have anything go wrong with my back but I understand the pain can be excruciating.

A 2' x 4' is pretty cramped, I'll attest to that, but lights aren't designed for a 2.5 x 5. Of course, you could run a 2' x 4' light and just have extra room in the grow space.

Another option is to look at lights for a 3' space. Manufacturers haven't covered themselves in glory with their 3' lights.

Could you get buy with a light light the Spider G4500 which is stellar in the 2' x 4' space or do you want to cover the entire 12.5 square foot grow area with light? That's a ~50% bump over a 2' x 4' so it's different problem to solve.

I'm probably gonna plop down a 2'x4' soil bed and focus on the 2'x4' area with the extra space as breathing room. Before I was selling myself on the Aray 250L, but now I'm liking the idea of a pair of Aray 150's for the adjust ability between 2 different plant sizes. Plus they're listed at 44DLI for 20/4 in a 2.5'x2.5'.

I looked a bit into 3'x5' tents as well, pain in the ass to find, and 3x the price of normal sized tents... Why the HLG 350 Diablo is designed for such a weird space I'll never understand. The price is a bit high for what you get. I figure any extra efficiency from the 350 Diablo wouldn't really matter if it takes longer than the lifespan of the LEDs to save the difference in electrical costs.