Hey guys been growing since the early 90s , got out of highschool early 90s wentstraight to outdoor growing …when I bought my own house I was able to really really concentrate in growing. Indoors was wonderful… Now living in mass, Boston. I’m able to grow fear free…now I have eight lights in my flower room and don’t know much about leds it seem to me that they’re all the same just a different name tossed on em …I said screw it a few companies offered to send me some lights to do side by sides… What I noticed as far as I could tell was that less aren’t all that great, I have done side by sides and the hps lamps always beat out the leds In the end, so I said f it. And I decided to go hps then led then hps again Then led etc etc. I noticed trimming the plants with less and hps over them is like being sprayed in the face bear mace , OMG the mix of lights are incredible… Another else have that experience. Is anyone convinced you can grow better buds just using leds alone. I’m trying to dial in my flower room to the best I can. Any advice in way leds. Is greatly appreciated… How far do they stay. I’m so used to hps and adjusting for heat. But now with no heat I’m finding plants under the leds don’t need to be watered for damd week. It’s great but idk what an optimal both stages led light is… Seed to smoke or just for a flower room that’s 12 x 12 and a vehicle clone room that’s 8 x 12. Thanks fellow og’s for any help i can get. I’m an old school grower feed the soil and let the soil feed the myco then they feed the plant…good old symbiosis…peace ogs
Leds are much better then hps. Aslong as youre not getting the lights your talking about and making your own. Like you said. They all the same shitty rebranded cheap led light. Go watch growmau5 on youtube. Youll see
Im with ya, I’ve popped my first bagseed in 91… Hooked me for life.
I guess it depends on budget and scale. But this is what I see in my area and among my clients.
LED tends to be more popular among smaller scale growers.
HPS, LEC, MH, Tends to be more popular among larger scale growers.
Mixing LED and HPS is common.
There are some clients that I have that buck the trend, but for the most part this is typical.
This grower, was running Black Dog LED’s. Strain Citrus Sap (GG4 x Tangie)
This side of the room I think they were running HPS/LED mix.
Unretouched photo.
“Two plants 23 ounces of flower, and 20 oz of quality trim” Superb quality.
Just speculation, but it seems the IR or lower red band is missing from LED lights.
HPS growers can do a good job too. Here’s my buddys Black Lime Hybrid. HPS only. Its white like that because the plant was chopped outside. 13 oz a plant.
Heres a mixed HPS/MH grow I did a long time ago… 7 years ago. Nirvana’s Misty.
Here’s a CMH grow I just did just testing out some new gear. Birthday Cake.
I think its mostly genetics, but good lighting is a given. Whatever fits your budget, you can always sell and get new lights. But I think you have a good idea that mixing lights helps… Mainly just to cover the missing parts that specialized lighting does not fill.
I run MH with HPS.
I would run HPS with LED.
Either way I’ve seen good examples of LED flowers but to be bluntly honest the big boys are bringing in the LB’s with HPS’s I’m pretty sure the initial cost has alot to do with that.
Thanks guys. I think I am best off with a mix. I just love what the hps does I’m gonna post some pics of my grow from my PC this phone sucks
Brother. My god they’re beautiful
Thanks, I’m working with some talented gardeners that use a variety of lights and they can bring out the best expression of the genetics.
I have limited data right now, I’ve done some lab testing but not enough to say for sure what light will produce more or has higher THCA, or Terpenes with growers working with the same cut under different lights. Just not enough data, the test is spendy at 80 bucks a pop. I guess I could look at other peoples results, but I’d rather do my own research.
Its always better to mix. cmh with leds is my personal choice But Did only leds this round. For exemple if i want to build 1000w 
- leds#
- mix vero29 gen7 2700k cca 40% of light =400w
- add some dekor cobs 1750k cca 150w +
- And cca 100w red 660nm - with osram ssl? 3w diodes
- cmh/hps vertically #
- Add cmh 3000k 315w
- Or hps 400w if you will not use dekor cobs
Love it. I had pretty good resilts with the 4 leds and 2 600hps in my flower room. Seemed
the mix did a good job
Whats your yield per watt?
Hey bro. I’ve never actually tallied it out but it’s about half a lb or a little more per plant in 5 gallon buckets under 2 600s hps. I usually grow 6 to 8 plants that’s about 3 to 4 lbs with 2 600 watt hps, with the leds added late in flower I haven’t seen end results , they went in too late to make a real difference. 3 or 4 lbs to 2 600 watt hps in 8 weeks period. The new flower room I’m growing is gonna be 7000 watts and I’m using leds and hps and 20 gallon smart pots transplanted into 60s. So I guess we’ll see this time around. It’s over a gram I’d say though per watt. I’m trying to calculate it now. So off the 2 600s about 1700 grams. So over the gram per watt now anyway. Easily.
Those plants really are beautiful. Hey so swollen members. Is that as in the rappers , isn’t that crew down with slaine and jaysuan and jedi mind tricks and what’s the dude from Canada. Madchilde …that swollen members?
Hps was great but tried led’s.I didn’t like the penetration led’s but i never added hps to it. I switched to plasma and hps, then things got really good. Now I run cmh with plasma and am loving it. I am getting good yields and discovering how varied natures pallet can get. This run will be the first taste test and i am biting at the bit waiting. I might have saved money trying leds with hps.
Hi @ryasco, can you elaborate more on plasma? How much was the purchase costs and how do you like it? It is kind of lightning that we rarely got here in Europe. Some old videos when plasma came to market were fascinating, but the cost was untenable…
Have you got some photos? Is it actively cooled?
For sure. If you want the best look no further than SPYDRx from Fluence. Everything I post on this site is from under one of these and the GPW is insane.
@LemonadeJoe
This is what i use. The SUP is in my flower room to help balance out the red in my 315 CMH 3500.
I love the spectrum and quality i get. My yields are fine and it keeps my power under 600 watts. If i was trying for every gram i would use HPS but i want quality right now not yield. When i switch out for HPS my taste, colors, and trichome development go down, my heat, power bill, and watering go up. In veg i have the grow and it works fine for a 4x4x4 canopy with minimal heat and healthier plants. The price is stupid, you are looking at around $800 - $900 apiece. I got hooked up for a lot less but it was luck.
Personally, I like a mix of HPS and MH. I have experimented with some Mars LED’s and liked them, but I felt they increased my air conditioning cost because I couldn’t vent them. I’m sure there are awesome LED’s out there, I guess I’m just a cheap skate.
i just put my extraction fan right there and with my carbon filter connected now for flowering its pulling air from right beside the light
so where is the carbon filter - outside the tent? what’s up with those poles the light is hanging on - are they anchored outside the tent??