Best for 4x2(light)

[Budshine]

For the love of a garden,with height not being an issue but the footprint will never be 3x3 or 4x4 will have max two plants of TrueCannaGenetics,which light will make these two plants shine,Obviously after your plant genetics the light is next most important and I’m always on a budget but not for the right light ,for continued success with my two plants.Any help appreciated even if it highlights there’s say five good contenders , my main confusion is do I need over 300watts to make the plants shine in such a small space??

 

[Creeperpark]

For the love of a garden,with height not being an issue but the footprint will never be 3x3 or 4x4 will have max two plants of TrueCannaGenetics,which light will make these two plants shine,Obviously after your plant genetics the light is next most important and I’m always on a budget but not for the right light ,for continued success with my two plants.Any help appreciated even if it highlights there’s say five good contenders , my main confusion is do I need over 300watts to make the plants shine in such a small space??

If you use over 300 watts your plants will grow stronger.

 

[Budshine]

Cheers creeperpark,didn’t know if I was getting the sales pitch at the local store,but turns out he’s advice is good …don’t waste your money on 300w you’ll wish you just bought 600w from get go.Things were simpler when I had a 600w hps 25 years ago!! Why then even bother stating 300w led is equivalent to old skool 600w hps if the plants aren’t grown correctly under 300w LEDs and that minimum even with modern LEDs 600w is going to finish your plants how they should be finished?!Thanks again CP

 

[CDMHog]

For the love of a garden,with height not being an issue but the footprint will never be 3x3 or 4x4 will have max two plants of TrueCannaGenetics,which light will make these two plants shine,Obviously after your plant genetics the light is next most important and I’m always on a budget but not for the right light ,for continued success with my two plants.Any help appreciated even if it highlights there’s say five good contenders , my main confusion is do I need over 300watts to make the plants shine in such a small space??

For me, I wouldn't be investing in HPS. I would invest in something that is half the wattage, way less heat and has a much better spectrum for plant growth. Strong blues and UV (if you can get it) is important. For a 4x4 tent the Gavita Pro 900e looks great. It's just the right size...44" x 41".

The average 600w HPS puts out about 1000 umol/s. The Gavita Pro 900e puts out 900 umol/s at half the wattage (345w). HPS lamps need to be replaced fairly often. LED's should last years.

Trying to get rid of heat in a tent is a problem. A 600w HPS puts out a lot of heat. No thanks!

Here is some info on the Gavita:
Webpage - https://gavita.com/retail/products/gavita-pro-line-led/gavita-pro-900e-led/#product-specs
Data sheet - https://www.omegastore.com/wcsstore...tStore/Attachment/HawthorneHGC906461Spec2.pdf
Sale - https://growlightcentral.com/products/gavita-pro-900e-345-watt-led-grow-light-with-led-adapter

Plus, electricity is expensive. You get just as much light and way nicer spectrum for not only your plants but for you to work around, longer life, less heat and your electrical costs are cut in half.

Edit: I just saw that you said 4 x 2 tent. Whoops. The Gavita would need a 4 x 4 tent.

 

[Desert Dan]

Plenty of options for a 2x4… I’ve been running singular cobs from cob shop for a few years. Right now I have 5 (270w) in a 2x4.

Link to my grow diary

If you are sure you will never be running a larger footprint you could look into a 2x4 dimmable led bar system. Or two smaller dimmable led boards that have a daisy chain option.

Use the Photone app to adjust your ppfd no matter what you need up getting and you will be in business.

For years I rocked a 150hps in 2x2 and am sure you could double up for a 2x4, but led is the better option for small footprints imo.

-DD

 

[Budshine]

Many thanks for the replies,if the umols is high but wattage low do you not get weaker plants I.e two lights both 900 umols one 600 watt one 375watt ,the better plants are under the 600 watt ?so far I like very much the Mars sp 6500,followed by the cheaper Migrow ARAY 500 watt ,just don’t know yet if the migro ARAY will fit the 4x2 footprint.Any one used Migro?

 

[Koondense]

Migro are excellent lights, imo.
I only grow under basic white cobs but can say a range of 250-300W of modern leds are great for a 2x4 space.
500 Watts in a 4x4 is a kind of sweet spot but the grow will have to be arranged differently to a hps grow in the same area.

Cheers

 

[CDMHog]

Many thanks for the replies,if the umols is high but wattage low do you not get weaker plants I.e two lights both 900 umols one 600 watt one 375watt ,the better plants are under the 600 watt ?so far I like very much the Mars sp 6500,followed by the cheaper Migrow ARAY 500 watt ,just don’t know yet if the migro ARAY will fit the 4x2 footprint.Any one used Migro?

No, you do not get weaker plants. The plants will be happier imo, because of the better spectrum and the lower temperature. 500-600w HPS is way too hot for a 4x2 imo. It's also a waste of light, as a 600w HPS is recommended for a 4x4 canopy.

"LEDs have much higher efficacy than HPS lights. LEDs are much more efficient than HPS lamps, which allows them to use lesser watts to achieve the same or higher output."

You get the same amount of total light, at a lower wattage and temperature. LED consumes less energy and lasts longer.

Here's a guy that put a 600w HPS in a 4x2 tent and was trying to lower the heat in the tent....no doubt! He was running 31.5 degrees Celsius. Cannabis likes 18-26 degrees C.

4x2 - One Plant - SCROG - 600W HPS

One plant scrog in a small 4x2 grow tent this is my first real grow Strain; Delhi friend from dr krippling 10L air pot Vitalink earth max nutes Hold label light mix soil 6 weeks in veg from seed Few questions 1 I seem to have a weird growth on one of the stems it's all closed up and not...

www.420magazine.com

"LED Grow Lights Generate Less Heat.

Heat is hard on plants. Excessively high temperatures slow growth and discourage flowering. HPS lights bear down on your plants with high heat, while LED lights generate far less heat and have little to no interference with your efforts to create the perfect climate for high yields."

Another important difference between LED and HPS is canopy dispersion.

"Lighting tests have shown that while HPS creates just as intense of light, it only does so in the very, very center of your canopy. LEDs, on the other hand, disperse similar PPFD levels across the entire footprint of the light - with minimal losses the further you extend outward. If you’re paying to the electricity to run your light, you might as well make sure it’s an intense light that actually penetrates your canopy and disperses across your entire footprint. Again, LEDs take the cake here."

There are too many good reasons to use LED, I wouldn't even consider HPS.

I would recommend going with a 4x4 tent if possible, and that Gavita LED light I mentioned.

If you need to stick with 2x4, here's a link with a review of the best LED lamps available. Many of them can be used in 2x4 tent. https://www.growweedeasy.com/5-best-led-grow-lights-2023-cannabis-yields-speed-bud-quality

 

[wutwut]

i had 260w quantum board but switched it to 340w because i want bigger buds.

 

[Budshine]

Exactly what I’m hearing,from the led light manufacturer,more watts more quality plants,where I’m at today is ….optimal useable PPFD for 4x2 is recommended to be 530 umol.Now the Mars hydro sp 3000 has at lowest useable PPFD 734 umol,so what if you’ll pardon the pun am I not getting here,this is only 300 watts but is above what is needed for dank bud right….in a 4x2….the penny will drop sooner or later

 

[Budshine]

Think it’s just simple ,back 20 years I used 600 watt hps for good buds ….20 years on ,you need 600 watts ..leds..for good buds ,all this what’s efficient stuff ,we want good flower ,how do we achieve that …600 watts plus simple .

 

[CDMHog]

I have both 1000w metal halide and 400w cmh that I ran for years. I did a power calculation for 600w. Here in Canada that would be 47.60 per month at 18 hours per day. $50.00 per month basically! LED's would be $25 per month, only consume 300w and put out way less heat. Yields will be better with LED because of uniform PAR across the entire canopy.

Here's a facility talking about their experience in a commercial application. He echo's a lot of the same things I've been talking about.

Another link showing LED vs HPS.

 

[Mars Hydro Led]

Exactly what I’m hearing,from the led light manufacturer,more watts more quality plants,where I’m at today is ….optimal useable PPFD for 4x2 is recommended to be 530 umol.Now the Mars hydro sp 3000 has at lowest useable PPFD 734 umol,so what if you’ll pardon the pun am I not getting here,this is only 300 watts but is above what is needed for dank bud right….in a 4x2….the penny will drop sooner or later

Hello, both our SP3000 and TSL2000 are very suitable for 4*2, and the effect is very good. What do you pay more attention to when choosing?

Mars Hydro TSL 2000 Full Spectrum Dimmable 300W LED Grow Light

www.mars-hydro.com

Mars Hydro SP 3000 Samsung LM301B Osram 300W LED Grow Light

www.mars-hydro.com

 

[Budshine]

Hello ,I’m looking for those numbers to be 900 to 1000 umols on the flower canopy,I have now seen the SP 3000 in independent tests does deliver that,with 300 watts and is considered a great light for a 4x2.Forget the space(4x2) and wether it’s 2 or 8 or twenty plants,why do people say to me don’t bother with anything less than 600 plus watts if you want flowers finished properly?

 

[Budshine]

Thanks CDMHog,looking like 300 watts of led will suit me just fine,appreciate your help

 

[CDMHog]

Thanks CDMHog,looking like 300 watts of led will suit me just fine,appreciate your help

No problem. The Mars Hydro SP3000 looks really good. 300watts and 900umols across the entire light canopy.

The SP3000 has a nice full spectrum, with a strong blue spike (try that with HPS!)...even greens...and a strong red spike, and also it will be way cooler inside a 4x2 tent. Mars SP3000 spectrum:

 

[Budshine]

That’s the one ! Many thanks,number crunching always hurts my head we got there!

 

[MedGrowerTom]

should be a safe bet, i def would not go with anything less, ive ran a 600w hps(in an air cooled hood of course), and as mush as 350w of led in a 2x4 tent. Ive heard good things on that mars hydro light, cant wait to see what you do with it when you get it