First Time Grower - Seeking Guidance On Lighting Setup

[LEDBud]

Feminized Afghan , you may well be right about the air pots.

I myself like the roots feeding from the sides , it may be my loss it may not be.

A *proper* test by a independent non bias talented grower would be nice to see.
by proper I mean using the same seeds with the same sized pots with the same lighting using the same nutrients.

I watched a video where it showed the Air pots failed comparatively, but the grower was neither talented or using the same procedures.

I also do not want the *massive evaporation* caused by them in my room , so Air pots are out for me even if they were to work some what better.
The reason for that is I am venting from the cabinet threw a carbon filter into the room , to save heating costs. I also use a dehumidifier once in a while to dry out the air.

My situation is unique as most peoples are , its what works for you personally that matters.

 

[Dead Cthulhu]

How hot do those 3 LED's run?

 

[LEDBud]

I have not yet needed them all , I will add the last one near the end possibly.
The 2x4 floor space works good with just 2 panels , this is my first grow using LED's.

I will say they are powerful if you put them to close the leaves will malform turn white and die. I learned that the hard way and now keep it no closer then 8 inches. I set it at 14" and let the plants grow to 8 inches then I reset them.

With multiple panels you can introduce more as you need them and you can cover the area more evenly with more then 1 panel.
Some people think the opposite and prefer 1 large light and less fussing with multiple lights.

With HID lights for years everyone used or preferred the 1000w bulb over the 450w bulb , today you are seeing the preference swing to using multiple 600w bulbs , and its for good reason the same reason I am using multiple panels.

But you can't always have everything you want , with 1 light of any description your foot is in the door.

Honestly I bought my panels to save on electricity more then any other reason , they work good is the 2nd and the more important reason. But I would not of bought them if they required more power to function the same as the HID lights.

 

[Dano2k3]

Not sure if this was touched on but consider the weight of the lights you might be using. I've noticed some lights for the same power rating are not created equal... I've seen some lights when reviewing for a wattage of 'x' brand a might be say 5LB/2.25Kg while another manufactures might be 8LB/3.6KB or more. Just something to consider when getting multiple lights...

 

[Stage]

Nice thread man! If budget is the issue then get one mars light to use for veg. Then buy the 2nd light in time for flowering. Lots of watts arent really necessary in veg Imo.

 

[Dave Groomer]

Technically I'm on a budget of $600. I have 2 seperate $300 0% interest credit cards in the mail. I originally only was getting one but after looking for lighting i realized I'd probably need two. I'm young and these are my first credit cards so I'm not entirely sure how they work but if I could pay 300 on one card and the rest on the other i could pay the $350 for the P300, If I could afford to get the P300 would it be worth going for instead? What about a different style of Mars Hydro?

Off topic, how many plants can you fit into your tent? I'm wanting to grow Fast and Vast seeds in either 2 or 3 gallon buckets(or smart pots, cant decide if they're worth the money vs free 2 gallon buckets from work) but I cant really find any plants per sqft or anything to know about what i can fit

Thank you for your help

Right now I have 3 bushy plants in a 2'x3'x6' closet and they are squeezed tight. I don't feel that I am getting the full potential due to the fact that they are all fighting for light since they are practically on top of each other. When I get my Tax refund I will be upgrading to 2 3x3 Mars tents. I feel that this will comfortably fit 4 plants in flower and make sure everyone is getting enough light.