Halo or spectrum king LEDs

[Bud marley]

Thought I'd post this in the appropriate Page.

G'day fellow enthusiests,
I'm a professional smoker and novice grower from down under. I've been reading this forum from the shadows for long enough and thought it was time to register and say hi. I would love to fish for some of the wisdom from this knowledgeable community and any advice wound be a fantastic help! :-)

I have been growing outdoors now for 5 years. And have taken a huge interest in it. This year I grew some very nice sativas, my best season so far. I have learnt heaps and am progressing very well. How ever I have recently moved house and as growing is Illegal here, it unfortunately is no longer possible for me to grow outside at home, without being noticed. I do have a guerilla grow planned this season, how ever this is not why I am here. U

So, I have decided that if I can't grow outdoors, it's time to start growing indoors! This I am very excited about. So I am currently building a grow cabinet that I am planning on growing just 1, possibly 2 plants in using the scrog method. Now, as I have developed an obsession with this, I want to do it as professionally as I can... Learning everything I can and eventually get to breeding (this is much further down the track) I have got a few good books and have been doing a shit load of research. And I know all about the right, fans, reflective gear, nutrients, how to hide light, dampen noise, etc... I'm even going to use a carbon filter and tank of C02 (probably not necessary for the size of my grow, but as I said, I want to be as pro as I can, I wanna learn on a small scale 1st, before I move on to bigger and better things) I am progressing well and am fairly confident. But the thing I am stuck on is Lights!

I really want to get on board the LED train, as it is definitely the future in grow lights. I have done a tonne of research on these and from what I can see, there are really only 2 brands that I think are worth buying and that is blackdogled grow lights and supergrowled. My grow area is only a very small 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 foot and 4 1/2 foot high. I am favouring supergrow led at the moment and my question (yes I got there eventually) is this... The Halo SGL6 says it will cover my grow area. I am thinking of getting 2 of them... but if I was to go bigger and better and buy the spectrum king, will it produce a better yeild than 2 Halos? considering the size of my grow area? Or would it be wasted on an area that small? The reason I ask is the spectrum king is significantly dearer and although better, I'm not sure that I need it. Or do I get the blackdog Micro-U instead of the Halo's?

Can some body please help me? Also any other advice in regards to everything I've said will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

P.S. I'm sorry for the long post, I'm aware that I could've asked the question in 40 words instead of 400. But I have just had some very nice skunk, and this strain makes me wanna talk my ass off ;-)

Thanks again.

[Blaze4daze]

Thought I'd post this in the appropriate Page.

G'day fellow enthusiests,
I'm a professional smoker and novice grower from down under. I've been reading this forum from the shadows for long enough and thought it was time to register and say hi. I would love to fish for some of the wisdom from this knowledgeable community and any advice wound be a fantastic help! :-)

I have been growing outdoors now for 5 years. And have taken a huge interest in it. This year I grew some very nice sativas, my best season so far. I have learnt heaps and am progressing very well. How ever I have recently moved house and as growing is Illegal here, it unfortunately is no longer possible for me to grow outside at home, without being noticed. I do have a guerilla grow planned this season, how ever this is not why I am here. U

So, I have decided that if I can't grow outdoors, it's time to start growing indoors! This I am very excited about. So I am currently building a grow cabinet that I am planning on growing just 1, possibly 2 plants in using the scrog method. Now, as I have developed an obsession with this, I want to do it as professionally as I can... Learning everything I can and eventually get to breeding (this is much further down the track) I have got a few good books and have been doing a shit load of research. And I know all about the right, fans, reflective gear, nutrients, how to hide light, dampen noise, etc... I'm even going to use a carbon filter and tank of C02 (probably not necessary for the size of my grow, but as I said, I want to be as pro as I can, I wanna learn on a small scale 1st, before I move on to bigger and better things) I am progressing well and am fairly confident. But the thing I am stuck on is Lights!

I really want to get on board the LED train, as it is definitely the future in grow lights. I have done a tonne of research on these and from what I can see, there are really only 2 brands that I think are worth buying and that is blackdogled grow lights and supergrowled. My grow area is only a very small 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 foot and 4 1/2 foot high. I am favouring supergrow led at the moment and my question (yes I got there eventually) is this... The Halo SGL6 says it will cover my grow area. I am thinking of getting 2 of them... but if I was to go bigger and better and buy the spectrum king, will it produce a better yeild than 2 Halos? considering the size of my grow area? Or would it be wasted on an area that small? The reason I ask is the spectrum king is significantly dearer and although better, I'm not sure that I need it. Or do I get the blackdog Micro-U instead of the Halo's?

Can some body please help me? Also any other advice in regards to everything I've said will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

P.S. I'm sorry for the long post, I'm aware that I could've asked the question in 40 words instead of 400. But I have just had some very nice skunk, and this strain makes me wanna talk my ass off ;-)

Thanks again.

Welcome Bud marley

I also moved this response to the appropriate section in the forum.

You have brought up an interesting question concerning your leap to LED Lighting. I have read your post where you are not sure which LED you want to purchase. I just left the blackdogLED.com site and did notice that they come with quite ball~baring cooling fans.

My first LED that I purchased last season came with 6 quite ball~baring cooling fans and half way thru my grow one of those fans started making a whining noise. After contacting the company about this issue, I was told that the user of the light is suppose to routinely use dust removing spray to keep the cooling fans from getting dust build~up.

So I bought a big can of the spray and had to continue spraying all the cooling fans every week, so I would feel comfortable continuing using my LED, and not lose one of the cooling fans, before I harvested my plants, which would have caused my whole light to overheat and burn it~self out. What a pain this turned out to be. Not really sure if I was getting the dust spray into the right area over the fans, to do a thuro job with the spray. With the venting holes in the casing not really allowing me to properly see exactly where to apply the dust spray.

For this reason I ordered the Spectrum King from SuperGrowLED.com for my next grow, which (does not have) cooling fans to worry about. That and the fact that I'd have to continuously spray the cooling fans on my first LED for dust build~up, and take the chance it could effect any of the remaining fans.

Spending what I did for my first LED and have this happen, I was very disappointed they didn't even bother to send maintenance instructions with the light, in the first place, or this would not have happened.

I think it's important to let people that are looking into LED lighting to know that dust will build~up inside their fan~cooled LED's, unless they take the right steps to prevent this from happening to their LED light, if it comes with a cooling fan system.

[Bud marley]

G'day blazd4daz,
Thanks for your reply. You're right when you say people should know about the issues caused by the fan cooled LED's. This is what is turning me off of the Blackdog lights. Although they're a very good full spectrum light, it is the fan that puts me off. I would be cautious also of spraying the dust around your greenhouse when cleaning them. I would think that would upset the grow room atmosphere for your plants too. This is why I'm certain I will buy a supergrowled. It's just unfortunate that after postage to Australia the spectrum king is really gonna break my budget. This is why I wanna know if I can get the same results out of 2 of the Halos? As my grow room is small and Halos specs says they will cover my grow area. I can't seem to find any info on the amount of lumens these lights provide. And I'm not sure if I should be relying on the amount of lumen or Watts? Or both? I can see that I'm gonna end up saving my money longer until I can afford a spectrum king, because I just don't believe in buying any of the other shit quality LED's available.

[Blaze4daze]

G'day blazd4daz,
Thanks for your reply. You're right when you say people should know about the issues caused by the fan cooled LED's. This is what is turning me off of the Blackdog lights. Although they're a very good full spectrum light, it is the fan that puts me off. I would be cautious also of spraying the dust around your greenhouse when cleaning them. I would think that would upset the grow room atmosphere for your plants too. This is why I'm certain I will buy a supergrowled. It's just unfortunate that after postage to Australia the spectrum king is really gonna break my budget. This is why I wanna know if I can get the same results out of 2 of the Halos? As my grow room is small and Halos specs says they will cover my grow area. I can't seem to find any info on the amount of lumens these lights provide. And I'm not sure if I should be relying on the amount of lumen or Watts? Or both? I can see that I'm gonna end up saving my money longer until I can afford a spectrum king, because I just don't believe in buying any of the other shit quality LED's available.

Bud Marley

You bet they do need to know, I spent alot of money on my last LED not knowing these things. Because I move my plants outdoors into the sun daily, I do try to keep a real clean grow area cleaning it when the plants are outdoors, regularly.

After further research I am finding out that Luminous intensity is not the way to choose Lights, only as a last resort. Luminous intensity measurements are highly influenced by beam angle, the narrower the angle, the higher the unit of measurement of the light intensity is on the surface area of your plants.

If you know the yield per Watt (in grams of dried MJ) of draw for the light, you can easily decide what light to put over your plants. From what I have researched and understand, 2 Halo's will certainly do this in a 4' X 4' grow area. The next step is to add lights, until you reach your desired yield. From what I have been able to determine, at about 1 gram with Halo's will yield you about 50 grams of dried product, per plant. It would take at least 10 Halo's to equal a Spectrum King using Watt~Watt comparison 25Watt x 250Watt.

Hope this will help you decide what you want for your LED lighting choice. Damn those shipping charges, the higher cost of fuel, these days has driven up the cost of transport. I think if you go to supergrows website and type in your address into the shopping cart, you can find out how much it will cost you in shipping fees, with either light you want shipped.

Wish you all the best with your decision. Good Luck.

[Bud marley]

Blazd4daz,
Thank you for your response. Your information on lumens was very helpful. After much consideration I have decided to hold back and keep saving until I have enough to buy a spectrum king. Because I know if I buy something else because I'm too impatient, I will only regret it.... Even if it's good, the spectrum king appears to be the best... And I have to have the best.

Thanks a lot for your help. I will let you know once I have bought 1 of these beauty's and am ready to grow! Cheers :-)

[chasb]

I bought the Halo. Burned out in a day. Made a phone call. Had a replacement before I even packed up the original. They paid for shipping and apologized over the phone. Been using the replacement for about 3 months, on almost continuously. No problems. Will probably buy another after I harvest.

[Mega nute]

They are great guy's, and stand behind their lights! I am going to order a halo today. Good luck! Mega nute

[Guest]

Hi Guys,

I want to clear up something about the yield/power (gm/W) ratio. This ratio refers to the total grow, not on a per-plant basis. So, if you have 2x Halos, running 25W each, your total yield for your crop should be about 50 grams. Also, with any light you use, the yield is highly dependent upon having enough plant material, strain, growing method, environment, great water and great nutes.

The Halo units have 90x120 lenses and the Spectrum Kings have a 90 degree lens. I have seen the PAR count for both and if counting PEAK PAR, the Halo peaks at 70umol and the Spectrum King at 1000umol. You can cover more area with 10 Halos (10x25=250W), but it would take 14 Halos to match the peak photon delivery of the Spectrum King. Also, you can count on 200-250 grams of dried MJ per crop with the Spectrum King. I know, confusing, but 1 Spectrum King is a lot cheaper than 10, or 14 Halos.

Now, if you only need 50 grams, the Halos are your ticket.

jonnywatt

[Blaze4daze]

Hi Guys,

I want to clear up something about the yield/power (gm/W) ratio. This ratio refers to the total grow, not on a per-plant basis. So, if you have 2x Halos, running 25W each, your total yield for your crop should be about 50 grams. Also, with any light you use, the yield is highly dependent upon having enough plant material, strain, growing method, environment, great water and great nutes.

The Halo units have 90x120 lenses and the Spectrum Kings have a 90 degree lens. I have seen the PAR count for both and if counting PEAK PAR, the Halo peaks at 70umol and the Spectrum King at 1000umol. You can cover more area with 10 Halos (10x25=250W), but it would take 14 Halos to match the peak photon delivery of the Spectrum King. Also, you can count on 200-250 grams of dried MJ per crop with the Spectrum King. I know, confusing, but 1 Spectrum King is a lot cheaper than 10, or 14 Halos.

Now, if you only need 50 grams, the Halos are your ticket.

jonnywatt

Opps!! Thanks Jonny, I must~ta had one too many, puffs. Lol.

[Guest]

Hi Blazd! Absolutely no problem at all! You are doing a fantastic job here - keep up the great work!

jonnywatt

[Bud marley]

Hi guys,
Once again thank you for your help. You have been great. I'm happy to tell you all that, last week I got paid in cash for doing a job for a mate and I now have enough money to buy a spectrum king! :-) I have even convinced a friend to buy 1 too, so we even get a discount for ordering 2 of them. I am extremely excited and will be ordering it tomorrow!

I will let you all know when I have it up and running! now all that's left to decide now is, what strain to grow 1st :-)

[Guest]

Here's the latest list of great yielders with the Spectrum King compiled from Super Grow LED:

Pineapple Express (Biggest buds)
Snow Cap
Bubba Kush (heavy indica)
Granddaddy Purple (only if unlimited plants are allowed, as each individual plant is relatively low-yielding)
Grapefruit (best quality so far)
AK47
Northern Lights
Cali Gold
Jack Diesel (Densest buds)

NOT OG Kush (generally hard to grow)
NOT G13, at least for now - recently genetics from Canada seed companies are horrible – larfy and skunky. We know growers that are throwing this away.

Send us pics!

jonnywatt

[Guest]

Got this from Mikey at Super Grow LED about growing with LEDs:

First of all, growing with LEDs is different than HPS mainly because of the penetration. LEDs don’t penetrate as much as HPS, but they will yield as much or even out-yield them with the right growing techniques:

1. We like to top our plants numerous times before going into flower. Anywhere between 6-10 tops for each plant is ideal before flipping into flower, but 3-5 would be OK. Growing Christmas-tree type plants with one top each is NOT ideal for LEDs.
2. We are very drastic when we lollipop before going into flower. We take off all the undergrowth that isn’t getting direct light. We go a little bit higher on the plant than an HPS grower would.
3. Strains are very important to us. We have found that 100% indicas do very well under our lights. Our best yields to date have been with 100% indicas, but we also do very well with hybrid strains that are predominantly indica. Some strains that have done well for us are Pineapple Express, Grandaddy Purple, Romulan, Blueberry, and Hog. A lot of our customers grow Kush strains and are very happy. We are able to achieve 1-gram-per-watt and our best guys get over 1-gram-per-watt.
4. We pull off around 50-60% of fan leaves during flowering. We take off the big fan leaves that are blocking light to lower buds. I know a guy that grows with 1,000W HPS lights and he takes of 80-90% of his fan leaves but I’ve never done that before.
5. Keep the lights 12-14 inches away from your plants.
6. Fill the canopy with as many tops as you can before flipping to flower.

[Guest]

Got this from Mikey at Super Grow LED about growing with LEDs:

First of all, growing with LEDs is different than HPS mainly because of the penetration. LEDs don’t penetrate as much as HPS, but they will yield as much or even out-yield them with the right growing techniques:

1. We like to top our plants numerous times before going into flower. Anywhere between 6-10 tops for each plant is ideal before flipping into flower, but 3-5 would be OK. Growing Christmas-tree type plants with one top each is NOT ideal for LEDs.
2. We are very drastic when we lollipop before going into flower. We take off all the undergrowth that isn’t getting direct light. We go a little bit higher on the plant than an HPS grower would.
3. Strains are very important to us. We have found that 100% indicas do very well under our lights. Our best yields to date have been with 100% indicas, but we also do very well with hybrid strains that are predominantly indica. Some strains that have done well for us are Pineapple Express, Grandaddy Purple, Romulan, Blueberry, and Hog. A lot of our customers grow Kush strains and are very happy. We are able to achieve 1-gram-per-watt and our best guys get over 1-gram-per-watt.
4. We pull off around 50-60% of fan leaves during flowering. We take off the big fan leaves that are blocking light to lower buds. I know a guy that grows with 1,000W HPS lights and he takes of 80-90% of his fan leaves but I’ve never done that before.
5. Keep the lights 12-14 inches away from your plants.
6. Fill the canopy with as many tops as you can before flipping to flower.

[Bud marley]

Wow! Thanks Johnnywatt!
Great information. I haven't had pineapple express for a few years. A great memory was smoking a big joint of it whilst watching the movie. It's a very nice strain... And let's be honest, who can refuse the "biggest buds" I think this is what I'll go with. The topping information was good too.

Thanks again. I will be sure to let you guys know when I'm set up and ready to go, and I will definitely be taking some photos!

Cheers :-)