I know this has been discussed to death and I think I may have just overwhelmed myself with so much information.
But, I’m looking at utilizing a closet for a grow “room”. Dimensions are 39”D x 63.5”W x 99”H.
I’m just getting started in this world and have some Amazon points/credit to use on a lighting system as all other products I can get locally and cheaper than Amazon. I was looking to see what suggestions there are on a light or light(s) for the size space I’m in. I’ll only be growing autoflowers and 1-3 at a time, maybe four.
Or, is there a general formula I can use to determine if a light will work well based off of watts per square foot or something?
On another note, I’ve added a picture of the temp and humidity of the closet currently with nothing in it. The temps here have been ranging from the mid 50’s-80°. When winter settles in, I imagine a grow light will warm the room to the mid 60’s to lower 70’s. So I think the closet will work well.
That is a 4x5 practically. Ibwould suggest sticking a 3x3 in it. All hangers/vent holes already. A light for that size about 300-400 watts true draw i would think. Forget the deals please. Get a decent light right away. Hlg…greenbeams…electric sky…etc. Spend the biggest part of beginning budget on the most important part. Samsung 301 series diodes.
When researching your lighting, make sure to start with the dimensions of the light based on the dimensions supplied for your space. A general rule is 32w per sq. ft. Your light will be the most important piece of the puzzle. You also mentioned 3-4 plants. Another general rule is 120-150w per plant to get you through flowering. So with 4 plants as the measure, you would need a light that puts out 480 true watts. I think Green Beams has a 480. Wish I could remeber who recommends them. I will look and tag them in.
@Graysin Do you use the Grenn Beam 480? Have a question for Random the OP here. Just starting and recommending great lighting for his space at a good price point.
The GB Series is an upgraded commercial grade full-cycle horticulture lighting solution.
Diodes - 1152 top-bin diodes. Samsung Lm301B and Epistar 660nm. Full Spectrum, which is ideal for all growth phases. Our light spectrum is tailored by 3000K warm white, 5000K neutral white, and 660nm deep red diodes to optimize growth.
Driver - 480W Meanwell HLG driver (the best Meanwell driver, as opposed to XLG or ELG).
Heatsink - 4.2mm thick heatsink (compared to others, which are generally only 3mm). Made with 6063 aluminum, vs others that are made with 5052. 6063 allows better thermal conductivity = better heat transfer away from the diodes = greater efficiency and longer diode life.
Connection cords – All are IP 67 (waterproof and dustproof). 8 foot connection cord between heatsink and driver, which allows the driver to be mounted outside of a tent. Less heat inside the tent is highly beneficial.
Potentiometer for 0%-100% brightness adjustment.
Ideal for a 5 x 5ft vegetative area or a 4 x 4ft flowering area.
Compare to HLG 600 Rspec. GB4 is nearly half the price.
2.7 μmol/joule
Unit comes with power cord, 4 stainless steel hooks and 4 adjustable rachet hangers, for mounting.
Awesome! Thank you to each of you. My brain has turned to mush with as much reading as I’ve been doing and all the lights I’ve been looking at trying to make sense of it all. It’s nice to have a response to a specific setup to get a better understanding.
I’d just get the biggest HLG that’ll fit in there and pull pounds outta that closet. An HLG 650R or Scorpion Diablo would kick a$$ in there. The 650R seems like a lot better deal to me. Both can flower a 5’x5’ area.
Welcome @RandomW201! Your light will be main driver to success, so plan accordingly. I think using a semi-reflective surface to wall off roughly 3x3 area is a good idea. It would take some decent cash to light roughly 20ft² properly. You can always expand later.
I stand by the greenbeams being quality lights, I’ve got 2 of each size and they’ve been great.
But you mentioned Amazon credit, I’ve never seen their stuff on Amazon.
The main thing I’ll say is try not to do what I did and end up buying 5 different lights until you finally get one good enough to flower your space
And I second what @dbrn32 said…
If you don’t wanna spend 400$+ lighting that closet, maybe use half the closet?
I’m a cheapskate, and after multiple Amazon lights that didn’t work well I went with greenbeams, to my knowledge the cheapest of the good quality choices.
But it still ain’t cheap like the tempting/misleading Amazon ads.
One of their 240watts would likely be great for half your closet, that’s 180$ though.
Ok, so I’ve read over and looked into the suggestions here. Basically what I’ve determined here is I’ll need to slim down the size of that closet, which is fine. For the most part I’ll only be growing 1-2 plants at a time and “maybe” up to four later. It’s just me using the flower. And I can make a couple ounces last many months.
I appreciate the suggestions for lighting, but many of those are to rich for me and a tiny personal grow. And I’ll definitely have to use Amazon credit to keep this on a budget.
What is your budget. So many of us have been down this path and know pricing for various lights. If you are only going to do 1-2 plants at a time, then 300w should just get you there and a few mfg’s have decent full spectrum lights with the older Samsung 301’s at a good price point. MArs has the TSW2000 which is 300w with dimmer capability for $239.00
Depending on how much Amazon credit you’ve got, HLG lights are on Amazon but they won’t be super budget friendly, so it may be worth a gander to evaluate if the credit can get it down to a value savings.
If you’re looking at true budget options and are limited to Amazon due to the credits, my best suggestion is a BloomSpect light. They are not outstanding, but I can say from personal experience they will grow fine weed. I used one to flower out a 2.5x5 tent over last winter and it worked. Were these top shelf? Nah. But they were autoflowers grown in the winter in a garage without insulation so considering the climate I’d say they did good.
Although on looking, they no longer have the light I use available - it was the SS2000.
Here’s the most adjacent light: Amazon.com
It pulls 250 watts, so I’d highly recommend getting 2 for your projected area. One would do okay, but 2 would be better (if you buy them in 2 transactions, one today and one tomorrow, you can usually reuse the $40 off coupon).
You can successfully grow 4 plants in 3x3, plenty people here do this or even more. You just need to manage your veg time appropriately to the size of your space. Having 4 plants as opposed to 1 or 2 will just fill your canopy a little faster, which allows you to flower faster, and subsequently get to harvest faster.
Ok, currently I have $260 of Amazon points. I can maybe add another $50 to that or so if I need. I still have to buy planting medium, ferts, etc etc etc too.
I’ve been trying to learn about the MarsHygro, the Bloom Plus, Spider Farmer, Viparspectra and Vivosun leds.
I’ve recently come across this one too: https://a.co/d/hI7Mkf2
But I’ll be honest, if I can’t produce a few ounces to last me a few months then it’s just not worth me spending my money on it when I can just go to a dispensary. I just thought it would be fun to grow my own and all.
To put things in perspective of what I’m wanting, my last dispensary purchase a year and a half ago was about 17g worth. And today I still have 1/2 to 1/3 of that. So, I’m not needing pounds worth of production.
