Help! First time grower here. Growing indoors. What type lighting should I use - LED? HDS? Will something like this work?
Limited-time deal: GHodec Grow Light with Stand, 80 LED 5500K Full Spectrum Floor Plant Light for Indoor Plants Growing,5 Dimmable Levels & Auto On/Off Timer,Tripod Stand Plant Lamp Height Adjustable https://a.co/d/5z5Pr6Q
I’m looking for what will be most effective without spiking my electric bill too much. Thank you in advance for your advice.
Welcome to the forum.
Lighting is among the most important factors for a productive grow. The light you linked will not grow cannabis. You may as well be using a 65 watt GE light bulb. Flowering a medium sized, indoor cannabis plant requires approximately 200 watts of quality lighting. Look for lights built with Samsung LM301 series diodes. A good light for a single plant will cost ~$200 to $300. HLG is the gold standard. Spider Farmer and Mars Hydro are viable options for those on a budget.
@Jazzy welcome to the forums. My bloom plus xp3000 uses 300 w. I paid $250 on Amazon. I have been told that it’s not quite big enough for a 4x4 tent. I grew 4 plants last time. They did pretty well. Happy growing
Be careful with the lights on Amazon. A high percentage of them make fraudulent claims and pay buyers cash to fluff up their reviews. Avoid any light that has fans, has a purple hue color light, has veg/bloom switches, and most models that have a daisy-chain capability. These will all be poor performing lights. These lights tend to be only 10% to 15% of the wattage they claim and they use creative math to advertise what they do. Stick with a product with Samsung LM301 diodes and you will be fine.
Here is an example of how they manipulate reviews:
I second @MidwestGuy
I am a victim of Amazon lights. Started with one 2000watt before you know it I had 4 lights that did grow weed but the heat was terrible, the buds were just okay, and obviously stressed, electric bill was high.
Switched to hlg… No heat issues, lower electric bill, great reliable customer service, truly great dense healthy buds.
This video explains a good bit and could possibly help.
Thank you for responding and for sharing your experience. I appreciate your help. 
Thank you, Midwest Guy, for your thoughtful responses. I sincerely appreciate your help. I am starting out with 2-3 plants. Since this is a new adventure for me, budget is definitely a consideration. Are you able to provide links to some lighting suggestions? I have 15’ ceilings and will not be able to connect there, so I’m planning to use a tension rod to hand the lighting. Again, thank you so much.
If budget is a concern you will be better of growing 1 plant at a time. You will spend north of $700 on adequate lighting to flower 3 plants.
Horticulture Lighting Group (HLG) is the best bang for your buck. Mars Hydro and Spider Farmer are a close second using diodes that are only 1 generation behind.
Search for lights built with Samsung LM301 diodes. They are high efficiency LEDs that will keep your power bill to a minimum compared to other options.
Is there a survivors group available yet?
Most of us are survivors of purchasing deficient lights before upgrading to good or excellent lights. You are in good company.
Thank you! I see I have a lot to learn and need to do more reading/videos.Much appreciated.
Great! That helps a lot. I know you said most of that before so I’ll take a look at these websites. Thanks again.
Survivor’s group? I feel so ignorant. 
Welcome to the community stick around ! 
Hello @Jazzy! 420 deals might be popping up soon. I’d be looking at HLG, Mars Hydro and Spider Farmer. Mars Hydro has a budget line, the “G” series. HLG also has refurbished models that are like new and come with warranties. I found out quick my first “600 watt” light was nowhere what I needed.
Just to clarify… g series is spider farmer, mars hydro budget line is fc-e. 
they are good options
Ya what @Low said 
my bad! And I almsot got the g3000, but couldn’t pass up the HLG 350r
@Jazzy survivers group for people who were fooled into buying/wasting resources with Amazon burples. Twas a joke.
