The Grow Bible and a few other resources assert that “HPS/HID is the absolute best lighting you can get for growing cannabis”.
I’m guessing that this information is dated, and that the sophisticated LED panels designed for growing which offer separate intensity controls for veg and flower light wavelengths are now the “top shelf” choice.
Am I correct to assume that LED is the way to go for grow lighting? This would be for growing in a tent indoors.
Thanks,
Pat
HPS is great, but it has limitations as compared to LED. That said, HPS will grow fabulous cannabis.
One thing to keep in mind if going with HPS is that some growers will go with MH (metal halide) for veg growth and then transition to HPS when in flowering. This is done to maximize the correct spectrum for each phase of the cannabis plant’s life.
High quality LED can be used throughout the lifecycle with great results due to the wide spectrum of light that they put out. LED can also help you with heat management since the light’s power supply can be placed outside of the tent.
The LEDs that offer veg/bloom switches are referred to as “burples” and the spectrum and quality of the individual LEDs is poor. I recommend staying away from burples. The ads for these burples are very misleading and the good reviews that you see are fake. My personal experience with buying one from Amazon is that when I wrote a bad review, the seller contacted me to offer me money to take down my review.
LED’s are the best option in my opinion in terms of efficiency and output of light.
FlxerPower covered the rest.
The Grow Bible is way overdue for some updating.
Top of the line LED’s are by far the best lights available. They blow everything else away without breaking a sweat.
Thanks everyone!
I don’t have much experience - but I am getting some nice results so far combining HPS and LED. I run a 315W HPS, and two 1000W LEDs (MarsHydo and Foleys) in a 4 x 4 x 6 ft grow box… I like the combo because I need the HPS heat to warm my garage tent in the winter - but adding LEDs keep the lumens up without struggling with overheating. I also like the ease of adjusting the light intensity from the LEDs without changing height. Something about the HPS did help my grow space. I started with three LEDs but when I swapped one for the HPS - my girls got turned on.