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I agree with what @greenkush has said. Another thing to keep in mind, if you want to compare LED lights between one another is whether the manufacturer provides the average efficiency or just the peak efficiency. Majority provide the peak figures, I feel the average is more accurate as majority of people do not grow a single plant directly under the light and often have multiple lights to cover a certian area. Having the individual QB288 boards will provide you with more flexibility in terms of controlling your spread, you can move the lights around as needed to try and maintain an even PPFD throughout your grow area. It also provides you with the flexibility to increase the height on an individual board if you have a part (or few) which are growing much taller than the rest. Heatsinks are often an issue due to their weight, makes the shipping crazy expensive but you can get creative and find DIY ways to cool them cheaply without issues. In fact cool them better than the original heatsinks the manufacturers provide (active though, but still... can always add some redundancy if you'd like).

As @PsyCLown if you have relatively large surface area to cover then you'll need a few boards, the ones from alibaba specifically meiju are very good, I currently run two boards per side in my 2.4x1.2, effectively 600 watts per side. I have now recently purchase an extra 240 watt per side bringing it up to 840watts (true wall watts). The reason for my expansion was due to form factor of my boards not covering the edges are they are rectangular. Don't get me wrong these boards have done an amazing job at producing solid hard nuggets, but the hanging is a pain and as you can see in the corner and the center there are dark spots, however that is nobodies fault but my own. So I recently purchase two sets of the following boards These boards are the LM301B spec didoes and the previous are LM 561 C . I will be looking at upgrading my LM 561 C boards to LM 301B/H when funds and time permits. The nice thing with these types of boards (I am more specifically referring to samsung diodes) is that you can run them cooler and softer and still get amazing results due to their efficiency per watt. You've got to stop thinking in terms of wattage and just because you have 10,000 watts you're better off, because that is nowhere near the case, it boils down as to how effective your fixture is at converting watts to usable light and that is where the umol/J factor comes in, a standard HPS is 1.4-1.8 umol/J, HLG 550 v2 Rspec is 2.6 umol/J. So immediately you can see that the HLG will outperform the HPS. The only draw back of LED is it does not have the same canopy penetration as HPS, but if you scrogg or whatever you'll be fine, even so you will still get huge colas if you don't scrogg.

What exactly is going to go wrong ? Mount strips, hook up wires, connect driver, plug into power outlet.

Lets see what Starsign loves da Herb more..

This is for the LED gurus on the forum. I know very little about LED's. I know about PPFD and PAR but that's about as far as it goes. I've always been using HID and for a number of reasons have decided its time to invest in LED for flower. I have a 1.5m x 1.5m tent so what are my best options? With my limited knowledge its looks like the HLG 550 is a good option but is it possible to DIY for a lot less? Are there any other options?

Hahaha - hands down gonna win! Taureans like their comfort and having self sufficiency.

Here are some very good guides which provide theory and such : https://ledgardener.com/diy-guides/

So an LED build generally consists of the LED's (in this case, strips or quantum boards.... I vote quantum boards), heatsinks / cooling and a driver. Then wires to wire it all up and that's really it. When it comes to LED's, they're not all the same. The actual LED diode itself makes all the difference. In terms of costs if a diodes die, pretty cheap. You'll probably pay more on shipping. I haven't actually tried to source the individual diodes locally but I'm sure one could get then without too much fuss. In terms of replacing the actual diode, if you can solder and you're comfortable with SMD then it won't be difficult at all. Sent from my Redmi Note 7 Pro using Tapatalk

I bought my QB320's from growopz and I'm supper happy, I avg 1,2g/watt and can do much better, like someone mentioned its all up to the grower. 2 X QB320's will be more than enough for 1,5x1,5 but I think they have a QB440 that should cover that also. I don't know where to start looking to DIY so decides to safe up and buy. Sent from my F5321 using Tapatalk

You just need to miss one mite and the problem remains.... Increasing your C02 will ward them away, but you need quite a lot of Co2 for it to become effective. A skottle braai with an open flame will work. Seal your garage, put all your plants in there... And burn that bottle for a few hours with the garage closed... Temps will spike, humidity will spike up... And hopefully you can keep the most co2 you can in the garage... Alternatively you can move premises, preferably intercontinentally

Fire

3m x 1.5m he still had loads of space in the area and there is 2 x dehumidifiers in there too. His biggest compliment is penatration he hardly got any Popcorn. He also doesn't veg long clonse straight into flower. He got the biggest buds off his big buddha cheese yet and have been growing that strain for 3 years

I have a friend who replace 3x 600w hps with 2x HLG 550's and got 960g off his first harvest. He is buying another 3 HLG 550's this week all of them R spec. He is happy as a pig in shit

Predatory mites.

They are predatory mites @Oolong83

Yes its got to do with IR and LST.

Yes obviously, but it’s still far cheaper to change a strip or driver.

What happens when 3 strangers meet in the sticks each with a few of their best? #trinityfarms #southoftheburg #kzncolaborations #2020 Big shout out to 2 very talented growers,what a top cannabis weekend rubbing stems and getting high with you guys, and to trinity farms for the great hospitality and for the platform to show our work. @Bospatrollie2 @420sake

The HLG 550 is a nice light, although for a 1.5 x 1.5 I'd want more than 4x QB288's I don't feel it's worth buying the original HLG either. I'd consider importing. Sent from my Redmi Note 7 Pro using Tapatalk

No idea, I've never bothered about the yields per light, I go based on heat, form factor and electricity consumption, of which the LED wins hands down. That being said if you check the international forums you will see people doing pretty impressive yields, growmau5 had something stupid like 1.9g per watt or something, but to reach those types of results everything in your grow needs to be perfect and most likely supplement CO2 as well.

Hey all Wind was a mother fucker today and yesterday. I am really surprised that the plant haven't snapped or taken any damage. She were bent in ways that made my stomach turn. But before the rain came I went and placed her inside. The reason for that is that she is so much more bushier and I don't want her to get wet. She is super sticky and smells to high heaven. The thought of bud rot just pops into my mind so she gets a little bit more love than the others... Here is a top view of her. Her canopy was measured and it is 850 x 750. Not bad at all for something that was unplanned....... ...... This is where the pics start to get interesting. I switched on the flash and that turned my excitement up a couple of notches. I have spotted 2 or 3 whiteflies but couldn't find any more after moving the plant inside for maintenance. I did however find an adult and baby stink bug. Killed it straight away.... Any of you suffered stink bug damage.... If not, they are destructive. They suck on the grow tips and then the tip starts wilting and dies and goes black and crispy. All within a day. So I kill them when I see them A view from the top and one of the buds with flash on, cause without the flash it just looks boring. Some of the tips is cupping but that due to the heat and all the wind didn't help either, but apart from that she has so much trichomes it's not even funny. I can't touch her and touch anything else. And last, but not the least, two photos of the lady with and without a flash just to give you an idea of bushy and full of buds she is. End of the day I love the idea of doing a coco grow outdoors. With that being said I have to say that a 45L pot just does not cut it. Next season I will go with a 60L and maby a little bit better training for next year's gusts of wind... Have a good Sunday and may the week be blessed with good vibes and good weather......

Look at my build it covers a 1.5x1.5 100%, and cost me a fraction of the price.

Spidex then will be your best bet

@Oolong83Can you see the webbing from the mites? That looks like thrips to me, trust me, I am the master of thrip infestations you can ask @PsyCLown and @CreX

My opinion and not facts... Ripe trichiomes break of its stalk too easily for my liking. Bicarb darkens pistils and changes bag appeal. Terpines are too fragile for me to mess with... another reason I don't trim my weed. So a bud wash is a definitely NO for me personally... cleanliness in all grow practices is sufficient for my standards. And trust me guys I love checking out my buds through a loupe. I mean who doesn't... The irony of this topic is I had a guy send me pics today of his plant hanging and drip drying after a h2O2/water wash because he got PM and needed to salvage what he could. So you can't blame people for assuming that this practice is inherent from PM. Cats & dogs inside and growing indoors can be a nasty mix and I think in that situation requires a wash.