9 grams per/watt

Got your attention now? hehe

I figured it would.

I'm starting a two part, experimental grow that may produce near that amount of weed per/watt.

I'm buying some LED panels that supposedly produce the same amount of lumens as a 200 watt HPS. I'll put four of them in my 3.5 x 5.5 sq ft area and use my same hydro techniques with the exception of flipping them into flower as rooted, mature clones as soon as they're placed into the room.

The grow will be maintained as a center-cola only grow (I hate the term "lolipop"). I'll have 64 plants, 8 per/tub.

If this works as I hope, I'll get 32 ounces of cured bud from this grow.

If it grows within the 3 feet, and I'm sure I can make that happen, the next crop will be a "double-decker" grow with two levels using the same amount of lights and hydro in the same area.

Heat won't be a problem with the LED's. With eight of these panels, the heat produced is less than what a single 100 watt incandescent bulb produces.

This is a money risk. The initial set of panels will cost me $500.

The crop I have going now will harvest in Mid-October. I'll start the LED grow within a couple weeks after that.

If I can squeeze 4 pounds from 40 sq ft of growing area, using 200 watts of LED lights and hydro on two levels, than that would be 9 grams/watt.

Whatcha think, Group?

I'll be watching, don't you just love to play with new things, and prove it can be done

ozzydiodude said:

I'll be watching, don't you just love to play with new things, and prove it can be done

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Yeah, I sure do. With my experience, using the LED's and two levels, I think I can do this. At least get near it.

1. The LED's use only 200 watts of electric to produce the same light as 1,600 watts of conventional HPS. (They say)

2. Only a slight amount of heat will be produced.

3. By growing only center colas on a Bubba Kush grow, and doing 128 of them at once, I think I'm going to max out the plant-bud/area ratio.

4. Using hydro and the GH nutes at maximum, as well as using mature clones with no vegetative period will minimize the harvest time.

Simply put, I'll have heat minimized, wattage maximized and growing variables maximized.

If the LED's are ever going to produce, they will do so in this grow.

Like I said, the first crop is a $500 risk. The second will be an additional $500 risk.

Doing a double-decker grow has been a fantasy of mine for some time.

If anyone can its you Stoney,

So your looking to get 2 pounds in ~20 sq/ft from LED's, should be interesting.

Stoney, you are pretty intelligent guy. Do you believe what the led manufacture says in regards to lumen output? Why would you? If you are doing an experiment, then do it the correct way. A calibrated lumen meter. When I say calibrated, I don't just mean raw lumens, but wave length compensated output. Otherwise, it wont mean very much, and any claims of 9 grams per watt, just another urban myth. I'm watching what you do as well as how you do it. Now on with the show.

umbra said:

Stoney, you are pretty intelligent guy. Do you believe what the led manufacture says in regards to lumen output? Why would you? If you are doing an experiment, then do it the correct way. A calibrated lumen meter. When I say calibrated, I don't just mean raw lumens, but wave length compensated output. Otherwise, it wont mean very much, and any claims of 9 grams per watt, just another urban myth. I'm watching what you do as well as how you do it. Now on with the show.

Click to expand...

Frankly, I couldn't care less what the guy says these lights put out. The final product will tell the real story.

I'm going to use four, 25 watt panels on the first grow, as I described.

That's 100 watts of power, no matter how you rate the lumens.

I'll see what this 100 watts produces and go from there.

I'm sceptical as well. I'm willing to risk the $500. If, it turns out that twice that much is needed, it's still a good deal at 200 watts instead of 800.

The lights in the panels I'm buying are the HO LED's with the proper red/blue ratio for plant growth.

The heat factor is also important. *Even* if I have to use twice the LED's as advertised, I would have a win-win situation. I could stop using the two 400 watt HPS and the 5K BTU a/c unit required to cool my grow room.

The combined savings from less wattage used and less heat and required a/c usage would more than pay the difference in light cost.

The LED's are rated at 5K hours with no loss of lumen output for their entire life.

I'm going to make a Grow Journal from that grow that will be comparable to my upcoming Grow Journal from this grow in the same area, using the two 400's.

It will be a very, very interesting grow.

I wish I could start it now, but the grow that's going now is what will be the control grow to which the October grow will be compared.

I imagine there will be a lot of eyes on this one. I've wanted to watch someone else do this for a long time, but no one has, at the scale I need to prove.

Wish me luck!

P.S. Whatcho mean "pretty intelligent guy"? You don't know if I'm pretty or not! hehe

if this goes any way near as you have predicted, it may change the way we all grow. i wish you a great deal of success.

This is a pretty interesting idea, and could cure space and energy concerns for larger grows and co-op's.

StoneyBud said:

I'm going to use four, 25 watt panels on the first grow, as I described.

That's 100 watts of power, no matter how you rate the lumens.

I'll see what this 100 watts produces and go from there.

Click to expand...

So you are going to try for 32 Oz from 100 watts of LED?

Stoney What kinda panels did you buy?? $500 is enough to buy 3 UFOs but 4 25 watt panels....???

not to burst your bubble but you have no chance at 9 grams/watt.... not with those panels at least... Look at the industrial panels on ebay that are $500 and they use 3 watt LEDs and then you may have a chance... Im not sayin you cant grow serious green with the LEDs just 9gr/watt is insane...

BTW GOOD LUCK!!! please prove me wrong bc im one of the few LED growers out there....

Well im as big of a LED skeptic as can be....but if you finish with even 2+ grams/watt of quality bud, i'll hop on the bandwagon too. good luck

Growdude said:

So you are going to try for 32 Oz from 100 watts of LED?

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Yes, I'm shooting for two pounds by using all the methods in one grow. I currently get 21 ounces from that same area, but using a standard grow with topping and LST. I haven't tried the center cola grow yet. By using it, I think I'll dramatically increase the grams per/sq ft. when combined with the other techniques.


1. Center cola only. 64 plants in 20 sq ft on the first, one layer grow.

2. The four LED panels will be spread over the entire area.

3. Ebb and Flow Hydro using the tub method with a one on, two off cycle.

4. GH nutes at an increased rate. I've found on the ongoing crop that Bubba Kush is tolerant of higher levels of nutrients.

JustAnotherAntMarching said:

Stoney What kinda panels did you buy?? $500 is enough to buy 3 UFOs but 4 25 watt panels....???

not to burst your bubble but you have no chance at 9 grams/watt.... not with those panels at least... Look at the industrial panels on ebay that are $500 and they use 3 watt LEDs and then you may have a chance... Im not sayin you cant grow serious green with the LEDs just 9gr/watt is insane...

Click to expand...

I'd rather keep my choice of panels to myself at this point.

I'll share that information later.

Actually, you "think" I have no chance at 9 grams/watt. I hope to burst your *bubble*, and you have no idea what panels I'm using, so how can you rate them?

Lastly, I am insane. That means it should work!

JustAnotherAntMarching said:

BTW GOOD LUCK!!! please prove me wrong bc im one of the few LED growers out there....

Click to expand...

Thanks to all who have wished me good luck! About October 20th or so, I'll be starting 64 mature clones directly into flower.

By about the second week of December, we'll see what these lights have done.

umbra said:

if this goes any way near as you have predicted, it may change the way we all grow. i wish you a great deal of success.

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HAH! if you think i have 500 bucks to throw away on lights, you are crazy! i'm working my arse off just to get a 400 watt cheapo HPS for about 120 bucks plush S&H.

mistisrising said:

This is a pretty interesting idea, and could cure space and energy concerns for larger grows and co-op's.

Click to expand...

umbra said:

if this goes any way near as you have predicted, it may change the way we all grow. i wish you a great deal of success.

Click to expand...

That's exactly why I'm doing this. My energy consumption has reached critical mass. My wallet is crying and sobbing every month when I get my electric bill.

This will work. It's a matter of lights, placement, growing technique and process.

I'll maximize each.

How well it works per/watt of LED is the only question left in my mind.

I'll throw all the data into a spreadsheet and track it every way it can be. Total overall costs with light life taken into consideration.

Dollar for Dollar, I'll see what happens.

Smot_poker said:

HAH! if you think i have 500 bucks to throw away on lights, you are crazy! I'm working my arse off just to get a 400 watt cheapo HPS for about 120 bucks plush S&H.

Click to expand...

I understand that we all don't have the funds to do this as a test.

I've saved my money for this.

I'm 99% sure I'll save money and reduce my heat dramatically. That will eliminate the air conditioner I use in the grow room and two 400 watt HPS.

How much money I save will be determined by the harvest and cured weight. The potency also.

By the end of January 2010, I'll know the results of the entire experiment.

Well...you got my attention!

First, let me say if anyone else posted this, it would be a flame fest! lol

But we all know your skillz and if there ever was a good shot at hitting the mark, you will have it.

IF, you hit even close.....you will have me rethinking alot of things....

I do see many positives with how you are going to run that particular grow. I love the single cola idea and plant numbers. you are only asking for 14g per plant, which is quite acheivable. I did the same method for a long time, flowering "rooted clones" and it is an eaiser way to acheive weight then growing less plants bigger.
Your hydro method is DIALED, so the ONLY factor, imo, is light.

$500 for the set up isn't that bad,imo either. It is comparable to costs for a 1000watter and a 600, plus the fact you don't need extra fans to cool the lights.

I can tell you are excited to start, and I can't wait to see the set up!
Best of Luck and keep us posted.

NorCalHal said:

Well...you got my attention!

First, let me say if anyone else posted this, it would be a flame fest! lol

But we all know your skillz and if there ever was a good shot at hitting the mark, you will have it.

IF, you hit even close.....you will have me rethinking a lot of things....

I do see many positives with how you are going to run that particular grow. I love the single cola idea and plant numbers. you are only asking for 14g per plant, which is quite achievable. I did the same method for a long time, flowering "rooted clones" and it is an easier way to achieve weight then growing less plants bigger.
Your hydro method is DIALED, so the ONLY factor, imo, is light.

$500 for the set up isn't that bad,imo either. It is comparable to costs for a 1000watter and a 600, plus the fact you don't need extra fans to cool the lights.

I can tell you are excited to start, and I can't wait to see the set up!
Best of Luck and keep us posted.

Click to expand...

Thanks Hal, the lights are also my prime consideration. I held off on buying any because they didn't meet my needs and the size or light spread wasn't what I was looking for. These 25 watt panels are *exactly* what I've been waiting for.

I'll take clones off the Pre98/Bubba Kush host plants I have going. The clones of course will be mature already, so once in the hydro and it's 12/12 immediately. The lights will be practically sitting on the tops of the colas, so I think I'll get decent results from the lights. As good as they can produce, anyway.

This will cure many things for me. The heat I have now makes me use an air conditioner and two fans. I have to plumb the exhaust outside the house, or the house air conditioning goes nuts and costs me more. The resulting problem of dealing with the odor prior to it leaving the house is more cost. That one won't change much. They'll still smell with the LEDs, but I can contain it in the grow room with an air cleaning system.

The costs of replacement bulbs and bulbs losing lumens over their age span.

The initial costs of the HPS, Flos and MH lights can be cut down with the life span of the LED's and the costs will maybe be less than the HID's in the long run. My spreadsheet will have to tell me that later.

The problems with growing that face med growers throughout the world may be relieved a bit if this method works. The double-decking of crops is also a HUGE factor in space utilization and maximization of grow area funds.

I've wanted to do this in a very bad way for quite some time.

Someone finally put out a light that has the needed power and dimensions for my trial.

Dude! It also makes that "other" thing we talked about come a step closer to reality. Oh Yeah... :hubba: