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Thread: Grow Lights

  1. #1
    Members Bioritize's Avatar
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    Grow Lights

    Hey Guys,

    I am working on my first system and I am debating on grow lights. I already have a couple hoods and a 600w HPS bulb laying around but I am really interested in LED or Fluorescent bulbs. Do any of you guys have a recommendation for a small 40 - 50 gal system?

    How well do the LED bulbs work, where can you get them?

    I plan to expand this system as I perfect my design.

    Thanks,
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  2. #2
    Moderator urbanfarmer's Avatar
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    Re: Grow Lights

    It depends on what your are growing, budgets restraints, space and ventilation, etc. You can use the cheapest fluorescent lights you find without any problems. LED work fine, but the type you get are very important whereas fluorescent lights are pretty good across the board.

  3. #3
    Moderator davidstcldfl's Avatar
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    Re: Grow Lights

    Hi Bioritize, Welcome to the forum..
    I did a quick search for led plant lights....this link caught my eye...Ok, I confess, I'm easily amussed when I'm half awake, sipping on my coffee.... I thought it might 'stir the pudding a little'. Lets see the comments on this one..... :P
    http://www.cheapvegetablegardener.com/2 ... w-box.html
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - President Ronald Reagan

  4. #4
    Moderator urbanfarmer's Avatar
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    Re: Grow Lights

    The basic concept is correct on choosing the red or blue lights; however, LED lights emit a specific frequency and the chlorophyll likewise requires a narrow range of visible light to perform its function. It is unlikely those LED are at the right spectrum. Also, there's no telling how strong they are. They may or may not be strong enough.

    Oh, I found something... If you look at the updates on his page he says the design yielded very leggy seedlings. After adding more lights it was still leggy. If I have learned anything from the experts I have had the pleasure to learn from, once the seedlings are leggy you have some serious problems with the plant's development. Maybe not important to a hobbyist, but the commercial implications are vast...

  5. #5
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    Re: Grow Lights

    regarding flourescents, i'm growing a mixed variety lettuce, radish, carrots, zuchini with t8 flourescent lights, i have 3 pairs of lights over 2 growbeds (55 gal barrel cut in half), everything is doing well,, i'm getting a bunch of t5's pretty soon to start trying out

  6. #6
    Moderator davidstcldfl's Avatar
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    Re: Grow Lights

    Hopefully, the LED's will become cheaper and guys like U F, will gather/develope more data on the proper use of them. It sure would be nice to be able to do aquaponics indoors, year round.
    With the crazy weather, that nature is dishing out worldwide....that seems to be the way to go.

    Kieth, how close do you keep the lights to the plants ? Have you experianced any issues as the plants get bigger....like the lower leaves not getting enough light ?
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - President Ronald Reagan

  7. #7
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    Re: Grow Lights

    welcome to the forum, questions about lites will get a lot of response. couple of thousand dollars difference between home depot shop lights and led. if you are growing lettuce, home depot, if you are growing marijuana definitely led, that's about the only crop that will pay for them, or at least a high end fluorescent with specific lite spectrum s.

  8. #8
    Moderator davidstcldfl's Avatar
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    Re: Grow Lights

    Quote Originally Posted by rfeiller
    if you are growing lettuce, home depot, if you are growing marijuana definitely led, that's about the only crop that will pay for them, or at least a high end fluorescent with specific lite spectrum s.
    .....you can always find some 'used' lights for less....
    http://www.propertyroom.com/Catalog.asp ... goryId=456
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - President Ronald Reagan

  9. #9
    Aquaponics 101 Oliver's Avatar
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    Re: Grow Lights

    Off-the-shelf LED lights come in colors (red and blue) that are not quite the right wavelength. In looking at their spectrum, they do cover more than a single sliver of frequency but their main energy output is far enough off the optimum required by the plants that you will need about ten times the power to get enough light in the part of the spectrum the plant requires. This comes out to be about 100 watts of LED electrical power for each square meter of grow bed space.

    Color corrected LEDs, on the other hand, are claimed to require only about 10 watts per square meter of grow bed space. Color corrected LEDs are more expensive to purchase.

    We are currently building a grow room that is well insulated in order to reduce its energy consumption. As part of this experiment, we will be testing color corrected LED grow lights.

    This project is, in part, us trying to determine if it is economically viable to move on to a commercial operation that can be placed in a large number of varying environments.

    I will keep you posted as we progress. We currently have the room completed and the components for the system in place and ready to be connected. We have yet, however, to purchase the rather expensive color corrected LED grow lights.

    So, once we do all of this, we will have a better idea if the claims made are supported by the testing we will do.

    As an aside, we have been told that some experiments with using just red and blue LED grow lights produce a modified result from that of a full spectrum light. As an example, flowers grow well but have no smell. Vegetables come out tasting a little off.

    I cannot validate these claims but the lights we will be using, in addition to being color corrected, will have the addition of green and yellow LEDs.

    Oliver
    To measure is to know

  10. #10
    Moderator davidstcldfl's Avatar
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    Re: Grow Lights

    Wow Oliver....I'm looking forward to hearing your results
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - President Ronald Reagan

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