LED Grow! My experiment with LEDs!!!

RolliePollie

Well-Known Member
So for my dad's business he gets a lot of LED lights in, like industrial kind. So I found an excellent set up to use.

My question is, will it be ok to use just LEDs? I dont want to use a very nice setup till my brother leaves for college...I am using a lot of led's and it is very bright.
 

sTOKEd

Well-Known Member
I saw a grow a while back (may have been on another forum), I'll try and find a link - the guy used something like 250w of LEDs and ended up having to add CFLs for flowering because the LEDs simply didn't cut it.

They seemed to work for veg ok, but flowering was a different story.
 

rkm

Well-Known Member
What spectrum of light are they putting out? The fact is LED lighting for growing is there, the problem is that they are very expensive. The great thing about LED's is that they are "cheap" and the best thing about them is that they can focus on a specific spectrum. The ultimate setup would have a 'pod' of many LEDs of variant spectrums to make up the ranges that a plant likes. The problem is, they are just to damn expensive right now to really do it right. Give it some time, LEDs are coming. But not just yet. By all means, keep your eyes on them, but dont rely on them just yet. They can grow a plant very effectively but you will go broke doing it right now.
Now, if you have a connection, more power to you. But, do your research on them and see what kind of light they are actually putting out. LEDs are very good at targeting a very small range of a spectrum(nm). So, you will need to research the lights and you very well could have to find other lights as well to broaden the spectrum that the plant wants. For instance, a LED in the 400-410 is good, but you need more, your going to need to find more lights to spread that range way out. For arguements sake, lets say 380-450. Thats where it gets expensive.
 

rkm

Well-Known Member
the three ifs
1 if you have the money you could do something like this .
2 if i still had mine i would use it but i sold it with my salt water tank setup plus i dont have 4k for it again
3 if this thing can support coral growth like it did in my tank it would grow some monster Herb

Solaris LED Hood PFO lighting Inc > Home ( DNN 4.0.3 )
That is exactly my point. The aquarists are much further ahead I am sorry to say than the indoor botanist; alone. The fish people I think have a little different understanding of how light actually works.
 

ltz40055

Well-Known Member
was thinking about adding one but was unshure guess that 48" light will come in handdy after all . what have you seen diferant after you added it, or have you been using it from day one ?
 

zoot

Active Member
there is so much conjecture out there on all the blogs, and some "anal" types have been experimenting with all types of spectrum combinations and configurations, actually going to great lengths and technical specifics. however, all the research they have done, and myself as well, indicates that veg stage is okay but flowering is a problem.

does anyone out there really know about this technology and actually implemented it with a successful (quantiity and quality) crop??????????????

i am looking at the logic of stringing l.e.d. tapes with (custom-soldered) diodes in the required spectrums and intervals throughout the middle, sides and tops of the plants to get full penetration. these tapes and various diodes are available through many sources and do not appear to be that expensive when the math is complete. even if the flowering stage needs to be augmented with hps or other lighting, it would seem that this technology should be feasible in lowering heat signature (FEDS) and cost of electricity.

does anyone out there have a clue? if this is the new wave. let's get busy discussing and trading information for the benefit of all.

hit it! zoot
 

rkm

Well-Known Member
Answers below.
there is so much conjecture out there on all the blogs, and some "anal" types have been experimenting with all types of spectrum combinations and configurations, actually going to great lengths and technical specifics. however, all the research they have done, and myself as well, indicates that veg stage is okay but flowering is a problem.

I think that statement has some merit, in its own way.

does anyone out there really know about this technology and actually implemented it with a successful (quantiity and quality) crop??????????????

I have seen it done. Not in growing plants on land, but under water. They work and the plants and livestock thrives. Growing a plant/coral underwater is much the same as growing a land plant. If photosynthesis is maximized then you will achieve maximum growth. Above water or below water, its all the same.

i am looking at the logic of stringing l.e.d. tapes with (custom-soldered) diodes in the required spectrums and intervals throughout the middle, sides and tops of the plants to get full penetration. these tapes and various diodes are available through many sources and do not appear to be that expensive when the math is complete. even if the flowering stage needs to be augmented with hps or other lighting, it would seem that this technology should be feasible in lowering heat signature (FEDS) and cost of electricity.

Its not going to happen that way, it sounds as if you are ordering lights for a dance floor or something. If you look at how that fixture was designed from an earlier post you will see how they need to be designed. They need to be in 'pods' to effectively work. Those strips will be inneffective as they will very likely not have been in focus, they are just "blaring" light.


does anyone out there have a clue? if this is the new wave. let's get busy discussing and trading information for the benefit of all.

Its not a new wave, its actually an old wave. Aquarists(rich ones) have been using this technology for years. It is just recently being discovered that a lot of the same principals of a fish tank applies to growing a plant. It certainly seems to be a bit of useful knowledge once you understand the concept of actually growing a land plant, I always knew how to grow "plants" underwater. Its just going to take time for the prices to come down on them. Once they are affordable, watch out, those LEDs are awesome.

hit it! zoot
 
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