Is this indoor grow light overkill?

[Mycin]

Well, I figured cheaping out wouldn’t save too much money, so I decided to buy a tried and true light: a Spider Farmer SF1000

I’m loving it! All kinds of growth coming at a rate I never got to enjoy outdoors—and I’m still at 50%! It’s not a ton of coverage but with some careful placement I can get most of plants the light exposure they want. Experimenting is tons of fun. Growing cuttings in a sealed enclosure without worrying about them overheating seems like a game changer - too early to say

I plan on adding a white poster board surround, a small fan, and a GE grow bulb for additional coverage but I’m definitely getting my money’s worth even with this suboptimal setup.

For anyone thinking about getting a grow light - do it!

 

[Bezalel Nebari]

Well, I figured cheaping out wouldn’t save too much money, so I decided to buy a tried and true light: a Spider Farmer SF1000

I’m loving it! All kinds of growth coming at a rate I never got to enjoy outdoors—and I’m still at 50%! It’s not a ton of coverage but with some careful placement I can get most of plants the light exposure they want. Experimenting is tons of fun. Growing cuttings in a sealed enclosure without worrying about them overheating seems like a game changer - too early to say

I plan on adding a white poster board surround, a small fan, and a GE grow bulb for additional coverage but I’m definitely getting my money’s worth even with this suboptimal setup.

For anyone thinking about getting a grow light - do it!

I think you went with a great choice man. That's a good light for that price range. And if you're getting growth at 50% power then you're definitely getting your money's worth.

 

[Tieball]

@Kynewt So....curious....do you have a photo of the trees you’re planning on putting below this light?

 

[amcoffeegirl]

Please update on growth with the spider farmer.
Been wanting these.
Currently using t5ho lights.

 

[bonsaiBart]

can you grow outdoor bonsai indoors with the proper set up? juniper and Maple

 

[bonsaiBart]

can you grow outdoor bonsai indoors with the proper set up? juniper and Maple

if you had a green house outside where it rains a lot ...could you put some water proof LED lights to help for lack of sun??

 

[Bezalel Nebari]

if you had a green house outside where it rains a lot ...could you put some water proof LED lights to help for lack of sun??

There are some waterproof LEDs on the market. I don't think it would be a good idea to leave them out exposed to the elements though. But I think that it should be fine in a greenhouse. If I'm not mistaken, many commercial growers use artificial lighting in greenhouses to grow plants for their respective industries. I use a waterproof LED light on the lower level of my growing area so that when I water the plants above it, the water drips on the light with no issues. My growing area is comprised of two levels, each one has its own light.

I've heard of someone named Jack Wikle who grows juniper indoors under artificial lights. Most people say those trees don't survive inside, but he seems to be fine and apparently has been doing it for years.

Technically, all trees are outdoor trees. There is no such thing as an indoor tree, but some species can live inside with no problems while others can't. Typically, tropical climate trees do well indoors because they can grow year-round without the need for a cold dormancy period. But if a tree comes from a climate where it naturally has a cold season, it will be hard to provide that climate for it indoors, which would cause the tree to sufer.

 

[bonsaiBart]

There are some waterproof LEDs on the market. I don't think it would be a good idea to leave them out exposed to the elements though. But I think that it should be fine in a greenhouse. If I'm not mistaken, many commercial growers use artificial lighting in greenhouses to grow plants for their respective industries. I use a waterproof LED light on the lower level of my growing area so that when I water the plants above it, the water drips on the light with no issues. My growing area is comprised of two levels, each one has its own light.

I've heard of someone named Jack Wikle who grows juniper indoors under artificial lights. Most people say those trees don't survive inside, but he seems to be fine and apparently has been doing it for years.

Technically, all trees are outdoor trees. There is no such thing as an indoor tree, but some species can live inside with no problems while others can't. Typically, tropical climate trees do well indoors because they can grow year-round without the need for a cold dormancy period. But if a tree comes from a climate where it naturally has a cold season, it will be hard to provide that climate for it indoors, which would cause the tree to sufer.

Thanks Mate

 

[Hump]

Well, I figured cheaping out wouldn’t save too much money, so I decided to buy a tried and true light: a Spider Farmer SF1000

I’m loving it! All kinds of growth coming at a rate I never got to enjoy outdoors—and I’m still at 50%! It’s not a ton of coverage but with some careful placement I can get most of plants the light exposure they want. Experimenting is tons of fun. Growing cuttings in a sealed enclosure without worrying about them overheating seems like a game changer - too early to say

I plan on adding a white poster board surround, a small fan, and a GE grow bulb for additional coverage but I’m definitely getting my money’s worth even with this suboptimal setup.

For anyone thinking about getting a grow light - do it!

Happy to see your post. I have some bougainvilleas, a Chinese fringe, and some cuttings I didn't know what to do with in the winter. I'm in WV zone 6b so it has me worried. I've spent the last 2 weeks researching lights. Have settled on LED but am trying to figure out my best move without spending a fortune. After all I'm trying to still buy a prunus incisa I found lol and keep money still in my wallet. I like to spider farmer and Mars choices the best, but I think I might go with using alibaba and try a kingbrite instead. A bit cheaper. Both are made in China, it's just spider and Mars have been selling off their own website and have more credibility. I'm hoping my plan doesn't backfire.

 

[Mycin]

Good find! The one thing I'd caution is Ali Baba orders take 1-2 months to get to me so don't delay. Report back on how it works, i might grab one myself if you have good results. Assuming the components are genuine you should have similar performance

I'm finding that the grow bulbs are pretty much limited in coverage to one tree so I don't think I'll bother with any more. LED fixtures or quantum boards from here on out

 

[Bezalel Nebari]

Happy to see your post. I have some bougainvilleas, a Chinese fringe, and some cuttings I didn't know what to do with in the winter. I'm in WV zone 6b so it has me worried. I've spent the last 2 weeks researching lights. Have settled on LED but am trying to figure out my best move without spending a fortune. After all I'm trying to still buy a prunus incisa I found lol and keep money still in my wallet. I like to spider farmer and Mars choices the best, but I think I might go with using alibaba and try a kingbrite instead. A bit cheaper. Both are made in China, it's just spider and Mars have been selling off their own website and have more credibility. I'm hoping my plan doesn't backfire.

I have only good things to say about mars hydro sp 250. Their new sp light looks way better and I will hopefully get that someday. Kingbrite is a good move too. The light you’ll get from them is very powerful. More powerful than the older mars lights. I actually have one arriving from them in a few days. To be honest tho, next time I buy from alibaba, I will choose Meiju instead. I’ve never tried them, but I did not like the customer service I got from kingbrite. It was really annoying for me to deal with them. My order was delayed by like two weeks because of a clearance issue at Hong Kong customs, and kingbrite was not very helpful during that time. Next time I will give meiju a try and see if I like that experience better.

 

[roberthu]

Very few lights can compare to the intensity to the sun. I am run reef aquariums and some stony corals need very high light intensity so people spend thousands of dollars to light up their tanks. I ran a Par meter on the LED lights I spent $800 each that covers about 18” wide and the par value at 12” below the light was about 1200 at max. Then I brought the Par meter outside under direct sun and the reading was around 3500. And that was March in Atlanta GA.

 

[Potawatomi13]

if you had a green house outside where it rains a lot ...could you put some water proof LED lights to help for lack of sun??

 

[leatherback]

If I'm not mistaken, many commercial growers use artificial lighting in greenhouses to grow plants for their respective industries.

Yup, the Netherlands is one of those places where in winter you cannot really grow anything without them.

 

[Mycin]

Very few lights can compare to the intensity to the sun. I am run reef aquariums and some stony corals need very high light intensity so people spend thousands of dollars to light up their tanks. I ran a Par meter on the LED lights I spent $800 each that covers about 18” wide and the par value at 12” below the light was about 1200 at max. Then I brought the Par meter outside under direct sun and the reading was around 3500. And that was March in Atlanta GA.

Very interesting. Could the consistent light output and increased light exposure (16+ hrs daily) make up for this decreased intensity? Sunlight is at its peak for 3-4 hrs daily while the lights provide consistent output.

I’m wondering if it could be thought of as total daily light exposure, eg: avg PAR x hours of exposure.

 

[roberthu]

I’m wondering if it could be thought of as total daily light exposure, eg: avg PAR x hours of exposure.

Maybe. You can test it out. I only have some experience in reef keeping and water chemistry plays a huge role on top of lighting so I don’t think it can be transferred to lighting for plants.

 

[hinmo24t]

split hairs all you want, but the power of reviews is strong for me. i have two of these: https://www.amazon.com/Flexible-Goo...6A&pd_rd_i=B07MV6TFFW&ref_=pd_bap_d_rp_1_32_t

i went with a white light version after a discussion in here on lighting. i have a decent, large, south window setup to begin with and use these on cloudy days or after work until i go to bed or until the next morning. lots of new growth on everything they face. can aim and adjust them nicely. im glad i made the purchase on them and the reviews have held up nicely. easy to get caught up in details and technicalities, enjoy some real world (500ish people i think i saw, and me) who have had nothing but great experience with them (4.5/5 = 90% satisfaction) even the other similar colored versions have great reviews, but i didnt want blue and red light, just white. with how technology moves (many times faster than any other marketable sector) these leds could be onto something

monster-a new leaf should be open when i get home from work

 

[Mycin]

Sir or ma’am, if you are not here to split hairs you may be on the wrong forum

 

[hinmo24t]

Sir or ma’am, if you are not here to split hairs you may be on the wrong forum

concept of relativity

 

[Bezalel Nebari]

Yes, that's called "daily light integral", or DLI. It's a measurement of how much photosynthetically active radiation a plant receives over the course of a day. It is possible to match a target DLI by adjusting the power of your light, or adjusting the length of time you leave it on. Different plants have different DLI requirements. You can look up a DLI map of the USA (idk if other countries have them. I haven't checked) to see what the average DLI is for a specific region and match it in your environment. DLI is a factor that commercial growers use to ensure they are growing high quality crops.

Very interesting. Could the consistent light output and increased light exposure (16+ hrs daily) make up for this decreased intensity? Sunlight is at its peak for 3-4 hrs daily while the lights provide consistent output.

I’m wondering if it could be thought of as total daily light exposure, eg: avg PAR x hours of exposure.