Diving into LED lighting

What is all the big fuss over LED lighting though? Is it just because they are cheaper to run than your normal lighting? Or do they put out a spectrum that is only usable for plants?
 
Well, both really. Even the white ones are more efficient, but you can also zero in on the most phtosynthetically active portions of the spectrum, which really kicks up the energy efficiency. I haven't tried using the red and blue chips, but I've had real good luck with the cool white chips.
 
I would imagine the blue would be greatly beneficial, since that's the spectrum that the plants love. The red would help with blooming, but Ficus don't bloom so that wouldn't be needed. I'm just trying to figure out whether or not it's worth the switch if all it's going to do is shave money off the electric bill without adding any boost to the trees growth.
 
I had a 2' x 4 t5(95w?) setup right next to the 2 x 50 w led chip over a 15G aquarium. The led plants definitely put on a lot more, compact growth than the t5 plants, but the aquarium locked in a lot more heat and humidity too, so it is not really an apples to apples comparison. With the led chip/ CPU cooler setup, you really could pump up the wattage of light getting to your plants, but it would take a lot of tinkering getting them mounted and wired in a safe way.

I would say that if you like to tinker, which I which I think you do, you should give it a go with a small led setup so you can compare the results. I also seem to think that the limiting reagent for our indoor growth seems to be pests and disease rather than the amount of light that they are receiving. I have some rose bushes and a flowering cherry in my backyard, and the spidermites have been non stop this year. The tropicals ironically haven't been much effected by them, but everything else has been. I've taken to blasting everything with water to try and knock them down some. I also released a triple mix of predatory mites from bugological and am hoping that their population will start keeping the spidermites in check sometime soon.
 
Then I just might give this light a try. I've got the reflective mylar tent, so I'll set it back up, grab a few cuttings, and see how they do.
 
Redwood Ryan said:
Then I just might give this light a try. I've got the reflective mylar tent, so I'll set it back up, grab a few cuttings, and see how they do.
Click to expand...

That's an older model with 3 watt LEDs. The newer models have 5 watt LEDs, which perform better. You will not get better growth with any LED lamp than with equivalent wattage of t5 lamps or HID lamps. You will run much cooler though and longer. That is the advantage of LED lighting. Easier to set up and use, easier to control the environment. Growth is about the same.
 
davetree said:
That's an older model with 3 watt LEDs. The newer models have 5 watt LEDs, which perform better. You will not get better growth with any LED lamp than with equivalent wattage of t5 lamps or HID lamps. You will run much cooler though and longer. That is the advantage of LED lighting. Easier to set up and use, easier to control the environment. Growth is about the same.
Click to expand...

Well the bigger one you initially linked is back at $300, so that's a no go. Maybe I'll just hold off on LED lighting for now...
 
davetree said:
This is the OEM for expensive lights sold here. Top quality LEDs, I believe same manufacturer as the 3 watt lamp you were looking at.
Click to expand...

Ah yes, the Mars light. I've read good things.
 
I'm still considering that Mars 2 light, the one you linked Dave. I'm hoping that, even if I do have bug issues, that this light could keep the trees healthy enough so that I could treat them. If I do go the LED route, I'd probably sell off all of my T5 lighting so I could pay for this new lighting.
 
The words cheap and led do not belong in the same sentence. As many people have stated cheaper units have a tendency to burn out or half the led's stop working. At this point led's cost way more than other lighting systems per watt and they last the least amount of time before replacement or repair work is needed. For example a 250-400w Metal Halid or 300-400w T5's unit can be purchased on ebay all set up and ready to go for $100-150 (Except the tent which cost $50-150 depending on brand). As far as tents go I find them vary useful. The added reflection helps with better growth and no water leaks onto the floor should any get spilled. IMHO T5's are the best bang for your buck unless you have lots of taller tree's in which case the better upgrade from t5 would be metal halide.

Read through this site http://www.bonsaihunk.us/info/MetalHalides.html

http://www.bonsaihunk.us/info/LEDvsFluoresc.html

http://www.bonsaihunk.us/info/LEDvsFluorescll.html

To be fair the above led experiment appears to have been with a crappy light.

If you absolutely have to try out an led light and it must be under $200 then brand doesn't really matter because all the cheaper brands are pretty much the same.

Things to know

5w chips are preferable vs 1/3w chips.
For ficus since it doesn't flower you want grow (blue - most optimal unless you have flowering trees) or hybrid (purple - second best) spectrum leds not flowering (pink - this spectrum has been replaced with hybrid by most companies).

Edit: Forgot to mention led manufacturers do not label lights with the correct wattage. Often times a 120w led light (cheap brad 1/3 even 5w chipset) will only use 60w of power and thus produce 60w worth of light. This is because leds can not run at max power all the time (the full 3/5w of each led) so efficiency is more like 50-75%.

This is the same light as you choose except in grow spectrum
http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-135-Watt-LED-UFO-Grow

As far as metal halide the following kit is a good option at half the price of an led and 3-4 times the amount of light (idk how many plants you have 400w may be to much? If so a 250 should do fine for a 2x2 or 3x3 area without tree's getting too leggy on the outsides. 400 should be good for 3x3 or 4x4' possibly more.

250w
http://www.amazon.com/Ulti-lumenx-P...705&sr=8-1&keywords=metal+halide+grow+kit+250

400w
http://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Hortic...4453515&sr=8-4&keywords=metal+halide+grow+kit

Hope that helps
 
Last edited:
Apologies if this is a stupid question, but is it the ballast or the bulb that will get the hottest? I'm looking for something high power, but I'm afraid the increased heat of the MH will jack the temperature up in my tent. If the ballast is the component that gets hot, but can stay outside of the tent then I might be in business.
 
thams said:
Apologies if this is a stupid question, but is it the ballast or the bulb that will get the hottest? I'm looking for something high power, but I'm afraid the increased heat of the MH will jack the temperature up in my tent. If the ballast is the component that gets hot, but can stay outside of the tent then I might be in business.
Click to expand...

The bulb is very hot
 
SlowMovingWaters said:
The words cheap and led do not belong in the same sentence. As many people have stated cheaper units have a tendency to burn out or half the led's stop working. At this point led's cost way more than other lighting systems per watt and they last the least amount of time before replacement or repair work is needed. For example a 250-400w Metal Halid or 300-400w T5's unit can be purchased on ebay all set up and ready to go for $100-150 (Except the tent which cost $50-150 depending on brand). As far as tents go I find them vary useful. The added reflection helps with better growth and no water leaks onto the floor should any get spilled. IMHO T5's are the best bang for your buck unless you have lots of taller tree's in which case the better upgrade from t5 would be metal halide.

Read through this site http://www.bonsaihunk.us/info/MetalHalides.html

http://www.bonsaihunk.us/info/LEDvsFluoresc.html

http://www.bonsaihunk.us/info/LEDvsFluorescll.html

To be fair the above led experiment appears to have been with a crappy light.

If you absolutely have to try out an led light and it must be under $200 then brand doesn't really matter because all the cheaper brands are pretty much the same.

Things to know

5w chips are preferable vs 1/3w chips.
For ficus since it doesn't flower you want grow (blue - most optimal unless you have flowering trees) or hybrid (purple - second best) spectrum leds not flowering (pink - this spectrum has been replaced with hybrid by most companies).

Edit: Forgot to mention led manufacturers do not label lights with the correct wattage. Often times a 120w led light (cheap brad 1/3 even 5w chipset) will only use 60w of power and thus produce 60w worth of light. This is because leds can not run at max power all the time (the full 3/5w of each led) so efficiency is more like 50-75%.

This is the same light as you choose except in grow spectrum
http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-135-Watt-LED-UFO-Grow

As far as metal halide the following kit is a good option at half the price of an led and 3-4 times the amount of light (idk how many plants you have 400w may be to much? If so a 250 should do fine for a 2x2 or 3x3 area without tree's getting too leggy on the outsides. 400 should be good for 3x3 or 4x4' possibly more.

250w
http://www.amazon.com/Ulti-lumenx-P...705&sr=8-1&keywords=metal+halide+grow+kit+250

400w
http://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Hortic...4453515&sr=8-4&keywords=metal+halide+grow+kit

Hope that helps
Click to expand...


Been there, read that ;)
 
LED is far more efficient and far cooler and last much longer without degradation.
 
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