lwc4,

It's a LED system AND it claims to be a full spectrum? Sounds like they don't know what they're talking about! LED grow lamp's energy saving come from being able to fucus only on specific part of the spectrum that the plants use the most and ignoring the rest that is not used as efficiently (like the green that gets reflected); usually a red and a blue combo. The resulting light should look purplish in colour.

There are some legit LED grow lamps out there that actually work, but there are way more that just don't measure up. The ones that work are still a bit on the expensive side though. There's a guy that's doing a whole bunch of tests with various LED grow lights. Check him out at www.greenpinelane.com

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: greenpinelane

I was wondering the same thing: on eBay i see these Red LED
Grow Lights (also see Blue, and Red/Blue mix). They seem
really expensive for what you get...i could get a bunch of
Red LEDs & build my own for less (thinking i might even try
it in the summer)

I'm new to this and for the past week, I've been reading everything I can get my hands on regarding LED in an effort to determine the best lighting solution. As best I can tell, most LED companies are greatly exaggerating the effective coverage area. It looks like, because you can place them so close to the plant and because of their focused spectrum, that you can replace an MIH with an LED of roughly 1/3 the wattage. But power is power (or should I say footcandles are footcandles??) and the empirical data seems to show that, despite the range focus, LEDs aren't great at the flowering stage. I'm thinking that I'm going to setup a combo of T5 + blue LED for growth and T5+ red LED for flowering.

Why is it that I can see absolutely no data on either the smartlamp or the procyon. the literature of the smartlamp claims the smartlamp spectrum is better, but we all know the plant lumen photoactivation spectrum is extremely broad. the pictures on greenpinelane.com look very scraggly. Any statement by the manufacturer that their spectrum is better means they are pulling your chain. I think this is a scam.
It will grow plants, but so far, it is not a replacement for HID. The only use for LED grows, is if you want to grow cannabis in a little drawer, or in a computer case, or for a novelty demonstration. please show me some real data to indicate otherwise, and some real grow pictures. Sativa.

Well I suppose a starting point would be the letter they have on their site from Agriculture Canada (the government research department) which you can see at the following link :

http://www.growrevolution.com/files/casestudy01.pdf

We will certainly have a better idea once greenpinelane finishes its tests.

Hi, they did not specify the wattage of the leds nor the wattage of the hps lamp they used. Absolutely no data is shown, and no details.
both HPS and CMH lamps, if run 12/12 will have a lifespan of over 4 years. pulse start metal halide will run continuously 24/7 for over 3 years before failing. Sativa.

Of course led plant lights are good. I would stick with patented products, hopefully made in the USA. 1 watt and 3 watt LEDs seem run too hot, even though lpl makers claim 'emits no heat', they still need fans to manage heat.
Consider adjusting your system to the new light source, replacing dual intensity (emitted heat and light) hps/halide lights indoors with a lpl, without adjusting water/wind/temperature/humidity/co2/nutrients, will render over illuminated over watered plants.......mthdmttrs lpl = led plant light

Here is a link that might be useful: Google it!!!

I bought mune off of e-bay for $22.00 and free shipping my herbs are doing better then when I have them outside during the summer. Last winter my planets where all dead by spring with a high doller "grow" light from a plant shop which cost me 4 times what I paid for the one from e-bay.

Skip the two different $22-$25 models on ebay are well known and have been around for a few years now, we've all tried them and figured out that they aren't good for anything except growing little tiny herbs, or to provide supplementary lighting to a real set of lights.

Just saying...

Whether these are good or not or worth the money depends on what you want to use them for. After viewing a couple LED grow lamps in action, they definitely have their applications. Most of the higher power models put off less heat than comparable powered MH/HPS bulbs and are more compact, allowing them to be placed closer to the plants. They focus most of their energy into the PA regions of the spectrum, making them more efficient for the amount of power being consumed.
That being said, the next question is, in what application you want to do use them? If you compare the transmission of the LED light through multiple layers of foliage, you'll notice that most of the energy is stopped within one or two sets of leaves, where as with a comparable HID light, there will still be some light shining through after several layers. So if you're planning to grow herbs or lettuce/vegetative plants in a small footprint, the LED grow lights are great. Fruiting plants will grow and eventually produce fruit to some extent in almost any lighting condition; however, the quality will not be optimum if sufficient light is not provided. That is where using LEDs to supplement other light sources would be useful.
Also, if you're relying on HID lights to augment the temperature in a colder area, the LEDs will not perform this function, requiring additional energy to be spent on heating. Not a concern for most people, but its something to consider when totalling the energy costs.

Bottom line: The LED Grow Lights have their advantages in certain applications, but are far from being a cure-all alternative to HID. As for buying lights on eBay or other bargain vendors, if the deal seems too good to be true, 9x out of 10 it is...

i am starting my first LED grow. I am growing two jalapeno plants in one 5 gallon sterilite tub (DWC).

the led array is a 150 watt WEX-C150, fan cooled and the following LED specs:
50% 660nm deep red
10% 630nm red
10% 600nm orange
10% 3500K warm white
20% 460nm blue

52 3w diodes total

the array is about 6" wide x 40" long and will cover an area about 18" x 48".

i look forward to the results ;)

will be putting them into the DWC tub this evening...

This is a very late post on my behalf but in a search of looking for grow lights to suit my purpose, this forum came up, perhaps someone can still help me with my dilemma.

I am building a new home and it has an indoor pool and I plan to place some plants like palms etc.. into a few darkish corners of the room and I have been trying to research what kind of LED's or other lights or globes I might need to provide these plants with sufficient or extra "daylight" to assist with healthy growth.

I have two groups of plants and each group will have a single light positioned onto the plants and I'm finding it hard to get the right advice for this application.

I was having simple downlights fitted in the pool room but the two lights for the plants will be on a seperate switch but I can change the two downlights to a suitable small spotlight if necessary to accomodate a specific globe like a halogen globe for example if it would be a better choice.

I have read up a bit on the globes that are supposed to have the required blue/red colours but I'm still most confused about what if anything I will need to keep these large plants healthy.

Most grow light information talks of small seedlings etc... with large fluros hanging directly over the plants and I simply don't want that kind of look.

Perhaps I don't need to do anything else for my plants but to provide them with sufficient light - PERIOD - without changing the down lights or having expensive "grow" lights but I just don't know and would like some professional answers, hope someone out there can help me.

Cheers,

Barbara

In general, light levels that are comfortable for people are probably not very meaningful to plants. Use some kind of light meter (phone apps work, dedicated meters are better) to get an idea of relative light levels outside on a sunny day (if you can approach outside shade levels indoors, you'll be doing great) and then where the plants in question are. Any full spectrum white LED spotlight with a color temperature of 5000K - 6500K will make most tropical plants happy, the brighter the better for the most part. You don't need special "plant lights" or something purple colored.

Not trying to dissuade you at all - love the idea of an indoor tropical paradise - but do be aware that palms are not the easiest plants to keep happy inside and may require some work on your part.

@rooftopbklyn,

Thank you so much for your response.

Your comments have been most helpful, as all I wanted was a simple solution and you have indeed given me that.

At least now I know that I can put in two spotlights instead of trying to find a globe only option for the downlights that will be in the room.

Perhaps if I was to leave the downlights on all day the light would have been sufficient but that's not what I want to do. I thought that dedicating a light per plant group will reduce the power costs and I may even organize a timer for each, as the electrician is doing the lighting right at the moment.

Currently all these plants are living crammed up at the widow that faces north and they seem to be flourishing but when they go into the corners where they are to "live" I need to be prepared.

Hubby won't be happy thinking I'm going to have lights on for some plants anyway ha-ha. His theory is don't have them if they need special care but a pool room, indoors at that, directly beside the lounge/kitchen/dining will in my opinion, be amazing visually and plants will simply finish the view.

Thank you also for your thoughts on the palms, I'm simply going to have to see what each plant thinks of being indoors in their chosen spots in not just the pool room but indeed the whole home, so there may end up being some shuffling or even burials ha-ha.

Regards, Barbara

@Barbara

We have a solution to your predicament! Our 20W LED Decor Pendant Grow Light, the Aspect, is the light you need. It is full spectrum lighting (blue, green, & red) and is perfect for your needs. Our light is made specifically for interior design purposes and will not give off the red & blue colors of a traditional grow light.

The Aspect also comes with the option of placing a lamp shade over it if you want to direct the light and/or if you want to match the colors and design of the pool room. At 3000K this light does not only aid in the growth of plants but supplies a nice ambient light to any room.

Although the LED lights have high initial costs they last much longer and use a substantially less amount of energy than CFL or HID lights. Our light is rated for 100,000 hrs of use and will save you up to $500 throughout its lifetime.

Let me know if you are interested as I can supply you with a coupon code for a discount!

Check us out at www.stsln.com/product/aspect

All feedback matters and we'd love to hear what you think!

Thanks,

Hi Chris,

Thank you so much for your response and also for the coupon offer, very generous indeed!!!

I'm afraid the pendants won't do for the look of the room, as I do want to keep the room looking normal being a pool room and was hoping that I could use a nice stainless steel spotlight arrangement that would allow me once installed, to move slightly into position if necessary, something I can't do with downlights which is what will be in the rest of the poolroom.

Do you have lighting or globes specifically that would work as I have described?

I have attached a picture of the small spotlight I hope to use.

Thanks again and I await your response.

Cheers,

Barbara