LED grow lights... input please.

[Blumen]

I'm with Opie Yutts there. Almost all of the led grows I saw messed up at some point or the other. I was reading pages after pages of good info and then there is a CFL involved, early flowering, change in nutrients, a friend took over for holidays and let them die, one yanked them out being paranoid, HPS got introduced to save the yield, etc. I would have been happy to just hear that it takes 2 weeks more to have the same yield, or something like that. Still I hope people continue to do their grows, at some point there will be semi-scientific data.

Blumen Reviewed by Blumen on 12-28-2007. LED grow lights... input please. Hello guys, I'm exchanging eMails with a representative from a LED company. I asked him if they could produce a custom light for growing, and here's what he told me: Our options are as follow: 940nm, 850nm, 660nm, 630nm, 610nm, 590nm 570nm, 530nm, 510nm, 470nm, 460nm, 400nm and a total of 64 LEDs in the bulb. Rating: 5

[nicobrau]

Hey whatsup ladies and gentlemen, this is my first post over here. Nice to meet you folks and forgive me if you sometimes dont understand something on my posts, English is not my first language.

I've read very intesting information on this board, and this thread especifically has stuck me around and made me think about all this LED stuff.

It seems that the main goal of this thread has been testing the LED system as the only sourse of light to the plants. In my undestanding, it looks like the theory of provide only the wavelength used by the plants makes a pretty good sense, but so far, the LED system doesnt seem to be working very consistently by itself, based in the results shown by some folks over here. But what about a LED/HPS combo system? Somebody has tried it all the way?

I have my little garden inside a 2'x3' wardrobe running a 400W HPS setup, which gives me a great amount of light, but also gives me a big pain on the ass to control the temperature when the ligth is on.

I was wondering how my crop would perform if I change the 400w for a 150, maybe 250w HPS and add to the system something like 4 to 6 of those 168 LED bulbs, w/ more blue or red depending on the plants stage.

I pretty sure that a system w/ a 150wHPS plus 6 of those LED bulbs would cut the costs on energy by the half at least, as well as the temperature generated. Less and smaller fans would be necessary as well as less exhausting cicles.

If the goal w/ the LED is to drop down operational costs and provide a better and easier way to control the heat, a combo system like that would be a half way to the ideal situation. At least until the LED technology be better tested and developed to be used all alone.

I got no money right now to change my light setup, maybe in a month or two. Meanwhile, I'd love to read any information about this kind of setup. Does anybody have any data about it to share?

PEACE!

[Opie Yutts]

I was wondering how my crop would perform if I change the 400w for a 150, maybe 250w HPS and add to the system something like 4 to 6 of those 168 LED bulbs, w/ more blue or red depending on the plants stage.

Hello and welcome to the forum. Thanks for your input.

I think that your idea is definitely doable. I would probably try 250W HPS from above, and then some bluish LED's around the sides. I think that if you spend enough money on the LED's the yields would be similar to your one 400W HPS. Please be sure to let us know how things work out if you decide to try LED's.

Are you German?

[luvfriday]

Here is a link to a grower on his 2nd try with the UFO, he got the maker to tweak one for him to start a 2nd grow using 70 Red/20 blue, and he currently has another experiment going on using the only competitor taking on the HID hut UFO. Granted they are using tomato plants or something but I was impressed he actually has the impressive grow log using several LED light kits.
Experiments with Hydroponics, Aeroponics, and LED Grow Lighting

[luvfriday]

posted below are photos and a grow diary. i dont know if this is what your wanting but it appears to be the most extensive work ive seen thus far - he observes that on his next LED proj he would req of the manuf hes working w to increase the amt of RED lights used to foster more flower development

we can do better than this kids if we all share what were doing and how its working as for me im ordering my 1st ste of OFO's this week and starting my 1st LED grow under thier currend BLUE matrix and will f/u by req that a more RED matrix be developed


Experiments with Hydroponics, Aeroponics, and LED Grow Lighting

oh looks like I was not the only one to find that site Did you order your UFO, I found out 2 days before Xmas they are totally out and the list runs into the first part of 2008

[Ziggy Stardust]

the above cited report - Experiments with Hydroponics, Aeroponics, and LED Grow Lighting - ends in part with this statement "im waiting for justin at HIDHUT to swap me out for a 70/20. i still believe this is a better mix...." apprerantly this is refering to a period earlier in the grow whereby he had some problems do to the lack of BLUE in the LED matrix. i did call Justin and asked him if his co. had obliged the greenpinelane.com researcher by producing the more balanced light requested. he responded by informing me that due to the input provided in this paper that the WHOLE line was tweaked to 70/20 with some changes made in the const of the UFO.

after throughly looking into this new product and looking at the DOZENS of pics, specs and charts provided by greenpinelane.com id have to reccomend the HID UFO tp all those intrested as just 2 of these in a 6x3 ft area would be more than enough to veg 6 plants. right now thier only looking at an "all around fixture" but in the future you can bet there will be - just as in HID lights - a spectrum for vegging and one for flowering.

i know the $$ is hard to swallow - especially when all you grow for is yourself but to those like me who grow for really sick people try to look at the upside:

1). MONEY - if you started growing more than a year ago you paid almost $200 for a HID ballast and if in your 2nd year youve already replaced your 1st bulb and if u bought a good one that was like $80 bucks - for a total of $160 now add an inexpensive reflector like an ECONOCOOL that was $150 - TOTAL is already $510 (and you still have to buy more bulbs every year)

2). ELECTRICITY - if your spending $300 a month in juice costs - that will go down to $50 bucks - over a year thats a $2500 savings (the cost of 4 UFOs and a few keggers of imported beer) AND remember thats just for lighting the lamps! dont forget the cost of

3). COOLING - the room during the summer and DEHUMIDIFYING (its these last 2 aspects that KEEP most cultivators out of the cycle during the summer months) ...not to mention electricity the added $$$ ...another EZ $100 a month

and i did also look at his end results and there were excellent

[Opie Yutts]

I'm tired of stats. Someone just make it so. And document it with photos.

[luvfriday]

I'm tired of stats. Someone just make it so. And document it with photos.

I was most impressed with the photos and grow logs done on nearly all LED lights on the market and some not yet on the market. I am also guessing this experiment is rather reliable as HID HUT changed the light to this guys recommendations.

Crap I am looking at the buy it now button but I want to see how that new competitor LED grow turns out.

PS- I have no clue what I am talking about, but the guy seems to know how to get his stuff growing and his 2nd UFO test with the 70/20 just got going on 12-28, while his other one for .....oh hell check it out he is saying his plants under procyon 100 doubled in size in 4 days (UFO competitor)

Experiments with Hydroponics, Aeroponics, and LED Grow Lighting

I would love to know your opinion Opie

[Ziggy Stardust]

oh looks like I was not the only one to find that site Did you order your UFO, I found out 2 days before Xmas they are totally out and the list runs into the first part of 2008

this is the drawback although you can prepay and get to the top of the list by maybe offering to buy a large # along w some other equipment as did our coop when we also ordered ebb and flo systems

THESE WERE SOME OF THE FINAL WORDS BY THE RESEARCHER found at Untitled Page

Experiments with Hydroponics, Aeroponics, and LED Grow Lighting ...this report is complete Opie and i would highly reccomend that you review it as it also COMPARES the cloest competitors the PROCYON 100 (at $600 w a slightly more blue matrix) and the LED Grow-Master LGM5 PRO (which apprears to be vastly cheaper although you have to wire it yourself and not anywhere as powerful using 100s of smaller weaker LEDs on seperate grids)

Blossoming continues on the center and right tomato plants. The plants have gotten pretty large. Much larger than they are supposed to be as they are advertised to be 9-12 inches. These things are approaching two feet. They're very hefty with lots of vegetative growth. The Florida Petite and Florida Basket in the center and right are blossoming the most. The Red Robin has a few but still seems to be more in the vegetative state. I've shut off the blue bulbs for a while to see if the increased red ratio will have any effect on blossoms.

Plenty of blossoms are stil dropping without fruiting, but more and more are seeming to fruit. I don't necessarily think blossom drops are necessarily a light problem. There are thousands of other reasons for this inside of course. Hey, this is my first attempt with these particular tomato varieties and using the UFO for the first time.

Overall I'm pretty happy with the performance of this light. One thing the UFO can do for sure is grow big tomato plants. I'll continue to try different nutrient formulas for the blossoming stage. To tell you the truth, I'm not quite sure exactly what this'll take and the experiments will continue. Hopefully soon, the 70/20 Red to Blue UFO will arrive. I'm hoping I made the right guess. I'd like to see if I can avoid using extra blue bulbs and have a 100% UFO grow nest time.

as ive stated befor if you can endure the price this is it maybe next year the $$$ will come down....and all the pics a person could want are there as well

[Opie Yutts]

Thanks Ziggy, I've been watching that from nearly the beginning.

Tomatoes - Yes
Big Dank Nugs - Still not convinced