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01-09-2008, 07:16 PM #11
Junior Member
LED grow lights... input please.
I have 14 of those 168 led red/blue mixed bulbs. They are bright, but at the cost of no lateral dispersion; a 5" round array expands to only 24" @ 10' (probably the 15° viewing angle version).
My first attempt was to make a flat grid with a 2.5" gap between staggered rows of bulbs; this was a failure as even 4' away only the area directly under the bulb/array was illuminated.
So I then remounted them so each bulb was touching the 6 adjacent ones; better but only the bulbs directly over the plant were contributing.
Next was an arcade so that the arrays on the sides could be directed at the plant itself; better but the end bulbs were wasted.
My final configuration was/is a cupola affair with 10 bulbs (1680 low power leds) focused on a single plant 5" away from the face of the arrays. There are 2 arrays pointed straight down and the other 8 are individually aimed at a specific spot on the plant and physically placed as close to the top 2 as possible. The entire plant is now well illuminated and flowering strongly, how dense the buds will be is anyone's guess.
To say that this low power led application is cost effective would be a sorry joke, but clearly it is possible even if it cannot be recommended.
Understand that I have the highest possible density of low power leds in 4 sq ft that are illuminating 1 sq ft, so it is also NOT space efficient.
Anyone wanting to use leds should look at the high power ones and bear in mind that commercial panels are far too weak for effective plant growth.
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