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LED lights.....ran across an interesting experiment

Finally some info on growing plants with LED's. Although disappointing that LED's did not perform as well as FL's, still noteworthy as an alternative source of lighting.
I ended up buying one of those mixed bulb led's. I will try it on some plants as well.
Peter.
 
dont think the above are perfect experiments.............would like to see what happens with the LEDs closer.....but thought it was interesting info so i posted it
 
the LEDs are WAY too far from the plants.
they should be right on top of the seedlings.
the floros are also to far away.
not a very scientific test, though interesting.
 
if yah read though thats what the manufacturer recommended for the LED's...........i to want to see what happens with the LED's closer...........terribly scientific? no.........end all proof LED's suck? no............only actual test ive come across thats half way controled? yes.........
 
the LEDs are WAY too far from the plants.
they should be right on top of the seedlings.
the floros are also to far away.
not a very scientific test, though interesting.

The test is still representative of the differences of LED vs Fluorescents being that both the fixtures were at distance from the plants which made them functional.
I think the main reason the manufacture recommends the distance they have with the LED light bar is due to it's design, it has to be at the 18 to 20 inch level for functional distribution. Moving it closer might increase the intensity directly under each cluster of LEDs, but then you would have a mix of hot spots and dark areas between the light clusters on the bar.
I was quite curious of these myself, I'm a LED fan but even with the recent advancements with high intensity LED's I was really skeptical of their capabilities with growing.
Maybe some day....but idunno, the math involved with lighting can be twisted and bend but the results will always be the same, you only get so much light per watt. Proper reflection is about all you can control to maximize a watt of light.
 
Out of interest is there anywhere in his article where it states the specifaction of the LEDs ?

To grow plants under LEDs you require alot more than just a bunch of random LEDs lol. I have just started off an experiment of my own after alot of research. On paper they should work but I have yet to see there effectiveness.
 
Just read part 2, very interesting. My one comment is it does not seem fair to compare a 4 tube fl fixture against the led's. Maybe only a 2 tube fixture would be a better test?

Another thought would be to use the fl and led in combination and to see those effects!
Peter.
 
My one comment is it does not seem fair to compare a 4 tube fl fixture against the led's. Maybe only a 2 tube fixture would be a better test?

heres my thought......if a $200plus LED setup cant compete with a 4 tupe flourecent setup but might with a 2 tube.....the LED's are a money pit andnothing else.......the LED set up he bought was suggested for a 1x3 foot area and moving the lights closer will only decrease this area....on 1 foot deep shelves, i use 4 tubes(18 inches deep i use 6).......if i have to dish out close to $500 to cover an area $25 worth of flourecents will do...........well i would rather dump my money into plants
 
  • #10
BTW if you run across any other experiments like this with LED's i really am interested in seeing them........as i said i dont think this iwas the perfect or end all experiment but its provided ME with enough info that i personally dont think LED's are worth dumping money into for an experiment at the moment....but i do want more data before writing them off completely........
 
  • #11
heres my thought......if a $200plus LED setup cant compete with a 4 tupe flourecent setup but might with a 2 tube.....the LED's are a money pit andnothing else.......the LED set up he bought was suggested for a 1x3 foot area and moving the lights closer will only decrease this area....on 1 foot deep shelves, i use 4 tubes(18 inches deep i use 6).......if i have to dish out close to $500 to cover an area $25 worth of flourecents will do...........well i would rather dump my money into plants
Agreed. However, given the increase in efficiency and longer life (vs fluor lamp & ballast), LEDs should command a premium. Once we get a test where the LEDs are close to comparable and have an idea of lifespan and energy savings, it should be easy to calculate a break even cost.
 
  • #12
However, given the increase in efficiency and longer life (vs fluor lamp & ballast), LEDs should command a premium.

very true......however i dont like the idea of fronting major omounts of money for what at the moment amounts to an experiment.......i REALLY do want to see more reports of how plants grow long term for "home growers" and not someone in a lab and see weither it becomes worth it to switch to LEDs. given my grow setup at the moment LEDs would have to last significantly longer than 8 years.......im currently only replacing maybe 4 fixtures a year and going through 2-$20 cases of lights for around 24 linear feet of shelf space(mix of 12 and 18 inch wide) so for an initial out put of around $160 for fixtures, ~$60 for bulbs and an annual cost of $80 for replacing bulbs and burned out fixtures and given my current setup doesnt affect my electric bill much..........its going to take a SIGNIFICANT amount of money to change to LED to cover the 24 feet of shelves so the fixtures, LED's themselves would need to last an aweful long time to make sence to me.

i WOULD like to try LEDs for growing Heli's though due to the lack of heat they put off........that sounds like an interesting possibility.....
 
  • #13
They need to re-do the test using those bright WHITE LEDs and move them much closer. Also, they should use regular florescent tubes instead of aquarium tubes or specialty tubes.
 
  • #15
Here is a link to a page dedicated to experimenting with different LED grow lights:
www.greenpinelane.com
Nothing scientific, but does show that LED lights can be used successfully- the plant chosen for the experiments being tomatos, which were grown on to produce fruit.
I agree about the insane initial investment required. They likely won't ever become an alternative for those using shop light setups, but as the technology improves they should become a viable replacement for HID lighting.
 
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