Hairy Bob
Well-Known Member
LEDs are a contentious subject on here... Most growers deem them an expensive mistake to make, and for the time being they don't seem to have anything like the power of HID lighting, but those that choose to use them will hear talk of nothing else, LEDs are the future, you see, and anyone who says otherwise is a stupid doo-doo head.
That's the way most of the arguments I've seen seem to go anyway, on, and on, and on, without actually reaching a conclusion we can all agree on.
I have some first hand experience growing with LEDs, my veg setup is based soley on 600 of 'em hanging from a frame above the plants, LEDs on wires so they hang down all around the plants, always about an inch or two from the leaves, which is the way it needs to be with that type of lighting. You see pictures of plants grown under these boards everone uses, and the top 2-3 inch of bud looks fine, then below that all the leaves will be curled over and dark, 'cos the light just don't travel that far. The downside with doing it my way is that I have 600 LEDs to adjust, individually, at least once a week, and more often than not every few days, to make sure they still point directly at the leaves. But I like being with my girls, so it's ok, although in all honesty, they grow no better than under 110w of flouro, just uses less power (something like 12w).
I wouldn't dream of using them for flowering though, not until the technology has developed to the point where they will be either more powerful, or cheaper (current top end LED rigs are $600+) than HPS. The way things are atm, they have a way to go yet.
Now we sit back and wait for the LED advocates to storm in and tell me I don't know shit...
That's the way most of the arguments I've seen seem to go anyway, on, and on, and on, without actually reaching a conclusion we can all agree on.
I have some first hand experience growing with LEDs, my veg setup is based soley on 600 of 'em hanging from a frame above the plants, LEDs on wires so they hang down all around the plants, always about an inch or two from the leaves, which is the way it needs to be with that type of lighting. You see pictures of plants grown under these boards everone uses, and the top 2-3 inch of bud looks fine, then below that all the leaves will be curled over and dark, 'cos the light just don't travel that far. The downside with doing it my way is that I have 600 LEDs to adjust, individually, at least once a week, and more often than not every few days, to make sure they still point directly at the leaves. But I like being with my girls, so it's ok, although in all honesty, they grow no better than under 110w of flouro, just uses less power (something like 12w).
I wouldn't dream of using them for flowering though, not until the technology has developed to the point where they will be either more powerful, or cheaper (current top end LED rigs are $600+) than HPS. The way things are atm, they have a way to go yet.
Now we sit back and wait for the LED advocates to storm in and tell me I don't know shit...
i have no idea, but i did know lowes and depot sell 400w hps bulbs...