Led Users Unite!

[kush groove]

Will it cover my area?
anybody is using one that i can see how it performs?

check out the grows in my signature...........and dont be afraid to read a few pages back, im sure all your questioned would be answered

 

[jdizzle22]

Will it cover my area?
anybody is using one that i can see how it performs?

For an area your size you should probably prepare to spend a $1,000 or a little more if you don't want to waste much of that space. You should get at least 400w of LED (true wattage minimum, really I would say 400 is appropriate for a space half yours) in there (that would take 3 of those blackstars).

If my space had been that large I would go with a couple Spectra 290s or a few of the Spectra 180s (probably the few as there are a ton of advantages to having multiple smaller watt lights instead of fewer higher watt lights)

 

[wyteberrywidow]

For an area your size you should probably prepare to spend a $1,000 or a little more if you don't want to waste much of that space. You should get at least 400w of LED (true wattage minimum, really I would say 400 is appropriate for a space half yours) in there (that would take 3 of those blackstars).

If my space had been that large I would go with a couple Spectra 290s or a few of the Spectra 180s (probably the few as there are a ton of advantages to having multiple smaller watt lights instead of fewer higher watt lights)

Well thank you for that.So i guess i would have to buy a couple of blackstars then huh?
I will get one for now and i guess later on get a couple more..Thanks guys now ill stay in here to see some pics of led grows as they come

 

[meharmon]

One Blackstar will nicely light a 40 x 40 area with light, but the majority of its strength is under the panel so you may want to supplement CFLs in the corners and of course keep it as close as reasonable. I did some comparisons with a lux meter (which I recommend to everyone-- 20 bucks on Amazon! ) and found 3-7+ times as much light at the middle than at the edge of a 36" center at varying heights. If you can get 2, you would be doing very well for that size, but one will be a great start-- mine seemed to aim towards the LED during flowering even though the HPS was closer. If you call them and ask/tell/bargain you can get them for $250 shipped, probably a little cheaper if you're slick.
For a heat comparison, I picked up a 400W EFDL to replace the 400W HPS and running it along with the Blackstar is quite a bit less heat than the HPS put out, even though the induction is pretty warm compared to LED. The Blackstar only pulls 133W though, so less potential heat. You can find induction bulbs for just about $1/watt if you look.

 

[nickyp]

Check out my grow. getting tired of no traffic

 

[brosmoke]

Has anyone tried leds with a auto flowering strain if so how were the end results and would you rather grow a auto flower of non autoflowering plant after seeing the end rusults

 

[ChucklesD]

Has anyone tried leds with a auto flowering strain if so how were the end results and would you rather grow a auto flower of non autoflowering plant after seeing the end rusults

Personally I don't really like autos much. I don't suggest them for first time grows either. Every little fuck up shows in your yield.

 

[brosmoke]

Yea im just worthies about the led being able to penetrate the canopy and this will be my 4th grow but would be my first autoflower

 

[chazbolin]

Not all watts are created equal but they are charged equal as 1 watt in a machine might not have the same amps or volts as a watt in another machine, but you get charged by the KW hour at least in the US and as far as that goes a Watt is a Watt. There is no way an 150w HPS uses more electricity than a 720w LED unless that 720 is in name only and it somehow runs on less than 150w

I install medium to large commercial induction grow lighting projects and this so true but most people are not aware of it. How you're charged by the utility depends on the load. If the the load is resistive, like heating elements for example, the meter will accurately determine the draw since it's power factor is 1 or unity. This type of load meters perfectly.

However reactive loads such as those with electronics, ie digital ballasts, drivers, etc. that have not been power factor corrected will have a leading or lagging sine wave from the real 'effective' wave and this is referred to as apparent power. The utility bills us on apparent power consumption and it's never in the consumers favor.

Knowing the power factor of your loads, especially when there are alot of whatever it is you're running is important to long term energy savings. The best power factor, perfect power is a 1. Anything above a .95 power factor is excellent and you're being metered accurately.

Most LED panels have a power factor rating of .8. With just a few LED panels that does not represent a large penalty but when you install over 5 kW of connected LED load then power factor correction with in line capacitance will end up saving you 15-20% of the monthly utility bill by measuring Actual and not Apparent consumption.

 

[chazbolin]

I would have to agree a watt is a watt, which is why led's kick hps in the ass.......My bible says "By Tailoring the diodes' light spectrum to plant requirements, LED's can be more efficient PAR producers. HPS lamps deliver more total light per watt of input but led's are twice as efficient in PAR light as HPS lamps. That means a 200w LED can be substituted for a 400watt HPS lamp, and the 300watt LED can be substituted for the 600watt HPS lamp."

Oh yeah and you can also save on cooling....

Too narrow of a spectrum does not allow the plant photomorphogenesis which in the sun allows the plant to pull from all of the available spectrums as it seeks energy from photosynthesis.

When referring to the Emerson Effect it is the ideal PAR spectrum taken by the plant within the wider (not visible) PAR spectrums that let the plant achieve the Emerson Effect. Not the advertised narrow band widths that prevent that from occurring.

A well designed LED lamp array will widen the PAR ranges rather then narrowing them. And if the mfg does not produce a spectral emission curve with relative intensities at specific PAR ranges for their product then it's probably not worth your hard earned money.

 

[puffenuff]

Has anyone tried leds with a auto flowering strain if so how were the end results and would you rather grow a auto flower of non autoflowering plant after seeing the end rusults

I'm doing 2 white domina autos under my LED panel. Both are doing great and they're just now showing signs of flowering. As far as veg went, no problem with penetrating the canopy, lots of undergrowth. im expecting a healthy harvest soon, and ill update and post pics as time goes on. I personally like autos, I wanted a quick growing, short plant so it worked out nicely. The hardest thing about the autos for me was matching the plants growth with proper mix of nutrients since you have to follow the plants unique schedules instead of you being in controll of when they start to flower

 

[kush groove]

Too narrow of a spectrum does not allow the plant photomorphogenesis which in the sun allows the plant to pull from all of the available spectrums as it seeks energy from photosynthesis.

When referring to the Emerson Effect it is the ideal PAR spectrum taken by the plant within the wider (not visible) PAR spectrums that let the plant achieve the Emerson Effect. Not the advertised narrow band widths that prevent that from occurring.

A well designed LED lamp array will widen the PAR ranges rather then narrowing them. And if the mfg does not produce a spectral emission curve with relative intensities at specific PAR ranges for their product then it's probably not worth your hard earned money.

..................uhhhhhhhh what was that...........im sorry but i couldnt follow the jargon..........photomorpho-what and emerson who......way too much info for me, all i know is my led is kickin ass

 

[budlover909]

Too narrow of a spectrum does not allow the plant photomorphogenesis which in the sun allows the plant to pull from all of the available spectrums as it seeks energy from photosynthesis.

When referring to the Emerson Effect it is the ideal PAR spectrum taken by the plant within the wider (not visible) PAR spectrums that let the plant achieve the Emerson Effect. Not the advertised narrow band widths that prevent that from occurring.

A well designed LED lamp array will widen the PAR ranges rather then narrowing them. And if the mfg does not produce a spectral emission curve with relative intensities at specific PAR ranges for their product then it's probably not worth your hard earned money.

i smell marketing when people use big words that a quick wikipedia check shows theyre using incorrectly you can bet they talking nosnense

 

[dunit]

..................uhhhhhhhh what was that...........im sorry but i couldnt follow the jargon..........photomorpho-what and emerson who......way too much info for me, all i know is my led is kickin ass

There are spectrums other than just the four chlorophyl peaks that are important for plant health and most importantly flowering. For example, without properly addressing Phytochrome production the plant will stretch, waste energy and lose yield. Pretty much all the LED panels on the market will grow plants and produce bud but only the lights that properly address all the plants needs will produce the big results.

+rep Chazbolin

 

[jdizzle22]

There are spectrums other than just the four chlorophyl peaks that are important for plant health and most importantly flowering. For example, without properly addressing Phytochrome production the plant will stretch, waste energy and lose yield. Pretty much all the LED panels on the market will grow plants and produce bud but only the lights that properly address all the plants needs will produce the big results.

+rep Chazbolin

And I haven't seen a panel with more than 12 bands/wavelengths/spectras/whateveryoucallem, so if you get one with 12 and its 3w LEDs you should be pretty well set.

 

[kush groove]

i smell marketing when people use big words that a quick wikipedia check shows theyre using incorrectly you can bet they talking nosnense

Of course he is a salesman..............that was his very first post, and hopefully last
talking all that technical crap that you can read about but never see and understand with the naked eye
i looked up photomorphogenesis on wikipedia just for the hell of it and i dont feel any smarter.......i'll leave all the scientific stuff for the scientist

 

[kush groove]

There are spectrums other than just the four chlorophyl peaks that are important for plant health and most importantly flowering. For example, without properly addressing Phytochrome production the plant will stretch, waste energy and lose yield. Pretty much all the LED panels on the market will grow plants and produce bud but only the lights that properly address all the plants needs will produce the big results.

+rep Chazbolin

dunit ive seen your grow your led kicks ass and so does mine

all that is probably scientifically true but..........i mean..........c'mon really

 

[CoryTrevor]

Hi guys.

I've never done a grow before. I'm a total newbie and I have been cramming like I'm back in college to get as much information as possible on growing good green. I also want to keep power consumption down and not have to worry about venting heat - so I'm really interested in going the LED route.

I have a couple of questions.

First, I plan to grow in the basement. It can get as cold as 60F down there. I am planning on growing in some enclosure of some type - a grow tent or cabinet - but I'm still a newbie and I don't know a lot about them.

What I want to know is, if I plan to grow in some sort of enclosure in the basement, will the lighting I place in them generate enough heat to make my plants happy and warm?

Second, I am legally only allowed to grow 12 plants at a time. I plan to have a vegetative enclosure and a flowering enclosure. I also may be a caregiver at some point and potentially could grow 24 plants at a time. What size of enclosures for each do you think I should get?

 

[brosmoke]

Thanks alot I appriciate the input are you going to keep it under the led for flower?

 

[budlover909]

There are spectrums other than just the four chlorophyl peaks that are important for plant health and most importantly flowering. For example, without properly addressing Phytochrome production the plant will stretch, waste energy and lose yield. Pretty much all the LED panels on the market will grow plants and produce bud but only the lights that properly address all the plants needs will produce the big results.

+rep Chazbolin

fromwikipedia Phytochrome is a photoreceptor, a pigment that plants use to detect light. It is sensitive to light in the red and far-red region of the visible spectrum. led already covers that bro