LED placement and do I need more?

I

It'sTure

New Member
I've got a 4x4x6 grow box with a mylar bottom.

*able to expand to 4x8x6 if needed but shouldn't need the room

I have:
4x15 watt 3xred/2xblue LED blubs
1x15 watt 2xred/blue/green/white LED blub

*I'm being cheap I only paid $2-4/blub (eBay auctions) I know these blubs aren't the best and a $100+ UFO/profession LED wound be better but I'm not going for best production it's more of a hobbie.

Questions:
1. I understand LED's don't have very good leaf penetration so moving some of the lights to the side would be best. I'm thinking 1 on each side and rest on top (adjustable)? Should the sides be at different levels?
2. I noticed most professional LED lights have 90-200led watt's I only have 75 should I aim for more? My space is small and will have 2-3 plants.
3. Should I get a white blub or does mainly red/blue work? I read up on the PAR thing but it didn't really say if I needed a little white/other light.
4. Do I need ventilation? It will be in a basement that runs (winter) 60-78 (summer) degrees .
 
MajorCoco

MajorCoco

Well-Known Member
I'd boost your lumens with CFLs if I were you.

You aren't going to grow anything much under 75W of potentially rather dodgy LEDs. I grew using 2x very high-quality 85W LED fixtures (in my sig), and in the end I also used CFLs to add more light to that setup...and I'm no pro either :)
 
MajorCoco

MajorCoco

Well-Known Member
Placement wise...put the LEDs as close to the plant as you can. Where doesn't matter as long as your main branches are well lit. They should run basically cold to the touch yes? So you don't have to worry about the leaves being burnt touching them..

White light is always good to add. I used only white LEDs, and got great results..

Temps sound fine, although ventilation is usually just as important as it is used for removing the weed smell (with a carbon filter)..
 
I

It'sTure

New Member
MajorCoco said:
I'd boost your lumens with CFLs if I were you.
Click to expand...
How many lumens would i need?

I have around 3.5k lumens. If I add 2x15watt led blubs (white) it'd be just below 5k.

Found some 13watt CFL laying around (800lumens each) would two of them work?
 
I

It'sTure

New Member
I scanned over the topic (bookmarked it for latter) so he's used 188watt worth of cree led bulbs? Being white light were mine is mainly red/blue wouldn't the PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) be a factor?

I know I need more going add some (90-105w led + 2x13+watt CFL) and see how that works.
 
MarWan

MarWan

Well-Known Member
I think you will need 8000-10000 lumens per square foot for a grow thats worth watching, I could be wrong though :)

good luck
 
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