Led verse other lighting

okay everybody i am very interested in leds such as the mother ship from hid hut. i have heard that they are just as
strong as a 1000 watt hps but i am wery. so can anybody post some during growth and post harvestn to show the effects of growing with led(s) any brand or watt doesnt have to be a specific model. i would like to see differences in the plants
peace

California light works has a great one on sale for $599, if I was growing more then the small amount I need I would get one.

when you say small amount... how many plants were you growing? what was your yield? and what light did you use?

It's tough to replace a 1000 watter with LEDs from what I've seen, particularly in the flowering room. LEDs work best in certain situations and to replace a 1K usually requires changing your growing habits and a significant outlay of cash. Bottom line, if you want to grow trees with LEDs it's going to cost you. Check out grows by Endur0xX, puffenuff, Beefbisquit and The Dawg to see people growing larger plants with "big" LED panels. Good Luck!

appreciate the input fran,
could anybody be more specific as to what leds they have used in the past setup and the yield they have achieved with them

The most accurate measurement of a lights output power pertaining to growth is the amount par light. This is measured in micromoles of photons per meters squared per second(umol/s) from the light within the par spectrum. Even though an 1000w hps puts out slightly higher par than most LED's, only about 70% or so of that light is used by the plants. This is where LED's are more efficient and productive. They focus on only the areas(blue, red, and little white) of the par spectrum to maximize growth, letting the plant us over 95% of the emitted light. The higher the par output, the more intensity the light has to penetrate with no matter what type of source...all light follows the inverse square law...twice as far away gives 1/4 the power.

I use 2 Apache techs...I love them and so does my monthly bill. Just finished my 4x4 tent with 10 plants in 2 gallon soil. one week veg...1.43oz/plant yield. Emerald triangle's super sour OG...very short , no stretch...shouldn't have toped them they were so short but good yield anyways. Each light has 120w of leds pul 2 fans and drivers, pull 158w each so only just over 300watts.

Par Outputs to Know
The Sun = about 2000umol/s
1000w hps = 1700 umol/s @ ??? no distance stated. My own testing shows about 1540+ with my lumatek 1000 and the quantum meter @12"
Apache Tech LED = 1050+ umol/s @12"
Optimum Par level for average plants = 500 umol/s...we all know our special plant wants more than this.

good info, has anybody done a larger scale grow? near 1500-2000 watts? of led

There is more to consider than just comparing the yields. I have a 1,000w HPS and I have two double sets of LEDs, blues and reds. Of course the LEDs are much cheaper to run and they are much much cooler which is a serious consideration if you live in the south where I did. They did an outstanding job for vegging, not so much for flowering, so the bottom line for me is to veg with the LEDs and use HPS for flowering. i would use the LEDs as side light but it's not needed.

Not yet...I am doing a 10x10 room with 12 apache's next. But half the room will be seeded with mixed strains for my breeding project so result will be little different. I started w/ the 2 lights and became a believer...then just got 10 more to fill the room(merry christmas to me)...thinking about going 16 but if half is seeded I didn't want to spend that much. No more hps and high bills is my goal. I'm fully committed now.

tags420 said:

Not yet...I am doing a 10x10 room with 12 apache's next. But half the room will be seeded with mixed strains for my breeding project so result will be little different. I started w/ the 2 lights and became a believer...then just got 10 more to fill the room(merry christmas to me)...thinking about going 16 but if half is seeded I didn't want to spend that much. No more hps and high bills is my goal. I'm fully committed now.

Click to expand...

do your leds plug in the wall?
whats your energy bill like, or moreless whatwould you say each unit is going to cost you per month?
im concerned my yield wont be as high as compared to hps even if i went with equiv wattage

Ya 120v plug and play. I ran 2 lights @ 315 watts. Cut my bill in half on just lighting(had 1 600w before in there) but I don't run my fans as much so it was super low. Ave pg&e is .23$/kwh for me.
12 $/month per light.
If you went watt for watt with any of the top 3 to 5 LED companies against hps's, the led's would definitely out yield, but we want to save money, grow more, and better all at once. The good led's cost some cash upfront but the are worth it and getting better quickly.
I am modeling my room after a guy who's finish product was all I saw but now I see he wasn't lying and it can be done with these. I plan on 25-30 plants (full legal medical grow) to yield about 3oz per using about 1500w of pure led. I know hps could beat that but it would make it all worth it. Shooting for 5+/- out of the room.

sounds good. im stuck whether to dish out the money for two 500 watt leds
or 2 600 hps?
im going with 28. in 2 gal pots but prolly going to go 12/12 from seedling
also im wondering on yield production on using 12/12 from seed with leds
more info would be greatly appreciated.

Depends on what led's and space to cover. I want to veg to 18" and have a room that look exactly like a hps room would as far as size is concerned. Probably be about 3 weeks then flip...but all clones so no help