Light mixing

Hey i guys new to the game here and my question is Will my lighting work. I am gonna runa 225 red/blue smd led with a 70w hps and a single floro bulb keeping them 2 feet from plant with mylar all around and fox farm ocean forest soil.
 

squarefodder

Active Member
It's ok to mix the spectrums I do it. I mix an hps with diff led units. Go for it. However some led units should be closer to the plants then others. Sounds like the led unit you have should be very close to the plant if so you will have to future out how to use the unit without blocking the hps. This is easy to do if you hang the leds on an angle or use them as wall units for side lighting. Do you have a link to where you got the led unit?
 

MajorCoco

Well-Known Member
Sorry to tell you this, but that light is not going to give you good results. As you spotted...it seems kinda cheap, and there's a reason. It's only 45W...You can buy CFLs which put out more light for less money :(

Anyway, colour-wise it's fine, so it'll mix ok with more lights, but really it's hard for anyone who has used these low-wattage grow lights to recommend them over say 80W of CFL that might cost $30..

At least it's stomp proof though eh ;) (that you tube vid made me chuckle...I rarely stomp on my HPS, so I never considered being stomp proof as being LED's main selling point!! hehe)
 

squarefodder

Active Member
Return em or use em for side lighting. Not a very good promotional video either.....wtf? :wall:.

Do some research on this forum and you will see that you gotta pay to play with led.
 

IlovePlants

Well-Known Member
Red blue lighting is fun to mess with. Personally I would follow square fodders advice to the T. Use them as side lighting, hell they will be the wall. Red/Blue Leds work amazingly for side lighting because Chlorophyll rests on the outermost layer of cells on the leaf, and is activated on a more regular basis than carotene, anthocyanin, and xanthophyll. All are responsible for chemical reaction within the plant but Chlorophyll dominates outer tissues, meaning red and blue light, chiefly absorbed by chlorophyll a and b, are absorbed on the surface and their penetration is moot when used as side lighting because almost all of the light they produce will be absorbed and turned into sugars. Good luck with your grow sir! Check out LED flood lights to replace that ancient hps, you could even get an 80 watt light :o
Sincerely,
ILovePlants
 
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