orangesunshine said:
thanks for your input PJ---could you tell a bit more on why you be 16" from the canopy if these leds do not need to be air cooled---is that for light foot---how bout growing any indys or do you only run the sativas---what about time frame---does it take longer grow under the led or can you expect the same weight for the same time growing under a led vs. the same time and watt hps
As far as time frames I have seen no difference although I have seen this question asked several times. And if I am just keeping it real, not quite sure where the logic is behind that at all? If a plant takes x-days to flower under HPS, what would cause a plant to change it's times under any other "High Intensity" light?
As far as "Why 16" minimum?" In a word Bleaching. While the main sun leaves will fry like nobody's business, before that ever happens if you have flowers it will turn them white, and I mean snow white. I had reports from a grower that this was just major trics. Couldn't have been further from the truth. It will make the smoke taste like burnt wood and pretty nasty. Potency is also compromised ten fold.
I have some plants that require I am closer to 2 feet above the canopy, and some will let me get within 12", but as a rule I am generally at 16 or so inches.
Couple of facts about LED lighting, and again I am not talking ALL LED products. I am talking about the ones that I have. LED's produce roughly four times the "Usable" light per watt as compared to traditional grow lights. Many LED suppliers argue that a 200watt LED is equal to 800 watts of traditional grow light power . A more realistic rule of thumb however is 1:2
JustAnotherAntMarching said:
What up Nephew.
ozzydiodude said:
Your the second person I talked to that was using the LEDs higher and not 2 or 3 inches from the plants. that maybe the key the light peak spectrun wise might not be close to the diode
I went in to some detail about why you have to keep these higher above, but you do have a point here as far as the spectrum. "Most" not all LED in the past have been built with single color diodes under each lens, or glass. Mine are that way myself. That said, good chance I will be testing some new 15watt "mixed" spectrum single diodes made by another company here in the US within the next year, and I "think" this will be the next big break-thru in the Tech and future of LED's for growing.
I feel like when that happens HPS will fade away in to the past forever, except for all the stick in the muds who know better that want to settle, "If they have ever reached it at all" a GPW.
Personally, I'm striving for 3GPW myself and I'll do it at half the cost.