Lighting Can't Choose the Right LED For Me

[Magic]

Here's another light claiming to bring the sun indoors http://www.mkbenergy.com/#!horticulture-and-growing-/cu7t the thing I don't get is why waste so much light? Yes plants need a little of the spectrum between red and blue but not much....here's some diagrams to demonstrate.

This is 5000K White from the MKB light above.

This is from the Spectrum King site.

Here is photosyntheses peak absorption wavelengths.

Do you see where I'm coming from?

He cant get that light bro unless he flew to America
http://www.mkbenergy.com/#!how-to-order/cssj

 

[The Elvis]

I totally get it tang and GN gets what your saying to thats why they made their LED this way. I just don't think I can spend the big money when GN wins the race and I cant use one.. none of the led panels talked about here has drivers anywhere close to the ones GN uses and thats good for UK bad for US. Id like a 400 watt solar storm using GN drivers!:Sharing One:

 

[pop22]

Early technology is always expensive. PCs once cost $4000 for a basic unit. LED grow lights are still in their early stages of development. All this tech you see now will be "old tech" in 3 years. So people, buy lots of these lights, it will make the ones I can afford get better too! :Sharing One:

 

[TaNg]

He cant get that light bro unless he flew to America
http://www.mkbenergy.com/#!how-to-order/cssj

Wasnt really recommending it as its not out until the summer I was just saying its a similar approach the the Spectrum King and raise the question about the spectrum.

 

[The Elvis]

after alot of consideration I think ill just get 1 mars 2 900 and pair it with my 400 HPS and upgrade to a eye Hurtilux HPS bulb and call it a day.. I need the LED for summer growing to keep the heat down.. and spend the rest of the money on beans!!

 

[Corgy]

Wasnt really recommending it as its not out until the summer I was just saying its a similar approach the the Spectrum King and raise the question about the spectrum.

Spot on, why waste energy on parts of the spectrum that is not really needed by plants. Suppose it is good marketing to drone on about the sun and "natural" daylight (as opposed to nightlight or whatever, as if there is such!), a portable sun, created by a $25 billion company........what company?......more (or not) on twitter https://twitter.com/MKBenergy/media .........pure hype IMHO!

The Hi-Optix 1000 is apparently available now, whereas it is a Hi-Optix 2.0 that is available from June 2015, although what that upgrade means is not mentioned.
Ah, and hanging height "Typically used formounting heights of 40 feet (12m) or higher" http://media.wix.com/ugd/78ce6a_9ee2f006ec8141da898351f9130fd753.pdf .....anyone with a grow room that tall ??????? suppose it is good for a bit of stretching......blimey!

If power efficiency, both stealth and cost-wise is important, I would give this light a wide berth.

 

[Balarama]

..the thing I don't get is why waste so much light? Yes plants need a little of the spectrum between red and blue but not much....here's some diagrams to demonstrate.

Because as it seems spectrum influences a plant's metabolism - the intake of nutrients(CalMag defficency, anyone?) and even gene expression(results in cannabinoid/terpene production).
Also I heard from long time growers the phenotypic expression varies depending on light(spectrum).

So in my mind there's no waste of photons in this case, simplified PAR charts should be more precise to each of plant's varieties. Remember, not only cannabis can be grown under lights


I imagine a thought experiment(because an actual exp would cost a lot od time and mony):

Breed some(up to F10 - F15) generations of a strain under leds only(blue+red peak), take the F16(or less) outdoors on the sun(first time on full spectrum after 15 generations).
Will it get burnt or will it thrive? I guess the first would happen.
Another version of this would be to compare a line bred to at least F6 under lights, side to side, full spectrum vs. optimised par spectrum. I believe the F6's would be different.

 

[TaNg]

Because as it seems spectrum influences a plant's metabolism - the intake of nutrients(CalMag defficency, anyone?) and even gene expression(results in cannabinoid/terpene production).
Also I heard from long time growers the phenotypic expression varies depending on light(spectrum).

So in my mind there's no waste of photons in this case, simplified PAR charts should be more precise to each of plant's varieties. Remember, not only cannabis can be grown under lights


I imagine a thought experiment(because an actual exp would cost a lot od time and mony):

Breed some(up to F10 - F15) generations of a strain under leds only(blue+red peak), take the F16(or less) outdoors on the sun(first time on full spectrum after 15 generations).
Will it get burnt or will it thrive? I guess the first would happen.
Another version of this would be to compare a line bred to at least F6 under lights, side to side, full spectrum vs. optimised par spectrum. I believe the F6's would be different.

I've seen HPS growers get calmag problems so I don't think Red rich LED spectrums are to blame,I personally think it's the amount of light hours that Autos get that cause Def.
i know plants need some photons from the 500nm wavelength range ie green/orange/yellow but no where near as much as red and blue so here lies my confusion.
You may get nice weed for the white spectrum but a dialed in spectrum developed for photosynthesis will be much more efficient.

 

[Balarama]

Well, I gotta agree with you mr Tang
My point was - I'd rather have some extra photon my plant may need(or not) compared to reduced spectrum(par approximated) which may lack some of the necessary wavelenghts.
Sun spectrum emulation is a good way to do it in my opinion, at least until more sophisticated ways of "par adaptation" will be incorporated in next gen leds(with extra sensors and stuff...).

Cheers

 

[americano56]

Big Thanks to everyone that gave their opinions about the lights! The search goes on! Here I thought I was on the right track and had narrowed it down to 3 lamps, now I think I will start over. The thing is, I am sure most of these lights do just fine, I mean, I have a small FERO 6 Spot light that I bought 2 years ago and I have been very happy with it, always really hard dense nugs. I would call this light one of the sort of middle range ones, but it does do really good. After the Fero I bought a progrow 400 thinking that it would be a better investment but I was wrong about that so far. Veg is super long and flower...OMG it has been 2 weeks since I switched to 12/12 and the flowers are JUST starting to form, so really slow in flow as well. As soon as I get a new light the progrow will be sold because I am really unhappy with it! The GN lights have a great rep as far as I have read but I never really understood why they put there leds the way they do, on the side and not right in the middle, seems like a funny way of going about things. It is true though, for the price of one PlantPhotonics light I could get 2 GN lights, too bad they don't make a bigger model. I have about 1 square meter to light and I want some real intense light so I can grow some sativa strains out. The guy from PlantPhotonics sent me a link to a manufacturer in China that makes the exact same light as the sunlight spectrum king for a 10th of the price which told me that they are just a bunch of liars. This is why I turn to the people that can be trusted, the growers!!! Check out the link http://www.joled88.com/product/class/?145.html and see for yourself. A part of me says that I will just buy from the Chinese company and call it a day, their leds are CREE which is a plus!
BTW, I don't think I said it but I am in Europe! Spending this type of money for a LED will cost me a huge amount in import taxes, I think I paid 45 euros for the progrow which only cost me about 566 US dollars so I don't really want to give my money to the tax man again if I can avoid it, but, I am willing to pay the price if the light works so well it is worth the extra buck!