New Grower What type of lights is everyone using?

[Mike Smith]

I am growing in a small space, nether the less, I am using 3 large CFL's. A mighty 250 red and a 200 Blue/Red come purple (an all rounder) + a 125 Blue. results are good, with good plant photosynthese reaction all round.

Above, a 200 watt purple CFL (They are over a foot long)

What lights are you using?

 

[Montag]

2each 125W CFL's, 1each 250W HPS/MH switchable, 1each 400W HPS/MH digital switchable

 

[Northern Grower]

I usually veg with a 400 mh. Flower with a 600hps. I love my 600! Personally i'll use it over a 1000.

 

[AutoMan]

I veg under T5....flower/finish under 400 hps + 150 hps + 6 - cfl....

 

[Muddy]

I sex autos under a 175 watt MH, then transplant and move the females to either a GLH 180 watt LED or a 600 watt HPS.

 

[Mike Smith]

What is the LED's like ?, I was in two minds to go LED or CFL. I know that my CLF's put out a shed load of light, and they don't put off heat allowing me to have then close to my plants. I currently have a 200 purple hovering about 4-5 inches from the top of my Blue Himalaya in the grow room, the plant is 4-5 weeks and is showing 14 bud positions.

 

[Mike Smith]

From Science mag: First, just use red and blue LED's. There is no need for UV LED's and they may actually harm your plant. IR does absolutely nothing to help either. Plants reflect green light therefore they do not absorb any energy from that spectrum. Yellow LED's are meaningless in this application. Here is a picture that describes how the absorption of electro-magnetic energy (light) into atoms works. As you can see the color we perceive as green actually absorbs the red and blue spectrum. (Note red and blue LED's should be used) What we see as black is a result of atoms absorbing the entire visible spectrum, not reflecting much light at all. This brings me to my next point, if you want to build your own fixture, and make it better than one you would buy at the store, install potentiometers to control the red light circuit and the blue light circuit independently. Place something white behind the plant. Then dial it in until the plant appears black, but the white object you placed behind the plant is well lit, as white absorbs no electro-magnetic energy. This will ensure your ratio of red and blue light is perfect for any plant. I would suggest that once you find the the right balance, dial up the intensity equally to both circuits to maximize your light output. I guess this raises the question, Are leaves really green? We see them as green only because they do not absorb that spectrum of light. Are they red and blue because there atoms absorb the red and blue energy? hmmmm...... More of a philosophy question I guess. Color is an anthropocentric property and anthropocentric properties are unreal properties, therefore colors are unreal properties. (just energy we perceive as color)

 

[Muddy]

I'm now on my third grow with my LED and I'm sold on it. Getting good yields of big, hard, tight buds. Big issue for me was heat in my small area and the LED solved that. With a 400 watt HPS temps were getting up to 105 degrees. Now they consistently stay in the high 70s with my exhaust fan running on low, so also reduced the noise.

What is the LED's like ?, I was in two minds to go LED or CFL. I know that my CLF's put out a shed load of light, and they don't put off heat allowing me to have then close to my plants. I currently have a 200 purple hovering about 4-5 inches from the top of my Blue Himalaya in the grow room, the plant is 4-5 weeks and is showing 14 bud positions.

 

[Mike Smith]

Extra lower foliage lights

I have been investigating getting light to the lower parts of the plant to facilitate lower bud density and development. With a small space and many plants, I have been considering dangling regular CFL's down in-between the foliage with a plastic tube around the light coupled with red plastic warped around the tube with elastic bands. They would cost very little to install and run.

 

[Mike Smith]

Doubling up with LED's

I am growing in a double breasted wardrobe/closet, and I have been thinking, that if I place a shelf in half way up and use LED panels, I could grow twice as many plants again. I only when down the CFL road due to price and convenience, and also, not knowing much about the LED scene.