LED LIGHTS
 

I recently purchased some led light bulbs and was impressed with the white light output. Has anyone tried them for seed sprouting and propagation?

Jon

I recently got a couple of new LED fixtures from COSTCO for seed starting. They are 4100 K which is not ideal (I definitely prefer the color temperature of 6500 K fluorescents) but the light output is excellent at 4000 lumens - the fluorescents top out at about 3850 iirc. If I get any more though, I will hold out until I can find some into the 6500 K range.

So far so good with my lettuce and greens though, they seem to like it well enough. :)
I doubt I would ever go to the "plant light" LED's which turn everything pink-purple. I find it really harsh looking, compared to the white lights which I like well enough even into the cooler temps. So I think the plants will have to put up with something I can tolerate, if we're going to share space. Also I find it very pleasing to see green things under white lights. That is at least half the reward for me, the pleasure of looking at their green-ness. That enjoyment would be totally destroyed under lights that make them look sick to my eyes! :? :no::roll:

If they have the equivalent wattage output I dont see why not.

I think everyone that is interested in this sort of thing needs to go on line and buy a prism.
Remember these things from school?
This will show what kind of light these things are putting out.
[IMG]https://i.stack.imgur.com/xZbAg.jpg[/IMG]

A CD will work too but harder to use.

Worth

Yes, I've used LED lights for 2 years. My stuff sprouts & grows. I'm currently growing out an F1 under lights this winter; it's healthy & producing. Here's what I use, nothing fancy:

[URL]https://www.amazon.com/Feit-Electric-Utility-Shop-Light/dp/B01MUWR6DT?SubscriptionId=AKIAJSNNUHPJD2BBMSFA&tag=shoplights-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B01MUWR6DT[/URL]

They never get hot; if they touch the leaves it's ok.

Nan

I'm using cxb 3590 COB lights,they work very well and cost less to run,and don't dim with age like the t-5s,and they are dimmable, awesome lights.

Thanks for the replies and keep them coming.

[QUOTE=biscuitridge;682220]I'm using cxb 3590 COB lights,they work very well and cost less to run,and don't dim with age like the t-5s,and they are dimmable, awesome lights.[/QUOTE]

Did you build it yourself (either via the loose parts or one of the kits found online) or buy a completed light/frame?

Last year I raised my seedlings under the light I described in post #33 of the following thread: [url]http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=40203&page=3[/url] I really couldn't have been more pleased with the results. The price of this fixture has come down( I've seen it for $27 recently), and what appears to be the identical fixture is also offered (for more $) by Honeywell and someone named OOOLED. Highly recommended!

Yes,I built it myself, right now I have a 2.5 lb tomato ripening under them ,will pick very soon and then will weigh it.

[QUOTE=biscuitridge;682239]Yes,I built it myself, right now I have a 2.5 lb tomato ripening under them ,will pick very soon and then will weigh it.[/QUOTE]


[B][SIZE=3][FONT=Garamond]Very nice![/FONT][/SIZE][/B]

I grow everything under LEDs. I grow quite a few indoors under lights year-round. Last summer I replaced all my 6500K T5HO fluorescent tubes with direct replacement 5000K LED tubes. As I made the replacement I compared the power consumption and the light output as read by a light meter. The LED tubes use about 1/3 the power and were about 10% brighter. (The T5s were 2-3 years old, so had probably dimmed some). LEDs are even more efficient if you remove the ballast from the T5 fixture and use the tubes that run without it – but I didn’t want to do that much work.

The plants do as well under the LEDs as under the T5s from sprouting through maturity.

I decided to go cheap on a few shelves and tried the 4’ LED work lights sold by Costco (Normally $27.00 – sometimes $19.99). They are two-tube fixtures – 4000K and 3700 lumens per fixture. I mounted three fixtures over each shelf. I now start all my seedlings under those and they seem to do OK. I took this photo today. These seedlings in the photo below have only been under those Costco lights and seem fine to me.

These are micros and probably look better than full-size plants would as these stay very compact and don't get leggy. Also, I grow these and select using these lights, so I am naturally selecting for those that do OK under these lights.

Your mileage may vary.

How many hours/day are the lights on?

When growing competitively I run them 16hrs on and 8hrs off.

[QUOTE=Soilsniffer;682677]How many hours/day are the lights on?[/QUOTE]

I have them on 14 hours/day

I use a powerful LED panel (Fovitec StudioPRO - 1x Daylight 1200 LED Panel) to start seeds indoor with great results. The panel is meant to be used for videography and is not very practical for horticultural purposes since you can get an LED grow light for less.

I would think that you would need quite a few LED bulbs to to create enough light to grow strong plants. Also, consumer bulbs tend to be in the warmer part of the light spectrum (2800K-4000K), although daylight bulbs (5000K-6500K) may work better.

There are smart phone light meter apps that will give you some idea of the light intensity at various distances from a light sources, and you can compare it to sunlight, shade, etc. I use Lux Meter (Light Meter) by My Mobile Tools Dev and Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite Pro
by Vieyra Software Tools, both for Android.