Skunnymonster's Multi-Strain Perpetual LED Grow

[b.real]

that looks higher than 18"? do they really run that hot? I ran a hot 150 watt hid 6" away from my plants and they survived. I moved it up to 12" and that was the sweet spot.

 

[budstep]

It's not the heat, b. It's the light intensity that might straight up kill the plant

 

[b.real]

no way is an led more intense than an hid. no way will that led harm your plants. you're losing light by having it that high.

 

[budstep]

From dormgrows website

Keeping the proper distance between your full spectrum LED grow lights and your plants is important to robust photosynthesis and growth. Your LED grow light provides the wavelengths of light your plants need for growth and flowering. ... grow lights are formulated to the photosynthetic activation radiation (PAR) wavelengths necessary for plant growth. Plants will reach for the much coveted light source just like they grow towards the sun in outdoor conditions. The general rule of thumb is to increase the distance between the top of the plants’ canopy and the light source as the light becomes more intense. This means that hydroponic LED grow lights of different power ratings will perform best at different distances

 

[budstep]

Another quote from dormgrow

Since LED grow lights emit 90% less heat than traditional HID lighting such as high pressure sodium or metal halide bulbs, your plants will not dry out or burn if you happen to place your LED grow light to close to your plants. However, your plants’ growth will be stunted if the light is hanging too low. Within a week you will notice that your plants are not experiencing robust growth and the leaves may become discolored. If you do experience this result, adjust by increasing the distance between your light and the plants

 

[skunnymonster]

that looks higher than 18"? do they really run that hot? I ran a hot 150 watt hid 6" away from my plants and they survived. I moved it up to 12" and that was the sweet spot.

I have it set at 2'6" at the moment and as budstep says, it's not heat but light intensity. This thing is seriously bright & way more intense than my 600w HPS

 

[b.real]

I wonder why that is? I emailed them.

 

[skunnymonster]

Let us know what they say

 

[tadlawid]

very interesting, i wait your return to see if i need to up my mars II.

thanks for your research guys

 

[NorCalRider]

I'm late to the party, but here for the duration. Looking forward to seeing how well your mars panel does. I still have to hang mine.

 

[skunnymonster]

You aint late mate, there is a long & boring veg stage to endure before the bud fun starts but I'll try my best to keep you all entertained

I think you'll be blown away with your Mars mate, I'm loving mine. Get yourself some shade 5 welding goggles/glasses though or you'll ruin your eyes.

 

[KingJohnC]

Professional UV Safety Glasses

 

[buysser]

NICE! LED compatible?

 

[b.real]

hi. I was wondering why the led should be hung so high? you say 16-24 inches for the 240 watt model. does this rule also apply if you're a fluorescent grower? how far should a fluorescent system be hung for best results? thanks.

"> Hi XXXXX,
> You can get the fluorescent system much lower because it is not as
> intense of a light as the G8LED grow light. Fluorescents can be be as
> low as 6inches.
> Best Regards,
> Daniel
> Dorm Grow LED"

so 6" for fluorescent lighting. got it. I ask because my grow area is only 3' high, and I'm thinking about switching to leds. this means that my plants would be about 6" away once they are in bloom. is that too close for an led?

"Yes that is too close. One way to mitigate this is to not let your
plants grow too tall and that can be achieved by using the G8-240
during vegetative growth and keeping the light fixed at the highest
point possible in your room. The plants will start growing wider and
bushier if you do not keep raising the G8-240 because they will not
have an incentive to reach towards the light."

________________________________________________________________________________________

personally I don't mind bushy plants. I don't know if it's actually ok or not to keep it 6" close. will it hurt the plants? that can't be possible from led lights? I don't know if I shoulder bother emailing asking the same thing again.

 

[budstep]

I have received recommendations from several led growers to not hang my 48x3w led closer than 12'' don't know how it would affect at 6''

 

[skunnymonster]

I've heard of LED's killing young plants from being too close but I've no idea how it happens. It can't be heat but maybe it's like we can get burnt on cool sunbeds by UV light, they get burnt from some or part of the spectrum in a similar way?

 

[skunnymonster]

Are they a green tint?

 

[PeeJay]

Three watt LEDs do not need to be as high above the plant as 5 watt LEDs. Still, you don't want to get closer than 12" because each individual LED is a different spectrum and the spectrums blend as distance increases from the light. That said, it is not a huge disaster if you get closer with 3 watt LEDs. Check out how close Chronic gets sometimes. I keep my 3 watt LED (128x3) 16" inches above the top of the plants. Damage occurs because one spectrum is blasting parts of the nugs close to the light with no mixing with the other spectrums.

 

[budstep]

good to know, I will still experiment with the hight of my lights and see what happens and how close they can get during this week.

 

[David Bowman]

I've heard of LED's killing young plants from being too close but I've no idea how it happens. It can't be heat but maybe it's like we can get burnt on cool sunbeds by UV light, they get burnt from some or part of the spectrum in a similar way?

Irradiation. The light from an LED diode is a focused light source and therefore more light energy reaches the plant than with a regular scattered light source. That energy can irradiate a plant's leaves enough to cause bleaching, burning, etc. if the LEDs are too close, even with temps in an acceptable range.