LED vs. HPS

[akaman]

Originally Posted by HydroGrowLED

I'm running a grow test right now of my 126W against a 400W Hortilux Blue, using tomatoes. Everything was planted the same day.

i'm going to follow this being i'm using a 150 watt hps. 1 question tho, is growing lettuce the same as growing a mj plant?

[TorturedSoul]

Lettuce does not require intense light to produce a decent crop.

But most tomato plants love the sun. That is a good plant to use for experimentation purposes. Perhaps a sea of red lol.

[HydroGrowLED]

Originally Posted by TorturedSoul

Lettuce does not require intense light to produce a decent crop.

But most tomato plants love the sun. That is a good plant to use for experimentation purposes. Perhaps a sea of red lol.

Here's a customer testimonial on our 63W light against a 150W HPS:

"So I'm just wrapping up my first grow with your 63 watt light. I replaced one of my sunsystems 150 watt HPS with the led light from start to finish of my flowering stage and after two months the results are in and they are WOW penetrator could't be a better name. Not only did I get way denser prodution but I've got much bigger nugs all the way to the bottom of the plant. Were I was getting little popcorn weighing maybe .1 I've got buds that way upto 1.4 I don't care who you are but that's huge. Can't wait toget my next light and rewplace both lights!!!

Thanks a lot I'll give you some exact numbers on weght when I'm all done drying.
Grow area is 3' x 3' secret jardin darkroom grow tent

Last grow was 2 150 watt hps
This grow 1 150 hps and 63 Penatrator

Both times using botanicare nutrients with canna suplemnets and some humboldt gravity in an aero table

Last grow was a 3.5 ounces
Let you know in a week about this time but let's just say its a crap load more

Sorry didn't send any pics my camera is garbage doesn't do any justice to the light or product"

[Techhead]

Well the harvest is done, picked and dried, First let me tell you how much space I'm trying to fill. My bloom aria is only about 3.5' square, and 2' high. As I said before I'm lighting it with three pannels, each with 26 red, 8 deep red, 6 blues, and 6 cool whites five watt LED's with a total power at the LED's of 390 watts. Here's what I got from it all. My plants were Black Domina, and the buds looked great, but when dried they didn't have the full tight buds I was getting from my 400/600 combo light, and they were not as sticky as they should have been. The smoke is good, but not as good as I remember. I got a total of 10 Oz when I used to get about 14 Oz. but about the same volume.
Now I've read that UV is good for reson, and that's what is missing, so on to the next step.
I was thinking of running five watt UV's, but they cost a fortune each, and I would have to upgrade my power supply, which I did leave open for just such an upgrade, but, I desided to go a lot cheaper. So I'm going to use some of the T1 3/4 style LED's, and use 18 per pannel. They only need 30 mA to run, with a breakover voltage of 3.4V to use the 63V in each line. My power supply can handle it with no problem, and no upgrade. I kept running into the same problem with UV's, that is the narrow beem of output, but I did find them at 30 degrees. Point is, with high power 5 Watt units I didn't think I could cover the area very well with them unless I put in a butt load, but I can cover my space with a butt load of the cheaper T1 3/4 size. The ones I bought have a wave leanth of 405nm I hope that's a good frequency.
So I'll try again, and let you know how it works in a few months.
By the way, even though my buds didn't have the substance, they were every bit as big as I used to get, just not as thick, so I believe I'm on the right track. I also know I got far more from this 390 system than I ever did when I was running a 400MH only.
One other big advantage was, I could never have done a run though the summer months because of the heat. This has always been a problem in my grow space, going back all the way to when I grew under florencent's.
Well I'll be back in a few months

[sfhaze]

Techead,

Very cool, I'm trying to understand your set-up. That's a total of 46 LEDs, is that per panel, is that 230W? I

[Techhead]

Sfhaze, just because they say the LED's are rated at 5 watts doesn't mean you can run them at that continualy, and all the differant colors each have there own breakover voltage, but run at the same current. I'm delivering 63volts to two lines in each pannel, give or take about .6 volts. So simply take the current times the voltage dropped. Each pannel has a current of 2Amps times the 63Volts times 3 pannels. Now I'm adding 18 more units that use 3.4 volts at 30mA to each pannel, but I haven't done the math for that. Anyway, that's how you figure power, V x I, not each one must be 5. Makes me wounder about how the manufactures do there math.

[sfhaze]

Got it, thanks Techhead. So that is a total of 138 LEDs you have going, very nice...

[illtimmer]

the sssssssssssuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

[illtimmer]

Originally Posted by Be IRIE

How many UFO's? and I can't wait to watch this journal that you are going to start... Talk is cheap, lets see what you can do......

123, do you grow with LEDS? or do you just like to give your two cents?

hey yall experts...i gotta light that'll put any of you growers to shame...the SUN. It's nice living in SC...only the strong make it outside with wind, rain and bugs...take the females...get em good and vegged out...then transfer em inside w a few 68 watt cfl's and some coolblue fluor' tubes (vertical) if you cant afford HIDs...I cant right now...put your plants in the sun every chance you get-through windows, ect...ya know...I think that anyone w access to the internet can grow weed...just dont over analyze everything
__________________

[Soniq420]

Some people have security issues, or live in cities without access to a safe outdoor grow area.

Some prefer the higher degree of control that an indoor room provides. Some are satisfied with plants growing well, others want to wring out the entire possibility the plant has to offer (in my opinion this isn't controllable outdoors due to weather and pests).

[HydroGrowLED]

Actually, in my studies this summer where I was growing lettuce in a hydro system outside (sunlight obviously) vs lettuce under my 119W beta light, it grew faster under LED. Whether or not the same would apply to bloom, I have yet to test. Part of the reason for why it vegged faster indoors is that the light was on 24 hours a day. The other reason was that I packed 119W LED into a 14" x 14" grow space. That's nearly 100W of targeted light in just over a square foot, whereas sunlight produces a lot of unused spectrum. The sun is an awesome "free" source for growing plants, but it's not a year-round option for most growers.

[Andy Botwin]

Originally Posted by Tead

Everyone keeps bumping their lips about LED performance, but nobody has provided any valid technical data.

To date, I still have only witnessed one LEGITIMATE complete grow, from seed/clone-to-harvest.
Based on that fact alone, HID lighting still reigns supreme for the time being.

Originally Posted by obxgardener

Funny how marketing always travels ahead of the data needed to truly back it up... there should be a law lol.

Well said, this should be a crime.

Originally Posted by PitViper

PLZ.....This is to anyone who is going to buy or has a LED "get a real light to grow plants", you waste your time and money with LED.Ill say it again its like bringing a hybrid to a drag race you will get there sooner or later but you dont have the muscle at the end.I am pushing 1 gram a watt atm anyone here say that with LED?Sorry to sound hostile but this has been tested by some very expert growers in the 420 community, and they got trashed at the start of this thread.Dont ask a question you dont want to hear the answer to.I have seen the grows with LED look in from time to time they just dont have the kick yet.I do beleave they never will and lighting will go in a different direction.MH and HPS have been around for years and is still the way to grow plants any plant.I am not going to put a lightbrite over my garden even though they have all the pretty colors.LED have been out for how many years now and 95 perecent of the growers still use MH and HPS whats that tell you guess we dont keep up with the times.We here are not ones afraid to spend money if it was going to help my garden i would jump on it.Before i purchased my lights i asked a few questions did some research and found LED are not the answer for your garden.Even asked at the hydro store he refused to carry them,told me to look on e..y you find them used because peeps found they dont work.

I think Pit would agree...

Two words: Prove it.

Because it is truly unbelievable how many times only words are spoken without a simple, COMPLETE Journal to validate the claims.

Is that too much to ask for?

Can anyone explain why there's such a lack of empirical evidence?

[sfhaze]

Originally Posted by Andy Botwin

I think Pit would agree...

Two words: Prove it.

Here is a quote from Pit Viper in my thread.

Originally Posted by PitViper

LED seems to be an alternative...great job

I'm doing pretty good with a small cabinet, LEDs are really the only option with my plastic cabinet, see my grow journal.

[MeanBean]

I woulden't say I'm a cheerleader, I'm a satisfied customer. Sure it will be a few more weeks for ANOTHER COMPLETE LED Flower cycle on here with the penatrator. Don't let your emotions get the best of you now,LED's are here and more and more proof is piling up. Your going to have to swallow soon.

We have already seen scooby complete the veg cycle in success with dirt!

[Soniq420]

Is that too much to ask for? It's the bare minimum and not one company will appease us without some excuse or crutch.

Can anyone explain why there's such a lack of empirical evidence?

We do have the two grows coming up; run by members/staff of 420 Magazine. These will be fair and objective and public.

Let's see the data and let it speak for itself

630LED vs 600 HPS by McBudz
Haight vs HydroGrow by setting sun

it's soon, and I for one can't wait to watch and see.