LED vs. HPS

[sfhaze]

LEDs are just now getting there. You need at least 100W and with the latest high efficient LEDs. Those 45W panels just don't work for much (rooting clones maybe)

I completely understand some of the controversy, most of the early products were crap. Also, I'm sorry, but if it takes the UFO longer to bud - that's a problem. Sure you can make up for too little light by budding a couple of weeks longer - but that's not what we want.

The products that work are the superled and the prycon100. They will keep up with a 400W hid. They do cost $700, but the power savings will make up for it.

LED is definitely the future.

[123ABC]

Originally Posted by JonnyHempSeed

Hahaha...no doubt.
Definately seems to be alot of emotions here...why don't you put your ego aside for a second, this is a forum for learning? I will be taking pictures later today of current LED projects then posting them- to start with, I will show you some nice, hefty dense buds that are almost done flowering, then I will follow with some pics of some LED started seedlings with the fattest primaries you've ever seen, and then the full LED jungle with 15 different strains equally pumped about their situation.

Check back soon!
Thanks,
Jonny

Johnny,
It wont let me PM you cause I only have 3 posts.

[zolar]

so is there a good comparisson of the higher wattage LEDs out there in one place and has any one grow shop had the balls to publish a true comparison on LEDs ,HPS and MH by using a quantum meter that read in micro einsteins or PAR light so that we are comparing oranges to oranges for all three types of light
lumens are fine for human eyes but plants see PAR [photsyntesis active radition [sp]] and micro einsteins give numbers phyisists can crunch....

if i wasn't on ssi and independently poor i'd get the panels and meters and do the testing

perhaps some sponsor would have the guts to do it i'm sure that
many of us would shop there first if we were seriousabout the LEDsand the prices were competative just because that data is not real and not just opinion

by the way a qwuantum meter that reads out in par and foot candles is out there [spectrum technologies] [300$?] par onnly 200-250

[Be IRIE]

Originally Posted by sfhaze

The products that work are the superled and the prycon100. They will keep up with a 400W hid. They do cost $700, but the power savings will make up for it.

LED is definitely the future.

I can see this is going to go nowhere.... Hopefully you guys will start journals and prove me wrong, I would love to see it.. If you guys keep buying the cheap ass LEDS they will not need to make them better.. If you do get them, add CFL's to the mix...LEDS will get there one of these days soon...

Here is my Procyon 100 that does NOT keep up with a 400 MH or HPS, and they are 600.00 not 700.00...

[JonnyHempSeed]

You are absolutely correct, Irie-mon.

OK, a little backstory...first I'm going to show a budding plant about 3 weeks away from finish. Next I'll put up some pics of the general setup I've been using, and then I'll showcase some nice specific case-studies.

Keep in mind- 100% OF EVERYTHING IN THESE PICTURES is legal for medical use, ALL ORGANIC, and absolutely bare-bones. This trial was designed to simulate an outdoor environment and see what these LEDs are capable of without chemical fertilizers, CO2, additional air circulation, etc etc. In the spirit of this, the majority of the strains I started are outdoor/tropical outdoor.

LIGHT SPECS: First gen started under CFL (very unhappily, I might add), then rescued with just the 90W 660nmred 460nmblue UFO, Quasar Manufacture. This was effective, but with the distance away from the plants I've been keeping the light, and the amount of plants growing under it, I wanted a little more agressive growth before I switched to 12/12, so I added a custom Quadrate Rectangular 120W Light...has 660nm red, 630nm red, 460nm blue, and a splash of white in the mix. This addition made a HUGE difference, and within days I started seeing the telltale yellow-ing tips showing that the girls were digging it, and getting HUNNNNGRY.

Here goes- This first one was from a random beaster seed. If you've ever had the strain Cheese, this one smells similar (with a gold tinge), and has very very dense buds as well. I've tried to give different angles so you can get a better idea. Taken with macro setting so you should be able to zoom in pretty good on most of these.

ENJOY!

[JonnyHempSeed]

[JonnyHempSeed]

OK, Here's the general layout...lights about 5'5 off the ground, no closer than 2 feet at most to tips. All of these are about 2 weeks into flowering.




Blueberry


Thunderfuck X Hawaiian Juicy Fruit




Biiiig Island Hawaii Pineapple- This one is out of control


New moms from clone, also beginning to flower

[JonnyHempSeed]

Ok, now I'm going to work. Feel free to assault me with any questions/criticism you may have-

PEACE!

[Stix]

Looking at the plants that are almost ready for harvest I'm not to impressed. I really don't see any large colas, atleast nothing comparable to what I get from using HPS lights. The leaves also look unhealthy. Have you been having problems with the grow? What's the wattage of your LED's? I myself have never used LED's myself.I'm not trying to bash them. I am interested in what they hopefully will offer in the future, however I do think they have some time to go before they are worth the money. I can't wait till the day comes when I can get the same intensity of light that my HID's give minus the heat and only use 1/2 the power. I just think we have a couple years to go. I hear NJ is trying to be the pioneer state in LED technology. Let's hope they progress LED technology quickly.

[JonnyHempSeed]

Hola Stix-

Thanks for the comment- Almost finished flowering pics are all from the same plant- It is an autoflowering plant, and had root problems early on (before switching to LED) that were not corrected before it started flowering hard. Honestly, I would've culled it, but I wanted to see finished buds before the rest would be ready.

However, the buds on this plant are extremely dense and resinous, both tops being a solid 1.5-2.5 inches in diameter....everything I harvest from this will be extremely high grade, as I said before very comparable to a Cali Medical Cheese strain. I took small clones early on and flowered them to finish...absolutely delicious, and very potent.

All of the seeds and clones started under LED are far more hardy and robust, and I expect to see very large, sticky buds up to at least 8 inches long. Also, keep in mind that we are not comparing apples to apples here. If you want to see a very large yield like you might get from a hydro grow under a HID, adding CO2, maybe a little more wattage, and your advanced nutrients will fill the gaps. This is organic and minimal added nutrients, as stated before.

[Stix]

what would you say you average per plant?
Also, How well does the light penetrate the canopy. Do you have alot of underdeveloped/airy buds as well?
What's the wattage on that light?

[JonnyHempSeed]

As the plant shown is the first one I've come close to finishing under LED, I don't have an exact/avg yield yet, but I will take pictures and weigh that one when finished. This was grown under a 65W CFL to start, then a 90W LED for the remainder. I added the 120W to the 90W to fill out the rest, and I have them set at opposing angles to reach most of the under-brush.

As for light penetration, anything over 90W seems to be able to reach down to the bottom effectively, even with the light source a good 5-6 feet from the plant. The majority of the newer generation all still have their first primary leaves intact and healthy through veg and into flowering, so I would say I'm very happy with that- I will take more pictures in a couple days to show.

Only a few airy/underdeveloped flowers on the first plant, off of branches that were less than 1 cm long when flowering started.

[cannalearna]

How long did you grow with the CFL before switching?

[JonnyHempSeed]

About 4-5 weeks...but only with the first gen. The second gen, like the big pineapple in the second to last pic, was started under only LED.

[Be IRIE]

How long did you veg them? How much do you have invested in lights? I kept my LED much closer to the canopy to keep them from stretching but thats a personal choice.
Day 55 veg under LED 24 hrs.


I had to pulll the BG from trying to flower with the LED as it just fell way to far behind. 3 weeks under 12/12 LED it grew 4-5 inches. When I put it under the HPS it jumped up a foot in less then a week. It's to bad you don't have an HPS to do a test and flower a few under it and compare.