alongtimegrower
Member
Basic off-the-shelf LED Lamps if chosen carefully will perform.
Due to places like Menards, Lowes, Home Depot, and many other retailers have driven the LED market to produce affordable LED LIGHT BULBS.
Take a look at the LED PAR38 lamp/bulb.
4 or 5 of LED PAR38 lamps/bulbs will replace a 70 watt HPS/MH in light output for smaller grow areas.
1 LED PAR38 lamp replaces a 23 watt compact flourescent bulb.
LED PAR38 Lamps provide a full and continous light spectrum unlike flourescent lamps and HID lamps (ie. mercury/sodium emission lines).
They produce quite intense light and are directional without reflector, all light goes down.
They do lack in the deep/far red specturm (ie. ~655nm and ~737nm) unless you use something like the Philips Greenpower LED or 100 Watt red incandescent flood on a dimmer.
Some PAR38 LED Flood Light Bulbs that produce good light for plant growth especially in small areas:
Ecosmart 24 watt LED Flood 3000K (1300 Lumens)
Feit Electric 23 watt LED PAR38 3000K (1400 Lumens)
Feit Electric 23 watt LED PAR38 5000K (1400 Lumens)
GE 26 watt PAR38 3000K Flood (1500 Lumens)
GE 20 watt PAR38 2700K Flood (1000 LUmens)
Lighting Science Definity PAR38 Hi-output 24 watt CW-5000K (1460 Lumens)
Lighting Science Definity PAR38 Hi-output 24 watt W27-2700K (1250 Lumens)
Lighting Science Definity PAR38 Hi-output 24 watt WW-3000K (1300 Lumens)
Philips 19.5 watt Ambient LED 5000K (1300 Lumens)
Philips 19.5 watt Ambient LED 3000K (1200 Lumens)
Philips 19.5 watt Ambient LED 2700K (1100 Lumens)
Philips 18 watt Greenpower LED white/deep red (22 mmol/s)
Philips 18 watt Greenpower LED white/deep red/far red (18 mmol/s)
Philips 16 watt Greenpower LED far red (12 mmol/s): looks very dim because our eyes don't see this light well.
Slyvania ULTRA 24 watt PAR38 3000K Flood (1300 Lumens)
All of these bulbs cost around $50 per bulb but worth the price.
House and other brands as low as $25 per bulb.
There are many makers, so what bulb you might use needs to be carefully chosen.
Some bulbs are better and cost more, and others are lower cost with various qualities.
Quality of light, color, lumens per watt, type of flood lamp, and many other technical aspects vary dependent upon the manufacturer.
Big name makers generally provide a very good product because LED products need to replace their incandencent and flourescent products.
Big name makers pour money into LED research for general lighting to very specialized lighting like plant growth.
House and other brands are made at much less cost, may lack some quality, and COST LESS. They will work; some better than others.
Using LEDs does take some careful design and understanding how much light energy you need or want for an area.
For example a simple 2 by 2 grow chamber is easily be lit with 5 bulbs in the shape of a 5 on a dice.
The same area could be lit with as many as 9 bulbs with careful placement of bulbs in a 3 by 3 grid.
I will vouch for the Philips lighting products, they work excellent.
Philips provides some of the most detailed information about their products.
I knew what I was getting.
Some info to check out on grow chamber lighting and effects of light spectrum...
A NASA Funded study group on lighting for grow chambers, International Lighting in Controlled Environments Workshop:
http://www.controlledenvironments.org/Light1994Conf/index.htm
Due to places like Menards, Lowes, Home Depot, and many other retailers have driven the LED market to produce affordable LED LIGHT BULBS.
Take a look at the LED PAR38 lamp/bulb.
4 or 5 of LED PAR38 lamps/bulbs will replace a 70 watt HPS/MH in light output for smaller grow areas.
1 LED PAR38 lamp replaces a 23 watt compact flourescent bulb.
LED PAR38 Lamps provide a full and continous light spectrum unlike flourescent lamps and HID lamps (ie. mercury/sodium emission lines).
They produce quite intense light and are directional without reflector, all light goes down.
They do lack in the deep/far red specturm (ie. ~655nm and ~737nm) unless you use something like the Philips Greenpower LED or 100 Watt red incandescent flood on a dimmer.
Some PAR38 LED Flood Light Bulbs that produce good light for plant growth especially in small areas:
Ecosmart 24 watt LED Flood 3000K (1300 Lumens)
Feit Electric 23 watt LED PAR38 3000K (1400 Lumens)
Feit Electric 23 watt LED PAR38 5000K (1400 Lumens)
GE 26 watt PAR38 3000K Flood (1500 Lumens)
GE 20 watt PAR38 2700K Flood (1000 LUmens)
Lighting Science Definity PAR38 Hi-output 24 watt CW-5000K (1460 Lumens)
Lighting Science Definity PAR38 Hi-output 24 watt W27-2700K (1250 Lumens)
Lighting Science Definity PAR38 Hi-output 24 watt WW-3000K (1300 Lumens)
Philips 19.5 watt Ambient LED 5000K (1300 Lumens)
Philips 19.5 watt Ambient LED 3000K (1200 Lumens)
Philips 19.5 watt Ambient LED 2700K (1100 Lumens)
Philips 18 watt Greenpower LED white/deep red (22 mmol/s)
Philips 18 watt Greenpower LED white/deep red/far red (18 mmol/s)
Philips 16 watt Greenpower LED far red (12 mmol/s): looks very dim because our eyes don't see this light well.
Slyvania ULTRA 24 watt PAR38 3000K Flood (1300 Lumens)
All of these bulbs cost around $50 per bulb but worth the price.
House and other brands as low as $25 per bulb.
There are many makers, so what bulb you might use needs to be carefully chosen.
Some bulbs are better and cost more, and others are lower cost with various qualities.
Quality of light, color, lumens per watt, type of flood lamp, and many other technical aspects vary dependent upon the manufacturer.
Big name makers generally provide a very good product because LED products need to replace their incandencent and flourescent products.
Big name makers pour money into LED research for general lighting to very specialized lighting like plant growth.
House and other brands are made at much less cost, may lack some quality, and COST LESS. They will work; some better than others.
Using LEDs does take some careful design and understanding how much light energy you need or want for an area.
For example a simple 2 by 2 grow chamber is easily be lit with 5 bulbs in the shape of a 5 on a dice.
The same area could be lit with as many as 9 bulbs with careful placement of bulbs in a 3 by 3 grid.
I will vouch for the Philips lighting products, they work excellent.
Philips provides some of the most detailed information about their products.
I knew what I was getting.
Some info to check out on grow chamber lighting and effects of light spectrum...
A NASA Funded study group on lighting for grow chambers, International Lighting in Controlled Environments Workshop:
http://www.controlledenvironments.org/Light1994Conf/index.htm