Poor man's indoor lights

G

gatewood

Member
Hey ppl!

I'm pretty new to the art and science of growing indoors and, since I have a low budget, I was thinking if maybe, I could try and use normal, supermarket red and blue LED lights. Is that possible or practical?

Also, can color filters be used? (Like putting a red acrylic on a white LED to make it behave as if it were a red light).
 
Millo

Millo

Well-Known Member
No buddy, you don't want to buy red and blue LEDs. Buy the white LED bulbs, full spectrum. They work similar to CFLs. Not a lot of yield but technically possible. And you want to remove the dome and expose the leds.
 
Jenko

Jenko

Well-Known Member
Ya need uv - b aswell in lights and around 280 to 320nm, i'm also on a tight budget i am still searching the web for something cheap. Right now i'm using a 25 sq cm burple with no specs but doing ok. Yield won't be great but if i get a qtr out of it, i won't have to buy any for a while
 
Creature1969

Creature1969

Well-Known Member
What size space are you planning to grow in and what's your light budget?

I agree HID would be ideal on the cheap. Using enough cheapie light bulbs to work would likely end up in the same price range. Even a 150-250w HPS would be better than LED light bulbs.
 
Millo

Millo

Well-Known Member
Creature1969 said:
What size space are you planning to grow in and what's your light budget?

I agree HID would be ideal on the cheap. Using enough cheapie light bulbs to work would likely end up in the same price range. Even a 150-250w HPS would be better than LED light bulbs.
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Depends if he's willing to pay 10-20 $ more per month in his electrical bill
 
G

gatewood

Member
Rurumo said:
What is your budget? Buying a cheap HID light will probably be your best bet. LEDs are great at the higher end.
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About $400. I want to make some micro-experimentation, to see what works best and get some experience, before making big expenditures
Millo said:
No buddy, you don't want to buy red and blue LEDs. Buy the white LED bulbs, full spectrum. They work similar to CFLs. Not a lot of yield but technically possible. And you want to remove the dome and expose the leds.
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Some ppl in other forums suggested "the quantum boards and the new Samsung strip lights and or the QB 96 elite.
Because the QB's and Samsung LED strips are so efficient buying any other kind of LED lighting is going to be a waist of money because it doesn't compare to newest technology."
Jenko said:
Ya need uv - b aswell in lights and around 280 to 320nm, i'm also on a tight budget i am still searching the web for something cheap. Right now i'm using a 25 sq cm burple with no specs but doing ok. Yield won't be great but if i get a qtr out of it, i won't have to buy any for a while
Click to expand...
What I've read so far, is that photosynthesis only truly requires blue, red and UV spectrums, that you can dispense with green, yellow and infrared (and below):

www.sciencedaily.com

Giving plants the right amount of light

Enormous amounts of energy are wasted in greenhouses where our food is grown as a result of the plants receiving too much and the wrong kind of light. This can also stress and damage the plants. Researchers are working on a globally unique method to measure how much and what type of light plants...
www.sciencedaily.com

Ultra Violet Light | Importance of Ultraviolet in Horticultural Lighting | DesignSpark

Learn about the uses of UV LED lighting in horticulture, the benefits and the applications. We will explore the many ways in which ultraviolet can benefit the horticultural market and explain how UV light can benefit wildlife and the growing process.
www.rs-online.com www.rs-online.com
Creature1969 said:
What size space are you planning to grow in and what's your light budget? I agree HID would be ideal on the cheap. Using enough cheapie light bulbs to work would likely end up in the same price range.
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I really rather only use LED lights (or fluorescent at the very least) to save on electricity.
Creature1969 said:
Even a 150-250w HPS would be better than LED light bulbs.
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Well... if we go for the same amount of wattage input, you could produce far more light with cheap LED lights.

And on that note (forgive my ignorance), what happens if you oversaturate an area with light?
 
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Millo

Millo

Well-Known Member
gatewood said:
Some ppl in other forums suggested "the quantum boards and the new Samsung strip lights and or the QB 96 elite.
Click to expand...
Sure. But then it's not cheap anymore. Unless you want to DIY. If money is not an issue then go with lm301h for sure
 
NukaKola

NukaKola

Well-Known Member
What size area are you trying to cover?

$400 can get you a fairly nice light if it’s not a huge area.
 
Rurumo

Rurumo

Well-Known Member
NukaKola said:
What size area are you trying to cover?

$400 can get you a fairly nice light if it’s not a huge area.
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Yep, your space really matters in this context. Like if you have a 4x4 tent, you could get a cheap vivosun 600 watt hps that would blow any LED in the price range totally out of the water, you could grow top tier bud with it. Or, if you want to grow a single plant in a 2x2, you could get an led that would do the job just fine-if you wanted to spend less cash over time on electricity. BUT, if you want to light a 4x4 or bigger tent you'll end up having to spend 5+ times more on LEDs to get past what a 600 watt hps can do.
 
NukaKola

NukaKola

Well-Known Member
Rurumo said:
Yep, your space really matters in this context. Like if you have a 4x4 tent, you could get a cheap vivosun 600 watt hps that would blow any LED in the price range totally out of the water, you could grow top tier bud with it. Or, if you want to grow a single plant in a 2x2, you could get an led that would do the job just fine-if you wanted to spend less cash over time on electricity. BUT, if you want to light a 4x4 or bigger tent you'll end up having to spend 5+ times more on LEDs to get past what a 600 watt hps can do.
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With $400 there are still good options with LED to cover a 4x4.

- 4x HLG QB 96
- 8 QB 120’s
- DIY strip build
- 2x Kingbrite 240w
 
G

gatewood

Member
kovidkough said:
this sound perfect for the sf1000 start in a 2x2. learn and read. when your ready to invest more spend that 400 all on one light
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uhhh... could you elaborate a bit on that please?
NukaKola said:
What size area are you trying to cover?

$400 can get you a fairly nice light if it’s not a huge area.
Click to expand...
pretty small (1x1 or 2x2), since I want to do micro-experiments to get the hang of it, before going all out and do something stupid.
halfbreed421 said:
Yes it's possible, see here https://www.rollitup.org/t/my-budget-5x5-setup.982183/
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that's some input right there, most appreciated :)
Rurumo said:
Yep, your space really matters in this context. Like if you have a 4x4 tent, you could get a cheap vivosun 600 watt hps that would blow any LED in the price range totally out of the water, you could grow top tier bud with it. Or, if you want to grow a single plant in a 2x2, you could get an led that would do the job just fine-if you wanted to spend less cash over time on electricity. BUT, if you want to light a 4x4 or bigger tent you'll end up having to spend 5+ times more on LEDs to get past what a 600 watt hps can do.
Click to expand...
I see, that adds another factor I was ignoring, thanks for the input.

I was thinking that, could mirrors and aluminum foil be used to reflect light and make a setup more efficient?
 
kovidkough

kovidkough

Well-Known Member
gatewood said:
uhhh... could you elaborate a bit on that please?

pretty small (1x1 or 2x2), since I want to do micro-experiments to get the hang of it, before going all out and do something stupid.

that's some input right there, most appreciated :)

I see, that adds another factor I was ignoring, thanks for the input.

I was thinking that, could mirrors and aluminum foil be used to reflect light and make a setup more efficient?
Click to expand...
the mars hydro or spider farmer both have lights perfect for a 2x2 minimal investment and will teach you to go from seed to harvest in a small box. thats how I started at least...
 
Millo

Millo

Well-Known Member
gatewood said:
I was thinking that, could mirrors and aluminum foil be used to reflect light and make a setup more efficient?
Click to expand...
Believe it or not, those are among the less reflective materials there are. You would do better with plain white walls. If you want reflective material, like in tents, go and buy yourself a roll of mylar.
 
H

halfbreed421

Well-Known Member
I only used mylar because I had it, I plan to prime and paint my walls and maybe floors and eggshell ultra bright white for the next round, more even light i think
 
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