I have a $600 Quantum PAR meter that I used to obtain the following information with. Now, between 8 and 6 years ago, I began purchasing and acquiring different grow lights. I spent over the years around (probably) $2500 in total testing them all to see which ones benefited the best for the most bang for your buck. From CFL, to T5 and then LEDs.
These are not "grow" LEDs despite the claims from the Chinese manufacturers. These are WHITE LEDs with a colored gel filter over them. You are better getting a white LED chipset. Furthermore, the gel filter eventually breaks down and both the PAR and wattage efficiency worsens over time so they become more inefficient than a T5 unit. You also will beed to DIY your own way of dissipating the heat - which will be and is never enough. There is a reason they are sold "as-is".
Stay away from the large rectangular "boxes" of multiple rows of small LEDs. These are the same things as cobs only much smaller and hundreds . They are white LEDs with a colored GEL filter over them. But with these, if one LED burns out (which it ultimately does), like the old Christmas lights the entire strand burns out and the unit becomes useless. I suggest if you are foolish enough to purchase another, to save the components of the old one to recycle into your new one, when that too fails.
These are ok, especially if you are a small space like in an apartment type setting. Look for daylight if you want more UV. Watch out for red burning of your leaves. Look for "warmer" more orange ones if you want more infrared. (For growth vs. blooming). The disadvantage to these is phototropism where if you have more than one plant growing, they disfigure by growing towards the light.
T5 fluorescent long straight bulbs. These are #1 best in my opinion for producing the most PAR for your buck, but not the most PAR per WATT. They prevent phototropism and produce a fair amount of heat which is good for some plants. LEDs do not produce very much heat so if you need a heated greenhouse... it sort of defeats the purpose to also have to run a heater. 2 birds with one t5, I say.
Yep! The amount of PAR nature makes on a cloudy day is 18. These lights produce at 16", around 250 PAR. They are long and straight to prevent phototropism, and the light from the LEDs are diffused. The are white so they are not "living a cob lie" and potentially filtering out precious PAR. For if a white LED needed filtering for a plant's needs, then why not cover plants in the wild with a giant gel filter against the sun? Because plants absorb what they need perfectly on their own.
These are by far the #1 most potent, powerful, and efficient at making PAR light with LEDs that actually produce the specific spectrum of light. This is the dream and vision of LEDs and they achieve it - perfectly. The difference in purity of the light is only something you can see with your own eyes. I can only describe all other lights as having a "milkiness" to them. But, they are very expensive and they promote phototropism. I sun burnt leaves dead at 20" away. These must come down in price.
There is a group online that talks about these and I managed to have a customer of mine, Jolene, bring one to me she had purchased. This panel makes a lot of PAR for its punch. I was skeptical about these considering my experience with Chinese LED snake oil "deals," but these are indeed a decent bang for your buck.
I have used these in the past for other than growing plants. The verdict is in that these are descent for being able to grow plants! I have taken the reflector out of an old T5 fixture, sand papered the valleys, and stuck the tape-LED into them. I soldered them together and voila! These make more than enough PAR to grow plants under. And for 15 bucks for 32.8 feet is not bad. I tested the 5050 LED and have 12V over-driven to 14.5V.
Add a footnote if this applies to your business
Copyright © 2020 West Coast Carnivorous Nursery - All Rights Reserved.
Last Updated: 02/22/2020
Powered by GoDaddy Website Builder