Why is this the best hydroponic systems 2018? It has all the things you need for growing indoors. Similar to the popular LED grow box, this is a cool new tube design.
-A grow light
-An oxygen pump
-Water system (reservoir).
At the same time, you can remove features as you need. Don’t want the pump? Take it out. Have enough sunlight? Unplug the grow light. Don’t like the LED color lights? Turn them off.
Pick it up here: http://www.svengrowers.com
Be sure to watch my more recent follow up tests & experiments::
Impact of Red or Blue light on plant growth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfihE4IuFuU
To avoid Tip Burn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHWf4Hfi3hA
Light Cycles & DLI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQlOJ1zvoPI
LEDs that have performed much better for me:
Thrive Agritech Infinity Linears: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfPmdKabemM
Transcend LED T5 Tubes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7wHj6PLv6s
For tips on avoiding LED scammers: https://albopepper.com/LED-grow-light-disappointment.php
Testing Date: 2015
Seed starting in a small scale urban garden does not need to be complicated. You don’t need fancy lighting. But the LED grow light market has become glutted with a large array of low end, low wattage lights. Unfortunately, not all LED lighting options have lived up to their claims. Some of them don’t even deliver the amount of wattage you would rightly expect.
I decided to try testing a few entry level LED grow lights in the hopes that I could find something that would keep up with my T5 fluorescent light. T5 bulbs are efficient. But just as importantly, they are reliably effective. The upfront cost is quite reasonable. And the cost to run it is not bad (although I think LEDs are able to improve upon this factor).
But which LEDs should you buy? I wanted to test LEDs that can operate within a confined vertical space. I was hoping to find a grow light that would work in a shelf system, just as fluorescent lights do. For this application, LED panel lights are very appealing. They evenly distribute light across the plant canopy. They are inexpensive, don’t cost much to operate and generate very little heat. But how well do low watt LED panels work for seed starting?
*** PRODUCT EXAMPLE ***
This T5 shelf system is an example of what I’m going for here:
http://amzn.to/2n9pAnB (Amazon) I want to see a system like this that uses LEDs instead and works just as well. So before you give me a thumbs down, keep in mind that I love LEDs & I’m honestly trying to find a product that fits the bill.
TEST BED:
Top Rack – T5 Fluorescent / 2ft x 4 bulbs (6500k) – 96w (86w actual – measured after making video)
Coverage area: 22.5″ x 13.5″ = 304 sq in
Upfront Cost (Q1 2016) –
Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/2npsKFE
Bottom Rack Side 1 – LED Blue – 13.8w (15w actual)
Coverage area: 12″ x 12″ = 144 sq in
Upfront Cost (Q1 2016) –
Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/2mSp1wI
Bottom Rack Side 2 – LED Red + Blue – 45w (29w actual)
Coverage area: 12″ x 12″ = 144 sq in
Upfront Cost (Q1 2016) –
Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/2mSMJsq
*** Do NOT Buy This: ***
Initially, I intended to use a 14w Red / Blue LED. (Link: http://bit.ly/1SMKuSS) However, the seller misrepresented the wattage for the light. Upon testing, I found the wattage consumption to be a mere 9w! This was clearly unacceptable.
Distance: Lights were placed 6″ from soil surface.
Initial Test: Multiple seed types grown in potting mix in flats & trays.
Final Test: Tom Thumb lettuce grown from seed in Kratky’s hydroponic trays.
– Seeds from Botanical Interests: http://shrsl.com/?~bzt8
UPDATED READINGS:
After purchasing my Apogee SQ-500 Quantum Light Sensor, I was able to take some PAR readings as measured in PPFD. This is obviously much more useful than a lux reading.
15w Blue LED: 29 PPFD @ 6 inches / 60 PPFD @ 3 inches
15w (9w) Red/Blue LED: 120 PPFD @ 6 inches
45w (29w) Red/Blue LED: 320 PPFD @ 6 inches
RESULTS:
Using 48w per plant, the T5 light generated the most plant growth.
The “45w” Red/Blue LED light performed acceptably, but not quite as well. I would like to test it just a little more.
The 15w Blue LED system was just not able to perform. Plant growth was slow, weak and spindly. This was observed in the lettuce plant. But it was also clearly observed in a variety of other seedlings during my initial test.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
I do not advise buying these 15w LED systems for anything other than a supplemental light. You need a very bright, sunny window. The LED would need to be high enough up that it doesn’t shade the plant from the natural light. Used in this way, the light would give a small boost to your plants.
For – though, such systems are hardly worth the money. They aren’t even worth the 12″ x 12″ physical space that they take up. To keep up with a T5, I would look for a Red/Blue panel LED that consumes over 30w per square foot. It’s possible that some models might be more efficient than other similar LED panels. But they would require actual testing to verify.
Be sure to watch my video on the Infinity Linear LEDs which is an excellent example! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfPmdKabemM
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Video Rating: / 5
If you're interested in some better performing LEDs, steer clear of the low watt panels shown in this vid.
The impact of Red or Blue light on plant growth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfihE4IuFuU
To avoid Tip Burn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHWf4Hfi3hA
Light Cycles & DLI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQlOJ1zvoPI
Here are some cool LEDs that have performed much better for me:
Infinity Linear – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfPmdKabemM
Transcend LED T5 Tubes – 23wx4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7wHj6PLv6s
HHE COB – 86w: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D92guoC5YQc
Apollo UFO – 109w: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUbpiSgxQj4
Lumini Grow – 200w: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7wHj6PLv6s
For some tips on avoiding LED scammers, read more: http://albopepper.com/LED-grow-light-disappointment.php
95 watts of T5 vs 9 watts of LED… Hmm…
I would like to know which germinated more quickly and how the seedlings grew on at the youngest stages. I only use lights for seedlings, not for growing entirely indoors. By the time my lettuces get this big, they would have been outside for a long time.
Sun is still the best light.
Now compare it with a led of the same wattage as the T5…
Good video, but I had a question – if your T5 setup and your LED setups were all 6" from the plant, how did you account for the fact that the T5 is putting out double the light intensity (just based on the wattage) than the LEDs? I do like the side by side test. I have a setup in which I'm running a DIY fixture based on SSL Family Dad's build from YouTube, but I use 100w equivalent 'daylight' LED standard screw-in bulbs instead of CFLs. I have a bunch of the same lettuce going right now, and so far it looks great. In the past, I've just used the setup to start seeds for our outdoor garden, but right now, I'm just growing lettuce year-round using it.
Eeeyyy… It's super Mario!
Thank you so much for that informative video, I had been on the fence for a while about LED or T5 and that just solved it for me
Sprinkle a healthy dose of Cinnamon on top of your growing medium to keep down the mold, and also keep gnats away. Re-dose w/Cinnamon each time you water.
I noticed some things in your experiment that you may want to adjust for future experiments. First you will want to keep both plants at the same elevation, there could be a difference in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere at the different elevations that you had the two plants. Another issue could be that you don't have the plants isolated enough from outside light sources, the lower plants didn't get as much outside light as the upper plants. maybe try adding some reflective barrier around the plants so that they are only receiving the light from the sources being tested. Third, the T5 puts out more heat than that of the LEDs, so there may be a temp difference, not only from the light, but from the elevation, I know that in my house there is at least a 7 degree difference between the ceiling and the floor, could be 2 or 3 degrees between the plants just based on elevation. The leaf burn was most likely caused by the proximity of the plant to the light, as the plant grew, the newer tender leaves were growing ever closer to the light and as they got closer, the received more light than they could handle and burned, you will have to adjust the distance from the plant to the light as they grow to prevent burning. These are just friendly tips, not intending to be a dick though you may think I am one, that's up to you. It was a good vid, just needs a couple of adjustments.
I’d use a T5 LED tube instead. CFLs contain mercury. Don’t use LED panels, or T5 CFL tubes, use LED tubes.
The color of the light is very important. Different bands tell the plant to do different things. The LEDs are also missing UV-A and UV-B, which are really important for the plant to receive and red and far-red light controls various timing mechanisms. If the light doesn't display the spectral output, if it's an LED array, just simply don't purchase it.
Sure T5 is going to outperform most cheaper LED lights, not so when you get up into the high output lights like the RAY22. They would crush a T5 in every way. However for most people growing low energy plants like lettuce and spinach a T5 is a cost effective way to do it. If you want to grow tomatoes or peppers You would do well to up your game in the light department.
These lights are all shit for indoor gardening. Most of these videos are store owners trying to make garbage look good to sell so they arent stuck with it. HPS or MH only .
I'm using the cheap LED stoplights from home depot. Works very well.
LEDs. For Salad. Just no
Get some 5000K Nichia COBs (80 or 90CRI) and a Meanwell PSU. You will never go back to fluorescent bulbs. You probably have to learn which side of a welding iron gets hot 😉
mmm, I don't really understand why watts are that important when comparing LED to other kind of light, doesn't LED produce more light per watt than other kind of lights?
anyway, do you have any recomendation for a low watt light to use to upset the day/night ratio? I want to try to grow hops but need extra light for that (and an AC greenhouse lol)
These lights are junk
The smallest one looks the best in my eyes. The other two look like the Toxic Avenger from the 80s lol.