The Best LED for Plant Growth IV (FLOWERING BEGINS)

The first thing you might notice is that I had to move some basil under the LED.  They were getting big so I spread them out so the light could hit their lower leaves too.  I added another tray (3 total under one LED, I could only get two full trays under the T-5)

Notice too how I have the T-5 on an angle with the taller plants one side and the shorter plants on the other.  All the pictures of lights from HTGSupply.com will be nice and level , and lets face it, they look better that way.  The truth is you may want to put lights at an angle to maximize the amount of light hitting each of your plants.    The same idea can be solved from a different angle, some people raise individual plants up so that all plant tops are at the same level.  Find what works for you.

The T5 is much closer to the plants and uses more electricity.  This first test of the LED also proves a topic from previous posts on  -- Speed up the Growth cycle --  Higher light intensity sped up the life cycle of the basil. Under the T 5  it began to flower a week before the LED did (oops spoiler for next post) This is NOT due to the type of light but the intensity. By lowering the LED or adding a single tube T5 to the grow tent to equalize the watts used then I think the LED would win.

I am also very happy with the seedling growth. The LED is almost one meter above the seedlings. You get the coolness of a fluorescent with the light intensity of an HID with this light.

Good Growing,
Dr. E.R. Myers

The Best LED for Plant Growth III

I am happy with the growth of the LED in week three.  The T-5 as I knew it would had great growth as well but I don't have a good picture from week three of the T-5, but I do for the next few.

I have said that LED are a good light for growing in small spaces.  I am more impressed as each week passes.

If you got the LED because of a problem with heat, you could also try adding some single lamp T5's in each corner of the tent to increase light with minimal heat. I believe that if you use LED with T5 in each corner you will get optimal results - but then we are talking about using almost 336 watts total.  If you can handle the heat you might consider a 400w HPS. 

The concept behind the Tri-Band 120 watt LED GROW LIGHT is simple – it uses highly efficient 1 watt LED’s, which are the exact wavelength required for photosynthesis. The 1 watt LED use wide angle directional bulbs for a wide area of coverage. The 1 watt LED is one of the most efficient light sources in the world (lumens per watt). By using only the spectrums required for plant growth, no energy is wasted generating spectrums of light that do little for a plants growth – such as green light. Also the directional LED’s ensure 100% of the light is pointed downwards – they do not rely upon reflective materials to direct the light. The High Power Tri-Band 120 watt LED GROW LIGHT can be used by itself for all cycles of plant growth (covers approximately 12-20 square feet).  

Good Growing,

Dr. E. R. Myers

The Best LED for Plant Growth II

Now obviously this little experiment is not a fair comparison, the LED is much further away from the plants (light intensity decreases over space) and the LED uses almost 1/2 the energy vs. the T-5 HO. This being my first use of the LED I wanted to see if it actually grew plants. It did! That is what I want people to take form these few posts, that the Tri-band from HTGSupply.com can and does grow plants from seeds to flowers. I'll be growing other plants with  this light at different heights in the future. I kept the LED over 2 feet above the plants so that it would not be too intense and stress out the plants.  It puts out a very intense light. You should lower it to increase the intensity of light directed at your plants which will increase photosynthesis to its maximum rate. You can give a plant too much light, I don't know if I'd put the light less than a foot above the plants.

Notice the basil under the T-5 is mostly green. This is a F-1 purple basil. The seedlings were purple until I potted them up and lowered the T-5 closer to the plants. I think the light intensity from the T-5 (being so close) causes the plants to revert to their green coloration to maximize light absorption. In nature, green is the color of plants that will compete best due to maximum absorption of light by plant pigments. Non-green plants may look nice but are not as efficient at growth. There are often situations where ornamental non-green plants revert to their green tendencies.

Good Growing,
 Dr. E. R. Myers

The Best LED for Plant Growth I

The next 5 posts follow my first use of an LED as a stand alone light for plant growth

I have gotten many E-mail's asking what I think about LED's and plant growth. I am very happy to be able to put up the next few posts. I have recently been growing in a grow tent using a Tri band From HTGSupply.com. I am happy because this light was the first experience I had with HTGSupply.com. They approached me to help them design their latest LED with questions about plant pigments and optimal light absorption. We corresponded with many questions and answers about what is the optimal light (wavelengths) that will promote plant growth. They then went and designed and produced the light and now sell it as the Tri band.

I am happy to report that this LED does have what it takes to grow plants from seed to flower. In the next few posts I will show you the pictures to prove it. I can not say the same for all LED. HTGSupply.com has done a lot of research and this is a unique LED that they developed specifically with photosynthesis in mind. Many of you know that unfortunately the easiest to produce LED that emit blue and red colors (to human eyes) are not in the optimal wavelength (color) that most plants need to do photosynthesis. 

Not all LED's are the same!

    Cost is a factor in all purchase and as you may know LED are an energy efficient light source.  This means you will pay less on your electricity bill each month, forever.   Energy efficiency also means there is less heat as a by product.  With less heat, growing in small spaces is easier and you need less electricity and equipment to remove heat.  And, LED's last for years. You should replace an MH bulb yearly and a HPS bulb every 2-3 years or you will have a large loss in light output. An LED will not loose light intensity for thousands more hours than an HPS so it lasts you years longer. Keep that in mind if you are going to grow for a long time.

120 watt Tri-band LED GROW LIGHT Features:

•The Tri-Band 120 watt LED GROW LIGHT does not require a ballast and simply plugs into any standard household outlet.

•The Tri-Band 120 watt LED GROW LIGHT is manufactured using long life LED lights. These lights have a rated life of over 100,000 hours (there are 8,760 hours in a year). That is over a century, which means you grand kids will be using this light to grow with too. You willl buy 33-50 HPS bulbs and 100 MH bulbs in the same time.

•The Tri-Band LEDs are nearly 100% efficient at plant growth! This is 10 times the efficiency of a Sodium or Halide light! This means you will pay less on every electricity bill for ever!

•Less Heat Generated (very little heat, and what little heat it does generate is dissipated by the built-in fans) Drastically reducing your cooling costs (equipment and electricity usaage), saving even more money in the long run.
•Environmentally friendly, no hazardous components like in the bulbs of HPS and MH. Good growers dispose of their bulbs in a proper recycling center.

•Low weight, only 13 pounds.