Wed, 2009/12/23 - 12:47am
Where can I learn more about grow lights? Right now I'm using cfl's but I can buy 14 watt 225 led blue and red panels for around $30.00 but do they really work?
Thanks
Greg Lev
Wed, 2009/12/23 - 4:08pm
#2
Hello Greg,
There is a lot of discussion on various boards about LED's, most of them tend to end in arguments... It comes down to HID vs LED and people are very passionate about both!
OK, the bottom line, as far as I'm concerned, is that they do work; but, the claims of a 90 watt UFO being equivalent to 400 watt HID in my opinion are over exaggerated.
I think that this website (greenpinelane.com/) will contain most of the information you require - it's what convinced me to buy my first LED. Without reading this I may not have bought mine, the information out there is too speculative and the manufacturers have not backed it up with strong evidence?
I also think that LED's have some way to go yet, they aren't perfect and cannot compete toe-to-toe with a good HID for sheer produce. But, what we are talking about here is something that can grow and cost a fraction of the cost in electricity to run.
Me, I'm a fan and I will purchase another. I can also see the other side of the argument though, HID's are better for growing...
As for your panels, I think 14 watts of light is not much - you may have trouble growing anything more than short lettuce type crops, even they may struggle? The problem with LED is the light intensity drops off rapidly and doesn't penetrate (reach) the lower leaves, you need decent wattage LED's to overcome this.
Hope some of this helps. 
Wed, 2009/12/23 - 7:02pm
#3
Thank you very much. I don't know anything about them and want to learn before I purchase any.
I was thinking I could adapt 1 to one of my aerogardens and see if they would work.
Thanks again
Hey, Greg,
Most of what I've seen online about LED growing has been sales material, or contained insufficient detail. Peat showed a cucumber grow here, but that was truncated by a cleaning accident. Besides, cukes have proven awfully hard to grow hydroponically, for everyone on the board.
I'm itching to try out the LED lights, too. What are you going to grow with a 14 watter? By itself, I don't know whether 14W is strong enough for much. Maybe two of them...