Asking for an advice about growing light

Hello.

I have a friend with flower shop. During conversation she said that she would be intrested in a growing light for ~ 3 X 3,5 feet place.

Since I am in a debt of gratitiude, and she still refuses anything, I thought that she won’t refuse the light in question (especially since it will be bought already :slight_smile: ).
Alas, I don’t have any knowledge about plants growing. I did some search and found something like this:

Would it be good for the place I mentioned? Or can anyone suggest something else?

If something else, then I’d be intrested in something max ~160$ range.

Thanks in advance :wink:

I always thought those lamps was only for growing that illegal stuff in your closet…

Like you needed one spectrum when it was growing and another when it was flowering if I remember it right.

I don’t know if that apply on other plants tho.

you need deep red leds and royal blue, 2 reds for 1 blue
deep red are 660nm
royal blue is 450nm.

Well, I don’t know as well, thats why I am asking. Though it will be used just for flowers (unless friend I mentioned is using it for something else, but knowing her I doubt that :slight_smile: )

That I did read already, but I saw also something like additional UV and IR waves. AFAIK, the red should have ~640-650 nm (most red LEDs have ~620).
Since I would have difficult time building it from scratch, I prefer a ready to use solution :slight_smile: .

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MXE9Q4M/ref=asc_df_B01MXE9Q4M5244094/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=395033&creativeASIN=B01MXE9Q4M&linkCode=df0&hvadid=193142362025&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12773197222522626083&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9067608&hvtargid=pla-316205783977

you can read a lot about it in high times, or weed world magazine. i’m sure they have adds of companies that sell equipment.

or you can just look for grow lights on the internet, there are plenty of units sold online.

For indoor growing lights, I use 4’ florescent tubes. Get ones made specifically for plants or marked full spectrum, if you’re growing plants that bloom. If you’re just using it for starting seeds early, or for non-blooming plants, you can use the cheaper cool-white florescent bulbs. You can, of course, use shorter tubes if you have smaller needs.

Keep plants from 1” to 6” below the tubes for best results, assuming the plants are species that like lots of light (full sun or partial sun).

For indoor growing lights, I use 4’ florescent tubes. Get ones made specifically for plants or marked full spectrum, if you’re growing plants that bloom. If you’re just using it for starting seeds early, or for non-blooming plants, you can use the cheaper cool-white florescent bulbs. You can, of course, use shorter tubes if you have smaller needs.

Keep plants from 1” to 6” below the tubes for best results, assuming the plants are species that like lots of light (full sun or partial sun).

I use those starting my seedlings. It’s a short growing season, so starting them indoors gives me an extra month.

For that area, I’d get two. You almost can’t have too much. If you don’t have enough, the plants will grow spindly. Lowering the lights directly over the plants helps. I think the only way to have too much is when they get hot enough to burn the plant. It would be extremely difficult to have enough lights to match the intensity of outdoor light, and my seedlings required a slow transition to prevent sunburn. Many plants want regular lit hours, so a timer would be a good idea.

Personally, I used them for tomatoes and peppers. I’m not sure what I’ll try them for next year. I’m tempted by some expensive herbs, but the fanciness of my cooking doesn’t extend far beyond salt and sriracha. I don’t care to smoke, but I may move to a state where recreational sale of marijuana is legal, so hey, maybe I’ll try that. It’ll be the first time that my love of led lights will make me money. :smiley: Seriously though, probably not, if only because I don’t want to grow anything that big inside.

I’ve also tried CFL’s because I had so many when I transitioned to LED’s, and it worked, but it was a hassle. I may try them again now that I can get 60W LED bulbs at the dollar store.

Also, see if you can get them more locally. I was able to buy mine off of Amazon for less than it would’ve cost from China.

That looks like an awful lot of Watts used for a 1 meter square area and not a lot of lumens (1240). I bought a lot of lights from Banggood when I retrofitted my home with LED fixtures. It is a good company with quality products. Eventually I found out I could buy the same products on eBay for less so while I still use Banggood occasionally eBay is far better for what I want.

There are some new LED products based on chip-on-board (COB) lights. They are cheaper, brighter, and more efficient than individual LEDs. There is even a COB designed for plant growth. You can actually buy just the chip in 110V or 220V versions. A 50W 220V chip delivering 3500 lumens cost less than $5 and the same chip in a lamp is $28. Search on Full Spectrum COB Chip Grow Light to see examples of what I mean.

New LEDs
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2017/10/seoul-announces-horticultural-leds-cree-lumileds-and-osram-show-recent-newcomers.html

Basics
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/horticulture/articles/science-advances-in-matching-led-lighting-to-horticultural-needs.html