Best LED Grow Light for under $1000?

been a lot of serious LED talk lately - The purple red hue is drawing people in lol
 
guy4 said:
One more item is that in order to say how many channels are in the lights most manufactures add UV and IR both of which don't really help plant growth, I would rather have more in other ranges that plants really use. The sad part is the LED does a great job but only for 1 plant maybe 2 if they are kept very small. Because of the footprint I am lucky to get 1oz per plant but it's great shit.
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IR and UV both help plant growth.... for IR look up Emerson Effect, flowering trigger, p700 photoreceptor and you will see IR is very important to accelerating photosynthesis, triggering flowering along with many other plant processes. IR also helps promote shade induction when blended with green light which causes plants to stretch into more intense lighting.

UV is also important for the crops we are growing to help force the plant to protect itself from the UV rays...how does a plant protect itelf...by developing more tricomes, more resins, more oils.... which is what we seek in growing cannabis. The blue and UV region of light is mainly responsible for increasing terpene profiles as well.
 
I was always told that UV-B hinders growth but that UV-A is essential to plant growth.
 
I understand people want to believe that UV and IR are useful as they are part of the full spectrum of the sun however plants that get a lot of UV protect themselves with oils and I am not talking of increased THC either. As for the IR it has not been shown to be a very useful spectrum and as I have said I personally would rather have a light without either as there are colors which plants use more. IR also produces excessive heat as that is a part of what the spectrum does. UV by several LED makers is added for reduction of mold nothing more. Most people who are new to growing are taking all of the LED info as fact when HID lighting has and still does produce exceptional bud with just as much frost and THC as any LED just look at any good grow book and see the wonderful photos taken using HID lighting.

Yes I do believe LEDs will someday take over but for now all major growers are still using HID world wide. The digital ballast all alow for both MH and HPS lamps so it's easy to veg with one and flower with another. Old time growers with the very best crops had a hard time believing indoor growing would ever turn a profit and look at the specs now. Things change and so do the tools we use, but like every tool made they take time to make them correctly.
 
Lush Lighting said:
I was always told that UV-B hinders growth but that UV-A is essential to plant growth.
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That would be true for most plants however the studies I have read specific to Cannabis suggest otherwise. Also being that we are growing a medicinal plant, UV-B specifically is proven by many studies now to increase THC content (it does slightly reduce CBD thought), flavinoids, terpenes, essential oils as well as increases plant steroid development and other natural plant processes. With each type of plant being different, generally yes, UV-B is counterproductive, but for Cannabis, it is very beneficial.


The effects of UV-B radiation on photosynthesis, growth and cannabinoid production of two greenhouse-grown C. sativa chemotypes (drug and fiber) were assessed. Terminal meristems of vegetative and reproductive tissues were irradiated for 40 days at a daily dose of 0, 6.7 or 13.4 kJ m-2 biologically effective UV-B radiation. Infrared gas analysis was used to measure the physiological response of mature leaves, whereas gas-liquid chromatography was used to determine the concentration of cannabinoids in leaf and floral tissue.

There were no significant physiological or morphological differences among UV-B treatments in either drug- or fiber-type plants. The concentration of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), but not of other cannabinoids, in both leaf and floral tissues increased with UV-B dose in drug-type plants. None of the cannabinoids in fiber-type plants were affected by UV-B radiation.

The increased levels of Δ9-THC in leaves after irradiation may account for the physiological and morphological tolerance to UV-B radiation in the drug-type plants. However, fiber plants showed no comparable change in the level of cannabidiol (a cannabinoid with UV-B absorptive characteristics similar to Δ9 THC). Thus the contribution of cannabinoids as selective UV-B filters in C. sativa is equivocal.
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guy4 said:
I understand people want to believe that UV and IR are useful as they are part of the full spectrum of the sun however plants that get a lot of UV protect themselves with oils and I am not talking of increased THC either. As for the IR it has not been shown to be a very useful spectrum and as I have said I personally would rather have a light without either as there are colors which plants use more. IR also produces excessive heat as that is a part of what the spectrum does. UV by several LED makers is added for reduction of mold nothing more. Most people who are new to growing are taking all of the LED info as fact when HID lighting has and still does produce exceptional bud with just as much frost and THC as any LED just look at any good grow book and see the wonderful photos taken using HID lighting.

Yes I do believe LEDs will someday take over but for now all major growers are still using HID world wide. The digital ballast all alow for both MH and HPS lamps so it's easy to veg with one and flower with another. Old time growers with the very best crops had a hard time believing indoor growing would ever turn a profit and look at the specs now. Things change and so do the tools we use, but like every tool made they take time to make them correctly.
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Guy... Not trying to be conflicting, just helping a fellow grower out. IR is Proven to be effective in increasing plant photosynthesis, the plants actually have a specific photosystem designed to absorb Far red light (photosystem II) It has been shown that with Red and IR light combined, photosynthetic rates are greater with a combo of red and IR vs just RED light, or Just IR light.. This is called the Emerson Effect. IR also is one of the wavelengths that helps initiate flowering, also plays a role in photomorphogenesis, and as mentioned above shows a positive correlation with increased photosynthetic rates.

Wavelengths beyond 700nm are apparently of insufficient energy to drive any part of photosynthesis. So a huge drop in efficiency has been noticed at 700nm. This phenomenon is called as RED DROP EFFECT. In other words there is a sharp decrease in quantum yield at wavelengths greater than 680nm. This decrease in quantum yield takes place in the red part of the spectrum. The number of oxygen molecules released per light quanta absorbed is called as quantum yield of photosynthesis. This effect was first of all noticed by Robert Emerson of Illinois University. Later on Emerson and his group observed that if chlorella plants are given the inefficient far red light and red light of shorter wavelengths in alternate fashion, the quantum yields were greater than could be expected from adding the rates found when either colour was provided alone. This synergistic effect or enhancement is known as EEE or Emerson Enhancement Effect. This was the first good evidence that there are two photo systems; one absorbs far red light and other red light and both of them must operate to drive photosynthesis most effectively.
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As for UV being added to LED's to prevent mold...I don't know where you got that info, but I've never seen UV being advertised to prevent mold. The general consensus and proven lab results suggest UV increases THC content, flavinoids, oils and resin and this has been shown through many tests in labs and also 3rd party independent studies. Matter of fact a 1000w HPS was put against a 600w LED and they yielded roughly the same, but the LED light had 3% more THC content than the HID....Also the buds from the LED had a far greater terpene count, and even exhibited flavors/terpenes that were non existant under HPS.... The days of HPS are fading fast, and there actually are quite a few large scale growers who use LED now... Not saying LED is for everyone, and yea HPS has stood the tests of time and still to this day is the "standard" for growing, but that also is changing...

Drug and fiber-type C. sativa were irradiated with three levels of UV-B radiation for 40 days in greenhouse experiments. Physiological measurements on leaf tissues were made by infra-red gas analysis. Drug and fiber-type control plants had similar CO2 assimilation rates from 26 to 320C. Drug-type control plant had higher dark respiration rates and stomatal conductances than fiber-type control plants. The concentration of Δ9-THC, but not of other cannabinoids) in both vegetative and reproductive tissues increased with UV-B dose in drug-type plants. None of the cannabinoids in fiber-type plants were affected by UV-B radiation. The increased level of Δ9-THC found in leaves after irradiation may account for the physiological and morphological insensitivity to UV-B radiation in the drug-type plants. However, fiber plants showed no comparable change in the level of cannabidoil (CBD)
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The way I see it, plant light is one of the last things we growers have manipulated for plant growth...we choose specific nutrients and ratios, specific soil, specific environment temps humidity and co2... all to help our plants produce the exact best meds... but why do we still rely on a HPS technology that hasn't been "customized" in 25+ years...? LED allows this to happen, and I personally have used both HID and LED, and LED does produce better meds... HPS does a good job, but LED does it better (when used correctly).
 
I have tried and tried to find results to support your claims but have only found info from LED manufactures and sites supported by LED lighting like this one. Can you show any unbiased results?

UV helps get rid of indoor mold by destroying the fragile growth of the mold itself the same way it destroys skin cells on the body. I originally found the information about it from Advanced LED lighting about 1 year ago. They have sense removed all mention of UV and IR on their web site. I guess they couldn't prove it anymore than UV producing more THC as there is no scientific way to prove with Marijuana being a schedule 1 drug in the USA.

Sorry but it seems at the moment nobody without a biased opinion mentions either UV or IR
 
good discussions keep it going :)
 
Thought I had replied to this post already. Yeah, two years ago, when the OP started this thread, times were a little bit different, but then he never came back, so who knows if he still cares...
Anyway, if it was today, I would say spend a bit more and get way more LED Panel for your money.

I bought a new LED panel a few weeks ago. Yes, It was rather expensive, but if the present VEG plant growth, is any indication, of how the buds will develop, in FLOWER, while cared for properly, under this light, IT should be a remarkable finish. ;-)

Strange, I joined this forum nearly a year ago already, yet this is my first post here?

RedHotPoker
 
Love this light 5w LED

week1

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week 3

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guy4 said:
I have tried and tried to find results to support your claims but have only found info from LED manufactures and sites supported by LED lighting like this one. Can you show any unbiased results?

UV helps get rid of indoor mold by destroying the fragile growth of the mold itself the same way it destroys skin cells on the body. I originally found the information about it from Advanced LED lighting about 1 year ago. They have sense removed all mention of UV and IR on their web site. I guess they couldn't prove it anymore than UV producing more THC as there is no scientific way to prove with Marijuana being a schedule 1 drug in the USA.

Sorry but it seems at the moment nobody without a biased opinion mentions either UV or IR
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Chemical ecology of Cannabis

Possible role of ultraviolet radiation in evolution ofCannabis chemotypes - Springer
 
Not sure if this is right place to ask but has anyone had experience with both the Mars II (5w LED) and the Reflector Series (3w LED) panels from Mars Hydro (previously Top LED)? Is yes, it would be great if you share your experience regarding any differences between the 2 models.
I'm considering investing in a number of their lights but am torn between the newer Mars II models or the Reflector Series which is switchable to optimise spectrums for vegetative and/or flowering.
My questions / concerns are:
Is the Mars II as good as the Reflector for both stages of growth (veg and flowering)?
Would the Reflector Series be a better choice as a "one light fits all" for both veg and flower compared to the Mars II?
Is there any noticeable difference in growth, bud mass, bud density, node lengths, etc due to the Mars II's stronger 5watt diodes compared to the Reflector Series 3watt diodes?
Any noticeable differences in yields with stronger diodes but same actual wattage (result of better light penetration into the canopy with the 5watt diodes)?

Any other information gained from experiences would be helpful.
Maybe Sara could chime in with any helpful info about the differences between these 2 models.
 
I am using two eshine ES-150x3W-3GB lights in my grow
Two Chocolope Plants Under Two Eshine LED Panels in Hydro
Working great so far. They replaced two 400 hps lights for me. We will seen in about 4 weeks how their yield compares to the hps lights. I mounted them on a light mover to go side to side as they are fairly focused.
Cost was us$630 for TWO delivered to canada.
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Hi guys I just purchased a led light and I was wondering how long after the light has been running does the fan inside the light turn on?
 
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