Hey ICMag 
I, among others (not any others but some really great growers), was chosen by LEDGirl of Hydro-Grow to do a comparative test grow between a specified wattage HID and one of her LED units.
The Equipment
As the title says, I was provided with the 126w Penetrator unit. It uses a combined spectrum of 440nm, 470nm, 640nm, 660nm, plus white and IR LEDs.
85% of the spectrum is going to be in red, with 10% at blue and the remaining 5% in white.
The unit appears to be built well, and I haven't noticed any anomalies of any kind.
It's approximately 19"x12.5"x2.5" and the shipping weight was about 21 pounds. Came ready to go with built in hangers and carabiner type hooks.
I will be using a Hydrofarm 250w unit that I made into a remote ballast which also enabled me to wire in one of my air cooled hoods. This hood is 23"x20"x7" (7" is height, glass to top part of reflector)
The bulb I'm using for veg is just a GE 250w 4200K MH (Brand new)
FYI
The 126w LED unit was given and shipped free of charge, however that wont cause any biases or "ethical" complications because the ethical thing to do is report accurately and truthfully on the results of the test. I have not, and will not receive anything more then the 126w unit I already have, no matter the outcome of the test.
The Method
Both groups will be grown under identical conditions.
I will be growing organically, in LC's mix. Its peat, EWC, perlite and lime.
I feed when the plants need it using teas. My tea consists of powdered kelp, molasses, EWC, and a combination of guanos depending on veg or flower.
I don't use a pH pen or anything to specifically adjust the pH except for the lime in the medium.
I use LST a lot on this cut, works wonders and will be using it for this test.
The plants will start out in 3/4 gal pots and then transplanted to final containers which are about 4gal. Two plants per light.
The Genetics
The strain I'm growing is a Hindu Skunk cut I've had for a bit. She is my favorite I have found, due to taste, potency, and yield. I usually flower her out with a 250w MH Optilume bulb that is 4000K. I purchased one of these brand new for the test as well.
I pull in on average with this cut around 0.68gpw. Not the most yielding I've had, but best tasting and most potent which I care very much about. Here is a picture of some I have going right now. This is one among others that I put in a 3/4 gal pot and flowered after 3 days veg.
The Test Plants
These four sisters are from the same mother and were among eight others who got weeded (pun def. intended) out, due to consistency concerns.
Here is Hindu Skunk (HS) number one (_01). She will be under the HID.
Here is HS_02. She is also under the HID.
Here is HS_03. She is under the LED.
Here is HS_04. She is under the LED.
Some immediate pros I have come to realize with LED's is the fact that there isn't the need to replace bulbs which adds up.
The heat generated by these units is a tiny fraction compared to the heat of an HID which means no or significantly less AC, and less ventilation. The energy cost on the lack of so much AC/ventilation and replacement bulbs will pay for the unit pretty quickly as long as it can hold its own. Plus its a small compact unit that is very stealthy, unless you have light leaks, people will think you're under attack by aliens
.
Some immediate cons I've noticed is the lack of variety of lighting spectrum within the unit. It is what it is and although it may be an optimal spectrum, its not the same through out all of growing. We'll see how it compares.
I can't say if this is a pro or con, as I'm sure you all have varying opinions, but if you are under the light for over like five minutes you will see green once you leave, or turn it off. It is bizarre and cool at the same time. Maybe its a view into the future :yay:
With all that said, I feel very honored to have been chosen especially being among growers I've admired over the years.
Test starts now
Frozenguy
I, among others (not any others but some really great growers), was chosen by LEDGirl of Hydro-Grow to do a comparative test grow between a specified wattage HID and one of her LED units.
The Equipment
As the title says, I was provided with the 126w Penetrator unit. It uses a combined spectrum of 440nm, 470nm, 640nm, 660nm, plus white and IR LEDs.
85% of the spectrum is going to be in red, with 10% at blue and the remaining 5% in white.
The unit appears to be built well, and I haven't noticed any anomalies of any kind.
It's approximately 19"x12.5"x2.5" and the shipping weight was about 21 pounds. Came ready to go with built in hangers and carabiner type hooks.
I will be using a Hydrofarm 250w unit that I made into a remote ballast which also enabled me to wire in one of my air cooled hoods. This hood is 23"x20"x7" (7" is height, glass to top part of reflector)
The bulb I'm using for veg is just a GE 250w 4200K MH (Brand new)
FYI
The 126w LED unit was given and shipped free of charge, however that wont cause any biases or "ethical" complications because the ethical thing to do is report accurately and truthfully on the results of the test. I have not, and will not receive anything more then the 126w unit I already have, no matter the outcome of the test.
The Method
Both groups will be grown under identical conditions.
I will be growing organically, in LC's mix. Its peat, EWC, perlite and lime.
I feed when the plants need it using teas. My tea consists of powdered kelp, molasses, EWC, and a combination of guanos depending on veg or flower.
I don't use a pH pen or anything to specifically adjust the pH except for the lime in the medium.
I use LST a lot on this cut, works wonders and will be using it for this test.
The plants will start out in 3/4 gal pots and then transplanted to final containers which are about 4gal. Two plants per light.
The Genetics
The strain I'm growing is a Hindu Skunk cut I've had for a bit. She is my favorite I have found, due to taste, potency, and yield. I usually flower her out with a 250w MH Optilume bulb that is 4000K. I purchased one of these brand new for the test as well.
I pull in on average with this cut around 0.68gpw. Not the most yielding I've had, but best tasting and most potent which I care very much about. Here is a picture of some I have going right now. This is one among others that I put in a 3/4 gal pot and flowered after 3 days veg.
The Test Plants
These four sisters are from the same mother and were among eight others who got weeded (pun def. intended) out, due to consistency concerns.
Here is Hindu Skunk (HS) number one (_01). She will be under the HID.
Here is HS_02. She is also under the HID.
Here is HS_03. She is under the LED.
Here is HS_04. She is under the LED.
Some immediate pros I have come to realize with LED's is the fact that there isn't the need to replace bulbs which adds up.
The heat generated by these units is a tiny fraction compared to the heat of an HID which means no or significantly less AC, and less ventilation. The energy cost on the lack of so much AC/ventilation and replacement bulbs will pay for the unit pretty quickly as long as it can hold its own. Plus its a small compact unit that is very stealthy, unless you have light leaks, people will think you're under attack by aliens
. Some immediate cons I've noticed is the lack of variety of lighting spectrum within the unit. It is what it is and although it may be an optimal spectrum, its not the same through out all of growing. We'll see how it compares.
I can't say if this is a pro or con, as I'm sure you all have varying opinions, but if you are under the light for over like five minutes you will see green once you leave, or turn it off. It is bizarre and cool at the same time. Maybe its a view into the future :yay:
With all that said, I feel very honored to have been chosen especially being among growers I've admired over the years.
Test starts now
Frozenguy
I'll try and keep it interesting 
