My first go at LEDs!

PaqueteMan · Jul 26, 2012

Hi!

Recently I got hold of two second hand panels and I started my first grow using LEDs. I originally intended to use them in combination with a 250W HPS light but it's way too hot in the summer here and I finally decided to start a grow straightaway just with the LEDs.

I use coco-coir in 3 l. plastic pots -apart from two 3.8 l. smartpots I'm trying. I started from cuttlings 30 cm. - 40 cm. long (6 Shiskaberry and 4 Cream Caramel).

There they are!

They seem happy enough so far

Cheers!

analogue · Jul 26, 2012

Looking good so far. :tiphat:

JHerbz · Jul 26, 2012

Im always interested in LED grows..

Looks good!

Are they flowering now? far down does the light reach?

PaqueteMan · Jul 26, 2012

Cheers mate! Yes they look healthy indeed. This light is much much softer than my good old 600W HPS and plants are loving it so far. Even the high temperatures (around 85º) don't seem to bother them much.

Now, the real test will come soon enough, when they start to flower. It's been just four days into onset so far -after eight days of continuous light. I'm expecting the first signs in a week or so.

Cheers!

PaqueteMan · Jul 26, 2012

JHerbz said:
far down does the light reach?

Uuuummmmhhhhhhh... I tested it the other day with a light meter but can't remember (no wonder there :biggrin:

) the figures.
I'll try and do it again when the plants wake up and post the results. That is, if I happen to remember it of course.

Cheers!

PaqueteMan · Jul 26, 2012

Right! I just tested the lamps with a light meter. I find it quite tricky BTW as the slightest flick of your hand makes the number of lumens to either increase or decrease considerably. Having said that here's the approximate figures I managed to get together (edit: this is of course measured without any plants that could block the light, just the meter under the LEDs

Distance Lumens
10 cm. 100000
20 cm. 35000
30 cm. 17000

When you look at any of the plants is obvious the higher leaves are getting way more light than those below. The light does not really penetrate the canopy as an HPS does.

Cheers!

siddhartha · Jul 26, 2012

Cool. What brand panel are they?
Also lumens is waited heavily towards green light. An led panel should not have very much green in it. So lumens is not the best way to measure light usage. YPF is a much better way to measure but really hard to do.
Sidd

siddhartha · Jul 26, 2012

Cool. What brand panel are they?
Also lumen is weighted heavily towards green light. An led panel should not have very much green in it. So lumen is not the best way to measure light usage. YPF is a much better way to measure but really hard to do.
Sidd

homero · Jul 27, 2012

PaqueteMan said:
The light does not really penetrate the canopy as an HPS does.
Cheers!

ciao it's my first time with led but I noticed that the lower buds are quite equal to the top, more than a HID. It is a personal impression :biggrin:

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=239532

PaqueteMan · Jul 28, 2012

siddhartha said:
Cool. What brand panel are they?
Also lumen is weighted heavily towards green light. An led panel should not have very much green in it. So lumen is not the best way to measure light usage. YPF is a much better way to measure but really hard to do.
Sidd

They're two evoled 90 V3 panels. The brand is Spanish I believe. They're the commercial LED panel of choice of your regular Spanish grower although now there's some criticism because initially there was a hype around them but in the end people are not getting the spectacular results they were expecting.
You must be wondering why on earth did I buy them in the first place

Well, they're still pretty good and they sure beat HPS on terms of effeciency. I believe what makes them better than other commercial pannels I know is the fact -simple indeed BTW- that its LEDs are arranged in groups so that the lamps can get closer to the plants. This results of course in a lot more light intensity.

Thanks for the info. I've read some info about it but haven't really grasped the concepts yet.

Cheers!

PaqueteMan · Jul 28, 2012

homero said:
ciao it's my first time with led but I noticed that the lower buds are quite equal to the top, more than a HID. It is a personal impression

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=239532

Well, you're more experienced than I am. I haven't even got any buds yet!

I'll have to wait and see. Cheers!

PaqueteMan · Aug 4, 2012

Hi there...

More pics I took a few hours ago, thirteen days into onset

A Shiskaberry's tip

A Cream caramel's tip

The Shiskas

The Cream caramels plus one Shiska at the end

Cheers!

PaqueteMan · Aug 4, 2012

Two more.. You can really see the difference in size between the two varieties

PaqueteMan · Aug 12, 2012

Hi there!

Pictures I've just taken, twenty one days into onset.

Cream caramel

Shiskaberry

See you

DevilWeedSeeds · Aug 12, 2012

Looking good man! What is the type of LED's are you running, wattage? I use LED's for veg breeding, I do find they don't do a great job at flowers so I think I will be sticking with the HPS for that and the LED's for vegging. No point in running extra watts when the LED will do the job just fine till they are ready to roll in flowering.

PaqueteMan · Aug 12, 2012

DevilWeedSeeds said:
Looking good man! What is the type of LED's are you running, wattage? I use LED's for veg breeding, I do find they don't do a great job at flowers so I think I will be sticking with the HPS for that and the LED's for vegging. No point in running extra watts when the LED will do the job just fine till they are ready to roll in flowering.

Thanks mate. The panels are two EVO90 V3, 70 Watts of power each.

I plan to use them with a 250W HPS but now in the summer the LEDs give me the chance to grow without air-con. However I think LEDs are more efficient than HPS. The problem is that people sometimes compare a LED panel with a much powerful HPS (this is probably the manufacturer's fault BTW). In my opinion you have to compare them with the same wattage.

I like it though, the LEDs are so gentle on the plants they're almost a perfect green. No burns or twisted leaves.

So far they look good. I'm not expecting a big crop because it's just 140W but those buds are starting to form and I'm enjoying the expeirence of growing with LEDs.

Ganja Queen · Aug 13, 2012

The plants are looking beautiful Paqueteman! I considered LEDs originally, but they are much too expensive for my budget. For the same price as one LED light, I bought an HID setup + tent and ventilation. Not to mention I can grow many more plants than the one LED light as well! If they were the same price as HID, I would have definitely went for them though. Looks like you are getting great results out of those panels...I went ahead and subbed up...and thanks for showing me love earlier!

PaqueteMan · Aug 13, 2012

Ganja Queen said:
The plants are looking beautiful Paqueteman! I considered LEDs originally, but they are much too expensive for my budget. For the same price as one LED light, I bought an HID setup + tent and ventilation. Not to mention I can grow many more plants than the one LED light as well! If they were the same price as HID, I would have definitely went for them though. Looks like you are getting great results out of those panels...I went ahead and subbed up...and thanks for showing me love earlier!

I agree, they're too expensive at the moment. I got a good deal on those, because had I not I would've stuck with HPS. I don't really think the benefits are quite as worthy yet (and they're a few, namely: a little more power-efficient and thus less polluting, allegedly longer life, virtually no heat, no leaf burns and as a bonus they create a very difficult environment for pests). It would be nice to have affordable -and reliable of course- options to purchase in the near future though!

Well, I digress... Nevermind, it's good to see you around Queen.

DevilWeedSeeds · Aug 14, 2012

I think depending on your power cost they will pay for themselves pretty fast. Just need the money up front for the investment.

medmaker420 · Aug 14, 2012

Can't wait to see more updates!

I am about to start a grow show with some Field Marshall Seeds strains and I will be growing from start to finish under LEDs the entire time. I can't wait!

I agree as well that first compare watt to watt and go from there. In the end I could care less if a 1k can kill a 400w LED panel because it really doesn't make much difference.

I do want to see if they can create quality DENSE bud all year around, whether it compares to the many 600 and 1k and multi 1k runs I have done WHO KNOWS but man will it be fun!

Its a hobby and a blast to continue testing different grow ideas, I think LED's are going to replace the hps especially for tent/cabinet growers. I don't see the BIG GROW ROOMS who are currently running 10+ mag ballasts switching to LEDS anytime soon though lol.

KEEP UP the great grow man

My first go at LEDs!

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Señor Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Private Breeder

Member

Member

Member

Private Breeder

The Aardvarks LED Grow Show