Feedback on low height LED setup sought - LED Grow Lights - International Cannagraphic Magazine Forums

Crazy Chester · 03-25-2018, 12:09 AM

I want to make a three level 4 foot by 4 foot garden in which I grow the plants into fat bud trees no more than two feet tall.

In order to do that I will have to have my lights within six inches or less from the top of the plants. Because of the limited height available, powerful LEDs like COBs will not work, so I've been looking into less powerful LEDs spread evenly across each 4 x 4 space.

I'm thinking of using 3014 204 LEDs/m type strip lights (16 4 foot long strips per 4 x 4).

Do you think that's enough light to grow fat buds on plants that are no taller than 2 feet high?

Crazy Chester · 03-26-2018, 11:45 PM

I was thinking about using these in a combination of warm white and cool white:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/204-...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

ReeferDan · 03-30-2018, 07:24 AM

I was watching the smart grow systems videos on YouTube and thinking the same thing.
I don’t have much useful info to add here but I’m pulling up a chair

Crazy Chester · 03-30-2018, 05:10 PM

Hi ReeferDan, thanks for stopping by and taking a look.

I'm working on my parts list now for an entire garden. The led strip lights are just a part of it. Unfortunately, I'm still only in the planning stage, but I will keep you posted for sure and I will check out smart grow systems too.

bsgospel · 03-30-2018, 07:20 PM

I looked at those same style ribbons and decided against them. The lumens/nm just don't add up. Sure it's cheap and easy to snip and customize but the penetration and ppfd are weak. It's 1/10 of what the sol strips/samsung strings are capable of for a few bucks more.

Maybe a couple of these with a couple less strips?: https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.ph...85&postcount=9

Crazy Chester · 03-30-2018, 07:39 PM

Quote:

I looked at those same style ribbons and decided against them. The lumens/nm just don't add up.

Thanks for the link to the Samsung strip lights, bsgospel. I see they state they are 197 l/w. I have no idea what the l/w are for the type of lights I posted a link to. Would you happen to know (or at least be able to hazard an educated guess)?

Also, I'm looking to never have the lights further than six inches from the canopy. They probably would mostly be 2-3 inches from the top of the plants.

If the strips I was looking at are that close to the plants, do you think I'd have good light penetration for at least the first 12-18"?

Crazy Chester · 03-30-2018, 07:50 PM

Hey, ReeferDan - I watched the smart grow systems videos and its exactly the concept I was following. My experience with big HPS lights is that half the vertical space in the garden grows NO bud (the first foot or two of the plant produces hardly any bud and the several feet above the plants and below the lights certainly doesn't produce either).

What use is it to run a 1000 watt hps several feet above the canopy (and thereby creating an un-productive garden space) when you can spread less wattage out over a larger area?

bsgospel · 03-30-2018, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazy Chester

Thanks for the link to the Samsung strip lights, bsgospel. I see they state they are 197 l/w. I have no idea what the l/w are for the type of lights I posted a link to. Would you happen to know (or at least be able to hazard an educated guess)?

Also, I'm looking to never have the lights further than six inches from the canopy. They probably would mostly be 2-3 inches from the top of the plants.

If the strips I was looking at are that close to the plants, do you think I'd have good light penetration for at least the first 12-18"?

The lights you posted say 12-15 lumens per chip. Even combined in a tight space I would imagine it's inefficient. Your typical t5/4 bulb fixture is rolling out something like 10000-15000 or something like that. The link I posted has that light in a PC case. Very low overhead but the plants seem just fine. Some occasional training would take care of the height issue...

Crazy Chester · 03-30-2018, 11:34 PM

Nice light, bsgospel - the plants are loving it!

Any idea what your wattage draw is for that light?

Athos · 04-02-2018, 01:56 AM

Go to the Grow Diaries -> Micro grows sub forum

Look for the threads made by Blynx where he compares CFL's to LED bulbs. Thanks to his tests, most of us in micro spaces (specially height) are using LED bulbs with great results. They are very efficient and produce low heat.

1.5 feet tall plant is what we usually grow, by topping LST and HST. Yield wise it's close to or just at 1 gpw.

30 watts per sq ft is the accepted norm, although it varies from grower to grower, some go as low as 20 watts per sq ft and 45 it's the highest I've seen. Myself I'm at 34 w/sqft.

03-25-2018, 12:09 AM	#1
Crazy Chester Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: SF Bay California Posts: 182	Feedback on low height LED setup sought I want to make a three level 4 foot by 4 foot garden in which I grow the plants into fat bud trees no more than two feet tall. In order to do that I will have to have my lights within six inches or less from the top of the plants. Because of the limited height available, powerful LEDs like COBs will not work, so I've been looking into less powerful LEDs spread evenly across each 4 x 4 space. I'm thinking of using 3014 204 LEDs/m type strip lights (16 4 foot long strips per 4 x 4). Do you think that's enough light to grow fat buds on plants that are no taller than 2 feet high?
	Quote

03-30-2018, 07:24 AM	#3
ReeferDan Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 420	I was watching the smart grow systems videos on YouTube and thinking the same thing. I don’t have much useful info to add here but I’m pulling up a chair
	Quote 1 members found this post helpful.

03-30-2018, 07:20 PM	#5
bsgospel Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 398	I looked at those same style ribbons and decided against them. The lumens/nm just don't add up. Sure it's cheap and easy to snip and customize but the penetration and ppfd are weak. It's 1/10 of what the sol strips/samsung strings are capable of for a few bucks more. Maybe a couple of these with a couple less strips?: https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.ph...85&postcount=9 __________________ It's time for a revolution, but probably not in the terms that people imagine it. The word conjures up images of— a modern day version of peasants going into the street with their pitch forks to go after the bad guy who lives in a big house and we're gonna get that son-of-a-bitch and we'll take all the stuff from him and we'll give it to the workers. That's not the kind of revolution I had in mind. I thought that it might be nice if it was handled a little bit more modern and efficient way, without people getting slaughtered. It's a matter of infiltration…The people who are in control of the media, the government that run the lives of the average person in the street. They aren't doing a good job 'cause they don't really care. The potential is there in the younger generation. Right now they’re not really interested. Their political involvement is on a very superficial basis. They go out for the social aspects of a march or a rally rather than for what it could possibly accomplish. -FZ
	Quote 1 members found this post helpful.

04-02-2018, 01:56 AM	#10
Athos Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 167	Go to the Grow Diaries -> Micro grows sub forum Look for the threads made by Blynx where he compares CFL's to LED bulbs. Thanks to his tests, most of us in micro spaces (specially height) are using LED bulbs with great results. They are very efficient and produce low heat. 1.5 feet tall plant is what we usually grow, by topping LST and HST. Yield wise it's close to or just at 1 gpw. 30 watts per sq ft is the accepted norm, although it varies from grower to grower, some go as low as 20 watts per sq ft and 45 it's the highest I've seen. Myself I'm at 34 w/sqft.
	Quote 1 members found this post helpful.

03-26-2018, 11:45 PM	#2
Crazy Chester Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: SF Bay California Posts: 182	I was thinking about using these in a combination of warm white and cool white: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/204-...E&gclsrc=aw.ds
	Quote

03-30-2018, 05:10 PM	#4
Crazy Chester Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: SF Bay California Posts: 182	Hi ReeferDan, thanks for stopping by and taking a look. I'm working on my parts list now for an entire garden. The led strip lights are just a part of it. Unfortunately, I'm still only in the planning stage, but I will keep you posted for sure and I will check out smart grow systems too.
	Quote

03-30-2018, 07:50 PM	#7
Crazy Chester Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: SF Bay California Posts: 182	Hey, ReeferDan - I watched the smart grow systems videos and its exactly the concept I was following. My experience with big HPS lights is that half the vertical space in the garden grows NO bud (the first foot or two of the plant produces hardly any bud and the several feet above the plants and below the lights certainly doesn't produce either). What use is it to run a 1000 watt hps several feet above the canopy (and thereby creating an un-productive garden space) when you can spread less wattage out over a larger area?
	Quote

03-30-2018, 11:34 PM	#9
Crazy Chester Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: SF Bay California Posts: 182	Nice light, bsgospel - the plants are loving it! Any idea what your wattage draw is for that light?
	Quote