Led for veg only

[leafsta]

Im keen to know everyones thoughts on a led that would be used solely for vegging to cover a footprint of 3 foot by 3 foot..

 

Any input appreciated

[KC]

I've just replaced a 315cmh in my veg tent for a 100w Lumi Black Blade, my tent is smaller than yours though at 80cm2. Maybe 2 of them. They do bigger Black Blades but they have red in their spectrum unlike the 100w version. It's sitting right at the top of my tent and yet the seedling which is on the floor isn't stretchy at all, I assume that's because of the lack of red

Just a note but the 100w versions aren't dimmable. you could just turn one off if not needed though.

 

Hlg do some boards for just vegging but they're £450

[Larry Badgeley]

You could try Root it LED's. I've got a 28w one for my small grow. I will only use it for veg

[Slippy One]

Don't buy one with anything in the deeper red/orange spectrum, it made my bonsai mums start flowering, even at 18hrs light. Go blue, the ideal colour range is 3500-5400k. T5 tubes are 6400k from memory and plants love them. I make my own LED strips using Digikey, but there's probably lots of ready made lights that are suitable. 

Edited April 1 by Slippy One

[Shumroom]

Depending on how warm the grow space is naturally,

you might be better sticking with traditional lighting rather than LEDs.

 

You’ll need less lights off heating since they’ll be on at least 16 hours per day.

 

 

I’m all LEDs from seed to harvest  

 

 

If you’re getting an LED you don’t really need any far red or infra red diodes 

 

Atb

Edit: DIY is probably a good way to go  

 

 

Edited April 1 by Shumroom
ETA DIY suggestion

[CheechChongReturns]

I have used 4 x 30w , 5400k LED floodlights before.

at £8.99 each , worked out ok .

 

[The Villan]

@Shumroom I am using the par + ultra at the moment on my seedlings. I do have two root it led strip lights in my old veg cab, would these be a better option seeing as they are made for a vegging situation. ? the par ultras have red in them

[The Villan]

Just checked the specs and these are just a white light, probably better if I put these in for the delicate seedling stage ?

 

[Shumroom]

The reds are what if anything will cause stretching,

or shade avoidance iirc 

 

Obviously some genetics will react differently,

some might benefit from a little stretch.

 

But if you’ve got White lights @The Villan I’d use them for now

 

What wattage are they?

 

Atb

 

 

 

[The Villan]

42watts per light m8

Cheers for the reply will put them up tomorrow.

[Shumroom]

That’s a decent amount of power to get them up to a good size  

 

Atb

 

 

 

[leafsta]

does anyone have a link to the DIY light thread using the samsung strips? cant find it for love nor money

[LHC]

Hi @leafsta

I have used HLG 100 V2 with great success. I change to 315W CMH after stretch is over, or after a week or two if it´s a sativa that stretches long time into flowering. 

 

[Larry Badgeley]

Mine is a ROOT!T 26w White 6500k Veg Light. I will use this for the next few weeks whilst the plants are growing. After that my 240w PAR LED will come into action.

[MindSoup]

As others have said stay clear of red diodes, my mother's have been far less happy since I fitted a light with them and I'm convinced it's a large contributing factor.

 

To be honest a lot of people I speak to have gone back to vegging under CFLs/T5s. They're a bit less efficient but keeping plants happy under them requires a lot less effort than with LED, so i'm told anyway. 

Edited April 2 by MindSoup