LED lights with pics

[SmknVTEC]

It has been a while since I have grown from seed but, it seems like growth is a little slower. Usually I think my seedlings get to be about a foot tall after a month under a 400 watt HPS. We will see how long it takes for them to get a foot tall with the LED's.

[smackem]

hey buddie they look a bit stretched but im sure they will stop soon and they are still green green green keep up the good work and interesting lights

[Jimi001]

He said they are stretched because the lights are so close, so everyone doesn't need to tell him that "they look a little stretched out".

[SmknVTEC]

LoL
It's cool Jimi. Actually they got stretched because the lights were too far from the plants not too close. The lights are much closer now so in time, the stretch will be irrelevant.

[tahoejoe420]

umm hey guys i found these cheap red leds on ebay would it work for growing?

http://cgi.ebay.com/RED-12-DIAMETER-...QQcmdZViewItem

[CronicSmoker]

It says right there on the site that you can use them for it...

[SmknVTEC]

There is a reason why the lights are only $20; you get what you pay for and they don't work very well. Also, remember I said that red can't be used during veg. If you do use them the plant will be all stretched and very leggy. It might grow better than incandescent light though.

[SmknVTEC]

Hi guys,
Here they are at two weeks old. They are about 4-4.5 inches tall. It looks like one was almost touching a bulb and got slightly burned. Otherwise, I think they look pretty good considering how few watts this thing has. I think by this point with my 400 watt HPS, they would be around 6 inches tall, and so the LED's are not too far behind.

I do think that they need a fan, even though they stand up on their own the stems are pretty week. Growing under the HPS with no fan however they would have fallen over. Also, per my associate’s recommendation, I will be putting them on 22/2 tonight so they get a couple hours of sleep.

[J3SUS]

well i must say im impressed as theyve grown this far from a set of LED's, but those stems looks scarily thin! they msut surely be on the border of tipping over? get a fan in there asap or theyre gonna be face down in the dirt, good luck.

[SmknVTEC]

Yes,
I am all about the fans. I always recommend people get fans. However, my friend, the designer of the lights, says they can grow without the fans. So far he is right but the stems are pretty skinny. A while longer and I will probably get a fan in there. Also, tonight marks the first night of 22/2 lighting, a schedule I also do not really recommend but just going on my associates advice.

[mister2]

What a top idea! whoever thought of growing under LEDs mustve been a genius! Low power consumption, no need for a fan (yet), low heat output! surely thats what everyones been waiting for?
If only it was cheaper though
I'll be watching thi svery closely

[sidious]

hmmmm interesting, that's for sure..........but all in all i'd say they should be lower to the soil, and a thicker stem, after 4 weeks with just the 400 HPS, there's no reason that they shouldn't have about a 8-10mm stem, real handy for heavy flowering...........they look healthy and if nurtured right will give an ok yield.........but by now, you should be thinking more of "how can i increase my yields with what i already have and the skills i've learned".........unless you already have lots of weed and can experiment, but i'd be worried about........"what if it doesn't work out the way i planned and now i've gotta buy weed, insted of being free".............what kinda distance have you got that HPS from them?.........and what's your radiant and ambiant temps at the top of the plants?................Peace out...............Sid

[SmknVTEC]

Sid & mister2!

Welcome to the party pal. Long time no see Sid. Yeah, I got plenty of weed to smoke. This is just an experiment. I wanted to see what my friends LED light can do because if it takes off, I might go into the business of selling them with him. I know they will work in growing weed because he has had people grow weed under them.

Currently they are about 1-3 inches away from the LED lights. Ambient temps are about the same top to bottom; about 72-74 degrees. The bulbs themselves do get pretty hot so if they touch the plants it will burn them. However, the design of the hood allows easy dissipation of heat off the top of the hood.

My friend was also right; a fan is not really mandatory when growing with this LED. This last week the stems really thickened up and the plant has really filled out with side branches and all. These pictures were taken today at about week 3.5 and the tall one is about 9 inches tall. I also noticed the cotyledon leaves starting to yellow so I gave them half strength on the ferts I listed on page 2 of this thread.

[Eckolaker]

Im absolutely amazed. This is great and Im seriously considering doing this right now.


SmknVTEC, how well does this work for flowering stage? I know your plants aren't there yet, but what about your associate that said people did get a successful harvest?

Do you think this will work for a 12plant flower/4plant veg constant grow?

[SmknVTEC]

Originally Posted by Eckolaker

Im absolutely amazed. This is great and Im seriously considering doing this right now.


SmknVTEC, how well does this work for flowering stage? I know your plants aren't there yet, but what about your associate that said people did get a successful harvest?

Do you think this will work for a 12plant flower/4plant veg constant grow?

Hey Eckolaker,

Thanks for joining. This light will flower bud. I have seen pictures of my friends friends dogs former roommate who had some nice bud. The light that I have hanging over head would be good for no more than four plants grown in pots no bigger than the ones I currently have. That is an estimate of course because I have not done this.

What I do notice is that the plants do lean a bit. I think that might be because that second light I have hanging vertically on the side of the plants, causes them to reach for that light. I might turn it off, I think it is too far away and makes them reach.

Your 12 plants is probably out of the question unless you do a micro SOG and keep them in super small pots, flower early, and use both lights I have shown except mounted properly. Once they are ready for flower I will switch on the red lights and we will see what happens.

Oh I forgot to mention; being the LED's give off so little heat and I am not using a fan, I only have to water once every 10 days or so, so the setup really is a no hassle deal. Room temp still 72 degrees with constant 50% humidity, 8 inch pots and to water I pour in a half gallon split between the two so 1/4 gallon each. This is enough to totally saturate the soil and have a bit of run off water drain out from below.