Ok, ok, I know HPS and the conventional sources of light for growing are the gold standard for bud growth. Having said that I want to start a thread or maybe even a fourm topic dedicated to LED's. This is high tech light source is not being fully utilized. The fact that they are energy efficient should be attractive for use in growing, much of the cost associated with a grow is attributed to energy. LED's are continuing to mature in ways that will make them a viable form of light for growing. So I challenge this form to "A quest for the best" in LED's for a grow. Well there you have it, let's cultivate this topic!
Platinum p300 in 2x2 scrog. 3 plants. Awesoommee light. Getting an amare pro3 REAL 300w for bloom tent newest girls ready for bloom. Tent soon!
look into diy chip on board, or cobs, with led you want to maximize the amount of different wave lengths the plant receives for photosynthesis , this makes led even more useful because you can supply plants with pin point accuracy ample amounts of blue and red light needed for photosynthesis, there is always the ability to supplement some yellow and IR, cobs seem to put out a lot of lumens for less watts @REALSTYLES has some really good cob info, requires some learning though and a bit of a can do attitude as you will learn to have to construct your own light. some people build cobs and sell them
We're in the process of "learning" right now about what we need to put together to create the best light possible for both the veg and flowering phases. Luckily, I'm married to a lifer electrician who specialized in lighting and birthed one who's in his fourth year of a 5 year program and who has graciously offered to put together whatever hubs decides we need. I do all the work in the rooms...they can figure out the configuration for the lighting. Which brings me to my point on the LEDs....sure, they're great lights and they grow some seriously nice buds. But the price is going to have to be brought down substantially on a retail level for them to ever be widely used among the general public. Considering the body size of most being so small and them not covering more sq. footage each than they do, it'll cost a fortune to light up a space of much size with high quality LEDs. We're putting ours together ourselves and cutting out a ton of the cost as well as getting premium quality built lighting...but only because I have the skill and the labor in the house. Otherwise, it'll be awhile before I go spend that much money on a single light that can't support half what my HPS fixtures do right now. Nothing wrong with them other than the price to cover a significant amount of space. We've already got thousands invested in what we have right now. It would probably cost me at least another 10K to replace the lights I have now with enough high quality LEDs to do the job...but one of these days I do hope to have some of my own. TWW
Dam I hear what your your saying about the return on investment. I just can not afford spending a ton of money to find out it was a waste.