Indoor Lighting
1.618:
Quote from: helixturnhelix on July 24, 2010, 08:19:26 AM
WOW! My props to Bart, I will be experimenting with Indoor lighting next year as well and would love it if he could give some more incite! :D
Theres a good website for lighting info at;
http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/guide3.shtml
Ian
Charlie:
Kerry, I never saw this message about LED lights. Thanks for the input.
Expense is a relative thing of course. With plants you need a lot more light than with aquariums and the standard top end for plants has been 1000 Watt HID (high intensity discharge) lamps in either HPS (high pressure sodium) or MH (metal halide) configuration. With an electronic ballast and cooling fans these systems can cost up to $1000 by the time it's all set up. Lower end versions of this type of system can still cost several hundred dollars. 1000 watt HID is what Bart used to grow his large and great looking hibiscus over the winter.
I am hoping the LED light systems will be cheaper than that, although they will be more than fluorescent systems. Such hopes were dashed by a quick search of the internet where I found 760 Watt led systems for sale at around $2000. That's way too high for most although it is a more complicated subject than just purchase price. Cost of electricity will be lower, heat issues are lessened, and the light spectrum is better since there is little compromise between growth and flowering spectrums with led. Neither watts or lumens are the best way to look at light either - PAR measurements (plant useable light) are the way to compare grow light systems.
Anyway, it's an interesting subject and one we will pay more attention to in the future.
Charlie
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