Grow

by Mishimoto

Until recently, indoor growers only had traditional mechanisms of indoor hydroponic growing with high heat bulbs such as high pressure sodium, metal halide, and more recently, compact fluorescent. The light bulb would provide massive amounts of light, measured in lumens, to replicate the sunlight necessary for photosynthesis which drives vegetative growth and flowering. These lighting sources provide white light, which is the combination of all the colors in the visible spectrum put together. The problem with these traditional lighting sources is that they are inherently inefficient and waste a great deal of energy in the form of excess heat and light in the visible spectrum which is not beneficial to indoor growing.  For example, the green spectra is not necessary for photosynthesis as green light is reflected and does nothing to the plants (green light bulbs are good to use when you need to enter your grow room during the sleep cycle of your plants because they will not be detected by the plants).

Although different plants have different lighting requirements (orchids have different light needs than cannabis plants), most plants flourish with only a limited range of light – reds, orange, and blues. This is because various processes and chemicals involved in photosynthesis respond most readily to these bands of light. Unfortunately, only about 15 percent of light emitted by HID/CFL bulbs is available in the bands of light needed for photosynthesis.

This is where LED technology makes the photosynthesis of indoor grown plants a more efficient process. Hydroponic LED lights concentrate their diode ratio around the reds, oranges and blues, along with the weighted value of other spectra needed to get the optimal blend for a particular plant.  By concentrating on the wavelengths actually needed for photosynthesis, LED growlights can save a tremendous amount of energy as compared to high pressure sodium bulbs. This is why a 300 to 400 watt LED growlight can replace an entire 1000 watt high pressure sodium or metal halide system. Furthermore, the LED grow light does not need a ballast assembly because the power supplies are built into the panel.  If you start adding up all the capital and operational savings, it is easy to see why LED grow lights are becoming the future of hydroponic gardening.

Cheap LEDs – Mislead by the 225 LED Panel

Many growers shy away from LED grow lights because of all the chatter in the forums and blogs about cheap LED grow lights which simply do not work. These growers have a right to be concerned. Even though LED technology for growing has been proven by NASA, the research community and professional and hobbyist growers alike, one has to be careful to purchase a light strong enough for the desired grow space. Some of the first LED grow lights that came to market were the 225 LED Panels which retailed for $ 30-60. These panels had diodes in a square pattern of 15 rows by 15 columns with a total of 225 LEDs. The problem was that the diodes were less than 1/10th of a watt of power each, yielding a total power draw of only 13.8 watts for the entire panel. The 13.8 watts is simply not enough power for the intent of indoor hydroponic cannabis growing.

The misleading name, 225 LED made it seem like the panel was 225 watts but in reality those cheap LED panels were only a fraction thereof. In order to be successful with LED grow lights, and adequate amount of power is needed for a given grow space. A 90 watt LED grow light will provide adequate coverage for 1 mature plant, a 300-400 watt LED grow lights will provide adequate coverage for a 4 foot by 4 foot grow space, a 600 watt LED grow light will provide adequate coverage for a 5 foot by 5 foot grow space.

With the correct LED grow light, professional and hobbyist growers alike are enjoying the multitude of benefits that come with LED technology. As the industry evolves and more growers share their experiences, LED indoor grow lights are becoming the system of choice that more and more growers are turning to!

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In this short documentary, Luke Rudkowski investigates medical cannabis oil use in Holland and the laws surrounding it. This video contains interviews with medical cannabis oil patients, a look into a manufacturer of cannabis oil and an exclusive interview with the 1st coffee shop owner in Holland the Pot Father.

The Pot Fathers website is http://www.mediwiet.nl/
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