I would like to be able to start my tomatoes, peppers, chillies etc off earlier to give them a longer growing season now that I have a smallish poly tunnel. Does anyone have any experience of using growlights?
I have an 8 foot by 2 foot heated propagator table and above that I have two double 4 foot tube fittings with grolux tubes. Works a treat.
;)
Cheers, Tony.
There are lots of lights on offer on the web - a lot aimed at the illegal weed market - but simply put..
LEDs - interesting but probably not there yet - give it a few years
Sodium and Metal Halide bulbs - They work very well but are very inefficient in terms of heat output (and money). They are likely to burn or fry tender seedlings and generally need ventilation
Flouro tubes - These lights (http://www.growell.co.uk/exolux-bright-wing-mother-clone-lights.html) are ideal for propagation and seedlings - they run cool and are pretty good for small plants. Light penetration is an issue for taller plants.
CFL - These sort of lights (http://www.growell.co.uk/eco-lights-compact-fluorescent-lamps-cfl.html) are also good and have the advantage that you can plug them into a standard light socket.
I think that for seedlings and cuttings the bank of flouro tubes is favourite - I have a home made setup with a couple of tubes in the garage - works well but I only use them minimally eg to get onions going a bit early ...
I have a three tier commercial light garden which I use all the year round. It does all my starting and potting on and in the cooler weather I grow salads and mini tomatoes on it all through the winter.
Each tier has three growlights under a hood, each 4 feet long.
Stands about 7 feet high and two feet deep.
It wasn't cheap but I have never regretted it, it is economical to run, Ok to look at and does a great job
XX Jeannine
Quote from: Jeannine on June 14, 2012, 20:39:41
I have a three tier commercial light garden which I use all the year round. It does all my starting and potting on and in the cooler weather I grow salads and mini tomatoes on it all through the winter.
Each tier has three growlights under a hood, each 4 feet long.
Stands about 7 feet high and two feet deep.
It wasn't cheap but I have never regretted it, it is economical to run, Ok to look at and does a great job
XX Jeannine
Hi Jeannine - could you post a pic - maybe like to copy it..
I believe that the physuics of the LED'sare perfectly sound, it's just that the signal to noise ratio from the stoners and the dubious marketing of them has tarnished the reputation.... I'm hopnig to find the time to have a play with them this autumn aheadof using them to start my onions over winter.... I've got a degree in Microelectronic Systems and Biology.... so I can read the optoelectronics specs of the LED's adn the absorption spectra for the various plants clorophylls equally well.... What I know tells me it should be possible.... now the issue is translating it into a workable device.... at a sensible price and level of complexity....
Of course another important point is that stoners are using exclusively artificial light whereas we're only topping up what the good lord provides from above - to make it enough for a dull day to be bright or the day to be a little longer... Also the large indoor growers generally steal electricity so efficiency is less important.
Gavin, I seem to have lost my picture priveleges but if you go to Veseys seeds in PEI this is where I had it shipped from. I will try to find a link XX Jeannine
http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/store/lightgardens/deluxe3tier
This gives a very good picture .. I bought mine two years ago and they say it has changed but apart from my hoods being white it looks identical to mine so if you have any questions I will give it a shot.
Quote from: OllieC on June 15, 2012, 17:49:26
Of course another important point is that stoners are using exclusively artificial light whereas we're only topping up what the good lord provides from above - to make it enough for a dull day to be bright or the day to be a little longer... Also the large indoor growers generally steal electricity so efficiency is less important.
You say that, but the big "factory" houses generally get busted becasue of their thermal profile... police have infra red in the helicopters and it picks them out from miles away when the conditions are right.... If you could buy off-the-shelf quality LED systems they'd be using them, it would make them almost untraceable.... I wouldn't be surpirsed if there are gangs with a half competant electronics technician in the mix already doing it with LED's....
Quote from: chriscross1966 on June 16, 2012, 00:10:23
Quote from: OllieC on June 15, 2012, 17:49:26
Of course another important point is that stoners are using exclusively artificial light whereas we're only topping up what the good lord provides from above - to make it enough for a dull day to be bright or the day to be a little longer... Also the large indoor growers generally steal electricity so efficiency is less important.
You say that, but the big "factory" houses generally get busted becasue of their thermal profile... police have infra red in the helicopters and it picks them out from miles away when the conditions are right.... If you could buy off-the-shelf quality LED systems they'd be using them, it would make them almost untraceable.... I wouldn't be surpirsed if there are gangs with a half competant electronics technician in the mix already doing it with LED's....
Good point.
Quote from: chriscross1966 on June 16, 2012, 00:10:23
You say that, but the big "factory" houses generally get busted becasue of their thermal profile... police have infra red in the helicopters and it picks them out from miles away when the conditions are right....
While it is true that big grow houses do give off heat and that Police have one or two IR camera's I don't think it is true to say that they generally get busted becasue of it..
We have had two grow houses busted in my road - both big ops but both got busted due to other circumstances - one was a suspicious Landlord and one got broken into by someone else and the police were called. Another grow house on our local Industrial estate was equally massive and found by pure chance (they didn't catch anyone) and another I know of in Norwood next door to a mate was busted because the hydo leaked and casued damage to next door - FireBrigade called etc..
Of course I don't know the actual figures but I think it is largely myth that many people get busted due to thermal leakage. Also it is easy enough on a large scale to water cooled lights and have heat exchangers and bung excess heat down the drain.
I think the problem with LEDs is penetration and getting light to the whole plant - not an issue for starting veg but problematic for weed growers when plants get big very very quickly. I suppose you can build LED panels for side lighting though....
Quote from: chriscross1966 on June 15, 2012, 17:11:23
I believe that the physuics of the LED'sare perfectly sound, it's just that the signal to noise ratio from the stoners and the dubious marketing of them has tarnished the reputation.... I'm hopnig to find the time to have a play with them this autumn aheadof using them to start my onions over winter.... I've got a degree in Microelectronic Systems and Biology.... so I can read the optoelectronics specs of the LED's adn the absorption spectra for the various plants clorophylls equally well.... What I know tells me it should be possible.... now the issue is translating it into a workable device.... at a sensible price and level of complexity....
I'm tempted to have a play, too. Chrisscross, are "daylight" or "warm white" preferable for the purpose?
One problem is, presumably, that affordable LED lamps tend to be spotlights, so concentrating the light in a small area. But I guess that several suitably angled arrays could be designed to spread the light more evenly.
For LED just go for the most efficient small package red and blue , not the LumiLED type because of the heating issue ruining their efficiency by comparison... Stripboard looks like being a method of handling the current and you'll need to do some current limiting... Because the load is so constant you can spec the PSU easily enough, just make it voltage regulated, measure the voltage drop across your chosen LED's, you want approx equal numbers of blue adn red (you need a lot more red light but you'll get it anyway, red is way more efficient than blue, it's just our eyes that see blue so much better)... look to spec your regulated voltage a volt or so higher than your LED's are dropping adn then get the resister correct to get the current draw through that left over volt.... the bigger the voltage difference between your PSU and your LED voltage drop the more waste heat you generate and the less efficient your growlight...
I just used a Lidl vary colour LED lamp and switched to red and blue at different times. Ran it on the table after dark [ with alumin sheet sides and cover] to extend day for onions. Might get another and be really posh-run 2 colours at once.. They are mains circuit bulbs but only come on sale on Lidls timetable. Bloke in shop said he got his from ebay from hong kong I think, half price.... ;)
Quote from: Jeannine on June 15, 2012, 22:13:43
Gavin, I seem to have lost my picture priveleges but if you go to Veseys seeds in PEI this is where I had it shipped from. I will try to find a link XX Jeannine
http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/store/lightgardens/deluxe3tier
This gives a very good picture .. I bought mine two years ago and they say it has changed but apart from my hoods being white it looks identical to mine so if you have any questions I will give it a shot.
Thank you.. x