Lumen

[Mintylemonade]

Put those near the window Minty and you would probably get a lot of unwanted callers knocking at the door, plus the neighbours complaining to the local authority the area was turning into a red light district!

Lol, yeah I get that feeling too, and man how disappointed will they be when its JUST succulents... False alarm people, its just the crazy plant lady .
These lights are probably the most affordable option presently as Im going to move at some point in the following year and will likely have a better light situation. The T5 high output lights are great but they take more power, will be more costly initially and over time to maintain.
Sigh

[spinesandrosettes]

Martin, that's an awesome set up, and a very efficient usage of space.

Minty, I did a quick look for an opinion on LED vs T5, and here is an interesting video, although informal, it was the first one I grabbed to look at. As I see it, the LED is vastly superior. The results were just as good, at 1/3 the operating cost. Also, the commentary regarding the flies was unexpected and very interesting, further indicating the LED advantage. Not to be ignored either, was in this case of the lettuce experiment, the anthocyanin production induced by LED, evidenced by the red color of the lettuce, as opposed to the completely green T5 product. My interpretation is that the LED grown lettuce has anti-oxidant benefits not stimulated by the T5 grown lights. Of course, we won't be eating our succulents, but I thought that was interesting what they pointed out.
Personally, I can see no reason whatsoever for preferring T5 over LED. I'd also be willing to wager on which set up will outlast the other by a wide margin. Costs less, more economical, less heat generated, lasts longer. The comparison is lopsidedly in favor of LED.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFV0vSHBnPM

[Mintylemonade]

Martin, that's an awesome set up, and a very efficient usage of space.

Minty, I did a quick look for an opinion on LED vs T5, and here is an interesting video, although informal, it was the first one I grabbed to look at. As I see it, the LED is vastly superior. The results were just as good, at 1/3 the operating cost. Also, the commentary regarding the flies was unexpected and very interesting, further indicating the LED advantage. Not to be ignored either, was in this case of the lettuce experiment, the anthocyanin production induced by LED, evidenced by the red color of the lettuce, as opposed to the completely green T5 product. My interpretation is that the LED grown lettuce has anti-oxidant benefits not stimulated by the T5 grown lights. Of course, we won't be eating our succulents, but I thought that was interesting what they pointed out.
Personally, I can see no reason whatsoever for preferring T5 over LED. I'd also be willing to wager on which set up will outlast the other by a wide margin. Costs less, more economical, less heat generated, lasts longer. The comparison is lopsidedly in favor of LED.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFV0vSHBnPM

Thanks for sharing that video! Yeah I had watched that one awhile back and its interesting to read some of the comments highlighting why the two heads of lettuce look different. The ONLY thing holding me back from buying the LED lights is their color, the offensively blinding magenta color which might scream "trouble". Maybe Im overthinking it? I have a small collection still, and what I am growing indoors now is mostly haworthia and various mesembs . Come late Spring they all go outdoors.

[DaveW]

You may find these of interest too if growing seeds:-

https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... n_A_review

https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... bla_Mexico

[iann]

You can get white LEDs, just not so often generally offered on eBay as plant lights. Look around, you'll find them.

[Mintylemonade]

You may find these of interest too if growing seeds:-

https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... n_A_review

https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... bla_Mexico

Thank you for these links! I havent experimented with cacti seed yet, but definitely will as soon as I get things a bit more stable and established.

You can get white LEDs, just not so often generally offered on eBay as plant lights. Look around, you'll find them.

Iann, the only white LED lights I've found are the standard lightbulb type and their output isnt sufficient. The overwhelming majority of LED's being sold on the market here are oriented towards the cannabis market which means strong reds and blues...magenta. If you have links to the natural-looking full spectrum LEDs could you please share them?

[iann]

White LED panels:
https://www.led-supplies.com/led-panels ... hb-series/

Different style:
http://trade.ledhut.co.uk/commercial-le ... g-kit.html

I'm sure you will find similar products for sale in the US, perhaps not in pothead stores

[Mintylemonade]

White LED panels:
https://www.led-supplies.com/led-panels ... hb-series/

Different style:
http://trade.ledhut.co.uk/commercial-le ... g-kit.html

I'm sure you will find similar products for sale in the US, perhaps not in pothead stores

HAHAHAHA Ian ! The only places that sell grow lights are the hydroponic stores, and in states where its legal 'pothead stores'. Thanks for the links, I went through them and unfortunately I do not have the resources for that kind of lighting presently. I found this earlier today
http://www.bmlhorticulture.com/full-spe ... ow-lights/ they have some really great options (specifically the solar-max spectrum) but even 1 "light bar" is beyond my resources right now...
Grow lights I feel are like televisions today, they're obsolete the minute you buy them. Hopefully in another year or two those natural looking full spectrum lights will come down in price and be more affordable. Since I only plan to use these from Dec-March maybe I should just deal with the neon magenta, sigh

[iann]

The lights you see on eBay are cheap for a variety of reasons. Partly they are sourced directly from the far East, partly they cut some corners on quality. Hard to say if it is worth it or not. Is it a waste of money if individual LEDs start fading out after a couple of thousand hours? Do you have any way to be sure you are getting the performance that is claimed? Or does it make no sense to buy top quality that will last for 10 years of continuous use if they are obsolete after 18 months? And is it a waste of money if they set fire to your house?

[jfabiao]

Hopefully in another year or two those natural looking full spectrum lights will come down in price and be more affordable. Since I only plan to use these from Dec-March maybe I should just deal with the neon magenta, sigh

The magenta tone of grow lights is an attempt to concentrate light output (hence energy efficiency) on the wavelengths that correspond to chlorophyll absorption peaks. All light outside the peaks at ~450nm and ~650nm (blue and red) is of little use to plants, photosynthetically speaking, and is therefore wasted energy.

Going for LEDs because of energy efficiency and then choosing a "natural" tone that will render the plants more pleasant to your eyes sort of defeats the purpose, because you get a lot less photosynthetically "active" radiation per watt of energy consumed than you would with a blue-red combination.