After a friend told me she was trying it, I looked up the web to find only this much: "Plant lights that utilize Light Emitting Diodes (LED) are now hitting the market after a decade of research by universities and NASA. LED Plant Grow Lights for hobby use are still in the early developmental stages, however the potential benefits of this new type of plant light include their extremely low power consumption, low heat production, extremely long lamp life, and their ability to refine the spectrum of light emitted to only those that the plant actually uses for photosynthesis. And while the future holds great promise for LED plant lighting, present drawbacks for home or hobby use include poor color rendering, a comparatively high initial cost, and limited depth penetration."

Personally, I'd try it only if it didn't cost me anything to run this trial, otherwise, I'd stay away from it, I think there are many more drawbacks to them than they want to tell us. I've tried so many grow lights in my life and wasted a lot of money doing so only to come back to the good old tested ways, now I let the others do the testings. Just my 2 cents...

Laurier

I'll ask my husband later today... he's fairly knowledgeable about electrical matters and the different light sources. Perhaps he can... shed some light... on the subject? ;-)

At the moment, I'm using regular old shop light fixtures with florescent tubes. Each 48" fixture can hold up to two tubes, and I have two fixtures side by side in front of our east facing window. I also have two smaller lights spotlighting areas that need a little more light.

I also have two small, and quite cheap, grow light fixtures... one each, positioned over a small heat mat. This is where I start my seeds or root things.

In the basement, there are rows of large tables with florescent tube, shop fixtures over them... this is where we start the majority of seeds and grow on all of our orders that come in early spring. I believe they're all capable of holding T12 tubes. Somewhere in last year's postings, I mentioned the types of tubes I use, though I can't remember exactly what they are at the moment.

I know we use one cool bulb and one warm one in each fixture. I'll ask about the LED lighting... my husband may have some answers.

Or... you can go to the Growing Under Lights Forum, I believe it's called. They usually have some very insightful information on supplemental lighting for indoor growing use.

Hello everyone, I read about LED grow lights last year. I asked my husband to do research about it. Then he bought 4 LED light strips on Ebay, put them together and did experiment on my small succulent collection down in my basement. They did well. So this time, he built me a longer one for my hippis. Here is the pic:

{{gwi:428807}}

Very cool... I can see I need to do more research! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks everyone for the explanations and ideas.
Jodik, i'll go check out that forum . I've been able to find more info on the LED lights but there are a few who say they are great and some again say it's to good to be true. Who beleive? I think what they mean is that sellers tend to exagerate the benefits of LED lighting and the savings on electricity bills. I think i'll just give it a try. Maybe in combination with "traditional" grow lights.

Lila888 did you have your husband hang the LED lights above the windowsill? I think it looks great! Maybe a reason to convince my hubbby to hang a few leds for me :-) ? Seriously, it looks kind of cool! Well done!

LED's will be cheaper to operate vs. T12 florescent. But you'll pay more up front for the fixtures. And as Laurier mentioned, they will lack penetration of a florescent fixture. If possible, check out T5 florescent, it's cheaper to operate, brighter, and cooler than standard T12.

here's a link to a fixture that I plan to add to my indoor growing area next spring (I bring a lot of plants indoors in spring to protect them from the blistering summer heat). I'm looking to invest in the Sun Blaze T5 High Output Fluorescent System (scroll down on the link a bit).

Here is a link that might be useful: Sun Blaze T5 HO

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. They are most valued. I'm such a beginner is these matters....
Yes, i found a bit of information about LED lighting not having much depht penetration. I think it could be usefull as something complementary or experimental, together with good old tested resources.

Those look pretty interesting, Ryan. Please let us know how well they work... when you get them. They seem to offer lots of concentrated light.

I actually have seen the Sun Blaze T5 light fixtures first hand at a local hydroponic store and was rather impressed by them. The owner explained that they have the highest output for the least amount of initial investment. The bulbs have a surprisingly long life as well.

I personally run two 400W MH bulbs in my basement to cover a 4x8 foot area. All you need to cool things down a bit is a standard fan that runs all day. Unless the prices have dropped the problem with the T5 set-ups is they were as expensive as a 400W MH set-up, including ballast, etc. and the bulbs are very expensive...they only illuminate what is directly under them like any other fluorescent fixture you buy (no horizontal reach at all). Since my basement can use the extra heat I went with the old stand-by technology and have been using it for several years now.....almost no Hippis under it as most of mine are dormant in the winter (I do not force mine to grow out of season), but many South African Amaryllids.....Brunsvigia, Gethyllis, Boophane are within 2 inches of these bulbs (well there is a glass plate protecting the bulb from stray water which can cause an explosion) and they do well.......tried a 600W HPS with an extended spectrum last year, but it kept tripping my GFI circuit when it fired so was not something I could use. I'd like a 1,000W MH for some of my really tall Amorphophallus and Dracontium, but that will have to wait I suppose. People on the growing under light forum can give you a HUGE amount of info, but really, most is just over the top......good growing, whatever you decide to use :o) Dan

I use my lights mainly just to extend the area I can grow in. The east facing window doesn't really give me much space... but with the lights, I am able to have 2 extra shelves full of pots. The lights go on in the morning as the sun rises, and they extend the daylight hours until around 9pm or so.

In the basement, it gives us a nice area to start seeds in late winter, and to get a head start on some of the plant materials we get in.

The Growing Under Lights Forum does have some good information... but I found a lot of the more technical talk over my head. There is supplemental lighting... and then there is overkill! It all depends on how much you want to spend, I suppose.

Hi,
I just set up a 15watt growlight above some petunia seeds.
i havent a clue what i doing and any tips would be great?
natasha