Photons???? Who knows? Who cares? If the average home gardener can start plants with a twenty buck fixture and get very satisfactory results, then that's all s/he is going to buy. We get people on the tomato forum asking if they need those special "wide spectrum grow lamps" and we tell them not to waste their money. Those lamps are about forty bucks a pair, I believe and none of the die-hard growers use them. Now, some plants actually benefit from the wider spectrum but you can accomplish that to a degree by mixing cool white, daylight and warm white lamps in your cheapo fixtures. Two hundred and fifty for LED's ???? And if they run so cool, then why the need for a heat sink?

First decide which vegetables warrant being grown at home. a lot of them are simply less expensive to buy than to grow. Be sure to compare to organic grocery stores prices too if that is your concern. Next, other than too contain the heat (or shield the light) I'm not sure the reflective sides are necessary. It seems to me they would just interfere with tending the plants. 3rd, don't worry about electricty coming in contact with reservoirs (whether due to wick systems or not). You have got to keep light off your nutrients or you'll have algae growth problems. Whatever you use to block the light will also protect from electrical accidents. Plus, are you really that uncertain of your ability to attach a wire to a wall that it may fall unexpectedly. **note: I'm really just kidding in the last statement.** None of the basic simple hydro systems are expensive to set up. Proper aero is but most others will cost less than your lights. a basic ebb n flow system (if you decide against just water a blank nutrient) would probably grow everything you want other than the carrots. For root crops, I've read (haven't done it myself) your best bet is to grow them in sand using a drip irrigation system. a lot of contradiction in hydro on the web (this site included) is because people all have different intensity levels in which they approach hydro. Some take every effort to ensure all due diligence is given to every aspect of the growing system. Others just plop a plant in a bucket of water and change said water every now and again. Neither extreme is necessary but they certainly don't always see eye to eye on how to address issues. Most everyone else is somewhere in between. If I were going to venture into indoor growing (I use hydro outdoors or in sunny windows only, currently), I would invest in a hood that is sealed on the bottom and place inline vents running across the light to draw the hot air out and discharge it outside. As for nutrients: If you're going to hand water each plant you do it the same way you would any planted pot. Water when the soil is dry 1" down. I would probably use a middle of the line nutrient concentration of about 800ppm initially recognizing that with time you'll get a buildup of excess nutrients in the medium. So you'll need to flush them periodically. I might alternate nutrients with plain water to try and keep the medium clean. Anyway, those are my initial thoughts on what you're trying to do. I'm sure other will chime in with their thoughts and experiences and hopefully you'll come away with a better idea of what you're after.

Look at other Ardex Products, especially those in the Toppings & Designer Floors category. Look at Ardex SD-T and K-500. Here is a link that might be useful: Toppings & Designer Floors re: Ardex

I understand not everyone has $150 to spend on a plant grow light and that other solutions exist on the market, but this product suits my needs and I feel it was the best, long term investment I could make to accomplish my goals. Ultimately, the quality of my plants speak for themselves and I am very happy with the investment I made. And come on... "Your usage of the word 'need' is that of a schizophrenic". I used the word three times, and that is a very immature way to respond. We're adults here, thankfully neither of us schizophrenic. I am trying to share knowledge with you and others reading this, but you shoot down what I say without providing evidence to your claims. I am just reporting to you what other companies and various studies done by universities and NASA are saying. The LED grow light market is currently worth $395 million (2014) and is forecast to reach $1.8 billion by 2021. If what you are saying is correct, that number would be significantly smaller. https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/10/29/781299/10154495/en/LED-Grow-Light-Module-Market-at-395-Million-in-2014-Are-Forecast-To-Reach-1-8-Billion-by-2021-MarketResearchReports-Biz.html As for "need", yes, you need a ratio that has significantly more red (660) than blue (450). Here are an abundant amount of studies that talk about the need for that ratio and the usefulness of 24% or less of green (where more than 24% green causes a negative effect). - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Biological Sciences research group has concluded that light sources consisting of more than 50% green cause reductions in plant growth, whereas combinations including up to 24% green enhance growth for some species. These used red/blue led lights with added green. - http://www.actahort.org/books/711/711_11.htm ---- A 2nd study that supports NASA's results. They tested lights that had 0%, 24%, 86%, and 51% green light. 24% did the best. http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/39/7/1617 ---- A 3rd study that shows the addition of a small amount of far red AND the addition of green was useful. http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/43/7/1951 -A paper that talks about the importance of 450nm light and 660nm light. it shows that 660nm contributes to the plant photosynthesis. http://www.actahort.org/books/440/440_20.htm -A study that talks about the ratio of red/blue being 4/1 along with the addition of green and the effects. http://pcp.oxfordjournals.org/content/45/12/1870.short -Research done by one of the top grow light companies, showing the need for 660nm light. These lights sell for much more than the Asepct. "The 624nm region has the highest photosynthetic relative quantum yield for a range of plants. At the same time, its action on red-absorbing phytochrome is considerably weaker compared to that of 660 nm red light and can be used to balance the phytochrome equilibrium towards lower values (closer to those of daylight) than those achievable with 660 nm red light, especially when used together with 730 nm red light." https://www.illumitex.com/impacts-colored-light-plants/ ---- You can see the spectrum of light this company uses, clearly they support the idea of the 1-4 ratio of light needed for optimal plant growth. https://www.illumitex.com/full-spectrum-light-plant-growth/ For the far red, no, a regular incandescent bulb has too much far red and IR ways, it will kill the plants. Once you start going above 750nm you lose the Pfr to Pr conversion and start in to phytochrome mutation not manipulation in plant growth. You need only a little for the Emerson effect to work. Here are an abundance of studies to get you started on. http://microbiologyprocesses.blogspot.com/2011/12/photosystem-i-ii-red-drop-effect.html http://jgp.rupress.org/content/16/2/191.full.pdf http://www.life.illinois.edu/govindjee/Electronic%20Publications/1963/1963_Gov.pdf http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/39/1/10.full.pdf Finally, the cheap Chinese LED you found. Yes, the LED is $5 but the quality could be anything. My experience is buying Chinese tech products has resulted in a total waste of my time and money. Even if the LED works, you will need to add a heatsink, power supply, optics, ect. Then you need to make a body for the light, buy 15 feet of wire, buy a power cord, and learn basic electronics to build the entire light. Good luck finding quality parts to power that light for under $100, then the question is, what is your time worth? Do you claim to know what parts you need already, how to rate a heatsink, and have the time to research and buy all of this? Anyway, I want to reiterate....I understand that not everyone has $150, but I do, and I invested it in an LED grow light that would not only grow my plants indoors but look great doing it. My plants and home speak for themselves...a worthy investment. Have a nice day. -Paul