Using LEDs to grow plants

This has been the latest buzz, using LED's to emulate the sun..

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=37935


Very very interesting!!! If any of you LED techies can come up with a prototype for such a thing, post here!

Aren't the high-intensity discharge lamps more or as efficient as LEDs when pushed into the very high wattage range, as well has having a better spectrum for growing?

I think it is using red and blue LEDs, as those are the colors most plants use for photosynthesis... any Jr High School graduate knows this. Likely, I can't help much more than that I'm afraid.
What exactly are we growing here? Beware that laws vary widely from place to place so many here probably shouldn't become an accessory to this project.

Very little heat output, and very little electricity consumption. Just what the doctor ordered. :lolsign:

I think it is using red and blue LEDs, as those are the colors most plants use for photosynthesis... any Jr High School graduate knows this. Likely, I can't help much more than that I'm afraid.
What exactly are we growing here? Beware that laws vary widely from place to place so many here probably shouldn't become an accessory to this project.

Click to expand...

I think the issue is that most blue and red LEDs available off the shelf are optimized to look brighter to humans (that is, they are closer to the center of the visual range), which means they are less effective for growing things than deeper red and deeper blue wavelengths that look dimmer. Certainly LEDs can be specifically designed for growing, at the exact wavelengths needed, but for the time being, HID lights and fluorescents designed for growing (red and blue phosphors, custom fill gases) have similar power efficiency as existing LEDs, but are a lot cheaper -- a couple fluorescent tubes cost a fraction of the price of a massive array of LEDs.

Adding to LED Fixed Lighting Index

>If any of you LED techies can come up with a prototype
>for such a thing, post here!

You just hook up lots of red and blue LEDs and let 'er rip. Lots of people are trying it. The ones I've seen have lots of red and a little blue. Not that complicated.

itspecialist said:

This has been the latest buzz, using LED's to emulate the sun..

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=37935


Very very interesting!!! If any of you LED techies can come up with a prototype for such a thing, post here!

Click to expand...

Hi.

Here are a couple grow with leds suppliers:

http://www.growwithleds.com/ledproducts.htm

http://www.led-grow-master.com/

Xtrinity. I've made my own grow LEDs and from the results with Tomatoes, Peppers, flowers (from seed). There is no dicernable difference in spectrum effect from comparason to the 300$ kits.

Andy: you might try "Goldenspx" on ebay . They have good prices on the RGBY led spot/flood lights for about 18$ USD each. They use normal 120vAC sockets.

Enjoy.

itspecialist said:

This has been the latest buzz, using LED's to emulate the sun..

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=37935


Very very interesting!!! If any of you LED techies can come up with a prototype for such a thing, post here!

Click to expand...

I don't believe they are trying to emulate the sun. It appears they wish to provide only those wavelengths that plants can use. Their experiments are geared towards an efficient method to grow plants under LEDs and methods to use PWM to futhur increase efficiency.

This would be a great project for a man'd space station to grow food, and indeed much of the research in this area has been conducted by/with NASA.

Fascinating in any case.

Cheers,

Mark