X3 LED lighting for greenhouses

[Lars Kurth]

Hi everybody,

I am planning some major changes to my greenhouse set-up next year (layout, and refresh of glazing, etc.). The lack of light in the winter has been a cause of trouble for me in two ways: a) I can't get some of my fav plants to flower as I don't get enough sun in the winter, b) the dark and dull weather can cause health problems. My issue is probably worse than that for most, as my garden is overshadowed by buildings which means that I have NO direct sunlight from the 1st week of November to about mid February.

With LED lights becoming a really good (and economic) option for grow lights, I am seriously considering maybe some X3 LED interlighting and/or headlights. They are also interesting, as the LEDs just emit light at frequencies, which the plants actually need for photosynthesis.

I was wondering, whether anybody has any experience with these. I looked at a number of options, but don't seem to be able to find a good solution for hobbyists: there are a lot of solutions in hydroponics shops, but all the solutions there have no IP rating (and appear to have open fans), which is not something I want to risk. Or, there are solutions for commercial growers, but it is unclear how expensive and whether it is possible at all to get these in a small set-up.

Has anybody investigated artifical LED lights for their set-up? Experiences are welcome

Lars