Why LEDs make bad plant lights (facts + pics!)

[korxi]

Originally Posted by Ross

92 lumens per watt with t5 florescent vs 80 lumens per watt with these Let me see, is this a good deal? NOT

I had just missed the link you were reffering to there.. I agree that the Solaris thingie there that uses white LEDs, is totally comparable to t-5s. However you do waste some light in the reflectors needed for t-5's so they might be equally good in terms of output. The calculation should then be based on the frequency with which you change your t-5s comparred to the 50.000 hours lifespan of the LED lights, and for each change you should add the cost of the "trouble" it is for you to go buy new t-5s and discarding of the old ones - time is money

The LED light I was reffering to in the post above was the Red/Blue LED lights..
They look totally stupid if only they are used, but if you supply a little white light it's actually not so bad..

Christian

[invar69]

I've been growing Cattleyas, Phalaenopsis' and Tolumnias under LED lights I purchased and assembled from homegrownlights.com and discovered that they do indeed work.

[Ironwood]

If people are changing out their T5 bulbs after 6 months they are wasting their money. T5 light have a very flat output right out to the end of their life as opposed to HID which is down 1/3 of its output after 40% of its life.

[Ocelaris]

There are newer HID bulbs, ceramic metal halide which have similar flat output to the fluorescent bulbs. Mercury vapor indeed was very bad at stable output, but we've progressed since that point.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by Ironwood

If people are changing out their T5 bulbs after 6 months they are wasting their money. T5 light have a very flat output right out to the end of their life as opposed to HID which is down 1/3 of its output after 40% of its life.

I totally agree. I have a calibrated, high quality light meter that reads to 1/10 lux. I use this to determine when light drop off is occuring and then change the bulbs. I personally don't want the cooler LEDs because I depend on the heat from the T5s to warm up my orchidarium in its basement environment.

[Tele fan]

I just came back from the SEPOS show at Longwood gardens where I had participated with The Bucks County Orchid Societys Display. I was thilled to see that one of my plants (Masd. Barbra Mann) won a Blue ribbon. This lant was grown under "bad" L.E.D. lights. To the guy who wished this whole LED thing would go away, I just want you to know that LED's are here to stay and that they really do work.
David

[Ocelaris]

I think you're being a little inflamatory. Nobody asked or implied they were going away, they just said they were a waste of money.

I am a moderator of a lighting website, and am a big fan of LEDs when appropriate. If you had read any of the thread, you would have noticed the scientific arguements which makes them ineffective.


Sung to McDonald's Ronald McDonald Theme song:

"If you believe in magic, and I know you do, you'll always have a friend selling you red and blue."

[Ross]

Let's not get carried away or sucked in to inflamatory threads (not that you are). I think this whole topic is very much like the elections and presenting lots of "edge" posts, and there are those who really want this technology to be the end-all and there are those (like me) that say ho-hum, heard that before. So, at the trisk of inflating this discussion even more, let me suggest we move on. Ocelaris has made his point (and a good one) that the LED technology doesn't suck, it just needs some time to mature and become what some would hope it will. In the mean time we use what we use and enjoy our orchids. Can we agree to this?

[Tele fan]

You bet.
David

[akenwang]

Found something more professional, I have kept an eye on it more than 8 hours.
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