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colldp68
08-06-2009, 07:58 AM
Hello Everyone,

I am looking to buy a lighting system to overwinter some bananas and elephant ears. I have been looking into either a 400 metal halide or 400 watt HPS, but I recently came across a 90w LED UFO light that is said to be equivalent to a 400 watt HPS system. I have a growing space of 5 x5 and plan to run the lights 12-14 hours (I get a descent amount of sunlight in the grow room). Has anyone had any experience growing with the 90w LED UFO light?? How much area they cover, the height away from plants, and if they even work lol? My goal is to keep the bananas growing through the winter and maybe one day hope for a flower.

Lagniappe
08-06-2009, 08:06 AM
I've discussed this with several growers in the grow shops and even one grow-shop owner told me that LED systems just don't produce the type of growth that the others do. We broke down the watt per lumen ratio and found that the 1k watt halides were acually comparable, in regards to energy used and start up cost,to an equal bank of LED.
One day, the LED lights will be effective but as they stand, they're mostly attractive to closet growers who wish to keep their heat signature at bay :(

saltydad
08-06-2009, 08:51 AM
I've discussed this with several growers in the grow shops and even one grow-shop owner told me that LED systems just don't produce the type of growth that the others do. We broke down the watt per lumen ratio and found that the 1k watt halides were acually comparable, in regards to energy used and start up cost,to an equal bank of LED.
One day, the LED lights will be effective but as they stand, they're mostly attractive to closet growers who wish to keep their heat signature at bay :(


Now why woud they want to do that? :eek:

Ohio'sBest
08-06-2009, 09:53 AM
I've discussed this with several growers in the grow shops and even one grow-shop owner told me that LED systems just don't produce the type of growth that the others do. We broke down the watt per lumen ratio and found that the 1k watt halides were acually comparable, in regards to energy used and start up cost,to an equal bank of LED.
One day, the LED lights will be effective but as they stand, they're mostly attractive to closet growers who wish to keep their heat signature at bay :(

The LEDs are superior(space, heat, power consumption, ect.), but they just cost too much for what you get out of them. Maybe one day in the future they will cost a whole lot less.

ewitte
08-06-2009, 10:16 AM
I'm not too fond of the UFO. I like my Procyon but wish it had more coverage. If I had a lot of money the ti smartbar or smartlamp is a lot better but at like $1200 each lol.

BTW my Procyon died and the warranty only covers the original person. They will fix for like $50 but were nice enough I just sent them a few pictures and I got instructions on how to get it working on my own.

Richard
08-06-2009, 10:43 AM
The LEDs are superior(space, heat, power consumption, ect.), but they just cost too much for what you get out of them. Maybe one day in the future they will cost a whole lot less.

Very true. Alas, mass production alone is not going to bring down the price -- we will need advances in both the materials and manufacturing process.

ewitte
08-06-2009, 11:13 AM
When I get some land I'm going to use the cheapest light source of them all. Natural light from the sun.

colldp68
08-06-2009, 08:29 PM
Thanks for the input everyone! It looks like HPS/MH is the way to go. I'm thinking on getting either a 250 or 400 watt system, but am leaning toward the 400 watt. I am concerned with the cost as I pay a high rate living in New York. Has anyone ever used these lights before with bananas or other tropicals?

Ohio'sBest
08-06-2009, 10:54 PM
Ask and yea shall receive....





Grow Light Operating Cost - Greentrees Hydroponics (http://www.hydroponics.net/learn/hid_lamp_op_cost.asp)

fergus banana
08-07-2009, 11:47 AM
Thanks for the input everyone! It looks like HPS/MH is the way to go. I'm thinking on getting either a 250 or 400 watt system, but am leaning toward the 400 watt. I am concerned with the cost as I pay a high rate living in New York. Has anyone ever used these lights before with bananas or other tropicals?

i use a 600W HPS at 16hrs on and 8hrs off. the cost of electricity here is 9 cents a kilowatt hour. i pay 40 bucks a month running the grow light.

i recommend purchasing a 600W grow light. you get the best bang for the buck.
i am adding a 400W MH this week. its gonna be sick!!!!

my plants are growing extremely well under these lighting conditions. far better than i expected.

that is my experience.

Peace

Velutina
08-07-2009, 04:37 PM
I will be using 48" VHO fluorescents to overwinter some plants. A single 400 watt Metal halide bulb in a GOOD reflector would easily cover 5'x5'. I personally like Iwasaki 6,500K, but I mainly used them for corals and algae, not plants. Although the times I have grown plants under them, they did very well.

I have never grown anything using LEDs, but I would bet they will not compare to fluorescents, MH, or HPS.

LilRaverBoi
08-11-2009, 05:42 PM
LED's are very efficient, light, bright and don't produce heat....but they have a VERY narrow color band, so they aren't very well-suited to being used as a grow light. MH/HPS is def the way to go (hell, that's what the weed growers use, so it MUST be good! :ha:). Metal Halide is more blue and is for vegetative growth and High Pressure Sodium is more red/yellow and is best for flowering stages. If you get the right light, it can switch between the two with the flip of a switch. There are also set-ups that have exchangeable bulbs to get both HPS/MH. Hope that helps!