# Best LED grow lights



## CREEXHP70LED (Jan 25, 2017)

I just want to preface this and say I am growing peppers indoors, not anything illegal. You can take a look at my sig line to get an idea. So my question is does anyone grow indoors? And if so what are some of the top brands to look for? 

I might just end up starting them with CFL's and then switching them outside after they are larger and past frost. I have four massive foot long CFL's I have used in the past but am looking for a high quality full spectrum LED array for 4'x4' area. I don't want to chance cross pollination with other chili plants. I have to grow these out a few more generations and want to grow all year long.

After even more research I think PlatinumLED might be one of the better ones if anyone else is looking.


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## degarb (Jan 28, 2017)

Led growlight make me sad, because, often, they aren't white. Metal halide growlights make a kick butt work light, if a protected 400 or 1000 watt, using a tota stand, an aluminum photographer light stand. Rabbit wire cage to protect bulb, tote about in 5 gallon pail, use 5 gallon stir stick to spread reflector.... I hope led growlights stay white or do not take off. But I doubt it. I love my 100k to 200k lumens per wall. Getting a 1000 square foot work area of wall/ceiling /ground spill to 1000 lux has never before been possible.


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## CREEXHP70LED (Feb 3, 2017)

degarb said:


> Led growlight make me sad, because, often, they aren't white. Metal halide growlights make a kick butt work light, if a protected 400 or 1000 watt, using a tota stand, an aluminum photographer light stand. Rabbit wire cage to protect bulb, tote about in 5 gallon pail, use 5 gallon stir stick to spread reflector.... I hope led growlights stay white or do not take off. But I doubt it. I love my 100k to 200k lumens per wall. Getting a 1000 square foot work area of wall/ceiling /ground spill to 1000 lux has never before been possible.



LED's are going to and already are taking off and there is no turning back. From cars, to flashlights, to grow lights, LEDS will be used in almost 100% of all applications in no time. In fact I was picking up some Fox Farms Ocean Forest from my favorite hydroponics store just yesterday, and the owner told me that in California it is now illegal to use anything but LED grow lights due to energy consumption. 

KIND brand seems to be her take on a very good brand of LED grow lights.


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## Ken_McE (Feb 4, 2017)

degarb said:


> Led growlight make me sad, because, often, they aren't white.



The plant only uses the red and blue parts of the spectrum, it doesn't need white.


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## ssanasisredna (Feb 4, 2017)

Ken_McE said:


> The plant only uses the red and blue parts of the spectrum, it doesn't need white.



That is not true.

Plants use the full spectrum. There is higher chlorophyll activity for blue and deep red, but green penetrates deeper and can avoid surface saturation. Other colors can stimulate other nutrient production.


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## Lithopsian (Feb 5, 2017)

Ken_McE said:


> The plant only uses the red and blue parts of the spectrum, it doesn't need white.



Don't believe everything you read on websites trying to sell you weird purple LEDs


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## degarb (Feb 5, 2017)

Lithopsian said:


> Don't believe everything you read on websites trying to sell you weird purple LEDs



This is good news for we who use grow lights as work lights. I am not down with working under purple lighting.... I tried to use my 200,000 lumen sodium bulb in the light and work. Certainly bright, better than one halogen. But 25 cri doesn't cut it. Maybe I should try outside on a summer day for bug reasons. Except here sundown is near 9:30 in summer. Fall has fewer bugs. Still cold in spring.


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## ssanasisredna (Feb 5, 2017)

ssanasisredna said:


> That is not true.
> 
> Plants use the full spectrum. There is higher chlorophyll activity for blue and deep red, but green penetrates deeper and can avoid surface saturation. Other colors can stimulate other nutrient production.



A bit more detail now that I am not on a phone:

- A plant will photosynthesize across a very wide spectrum, not just blue and deep red.
- The best energy efficiency IS achieved with blue and deep red (650nm) LEDs

However, best efficiency generally means biggest plants for a set amount of electrical energy. It does not mean the most nutritious plant OR the fastest growing.

Red/Blue do not penetrate very far into the leaf. For that reason, there is a limit to how much light is useful. You literally saturate the photosynthetic process at the surface. However, green can penetrate much deeper and engage photosynthesis in areas deeper inside the leaf.

There are other photosynthetic processes that contribute to the nutrient balance/production that are engaged better right into the near infrared and varies from plant to plant.


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## alice_1 (Feb 7, 2017)

CREEXHP70LED said:


> I just want to preface this and say I am growing peppers indoors, not anything illegal. You can take a look at my sig line to get an idea. So my question is does anyone grow indoors? And if so what are some of the top brands to look for?
> 
> I might just end up starting them with CFL's and then switching them outside after they are larger and past frost. I have four massive foot long CFL's I have used in the past but am looking for a high quality full spectrum LED array for 4'x4' area. I don't want to chance cross pollination with other chili plants. I have to grow these out a few more generations and want to grow all year long.
> 
> After even more research I think PlatinumLED might be one of the better ones if anyone else is looking.



I personally highly recommend SANSI LED Grow Light, which has uniform lighting for indoor planting. I bought one on Amazon.com and am planing to get one more.


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## Jayls5 (Apr 21, 2017)

I grow indoor hydroponic peppers and basil using modified aerogarden with my own lighting. It grows insanely well and fast.One of them uses this dual 50w XBD boards ("white" tint option):http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Channel-5...h=item1c672f3f4d:m:mSiBnCcay1UqUlUlauip1JQI'm driving each with CC/CV buck/boost drivers, two of these specifically:http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-Boost-Co...8513?hash=item4ac7f05db1:g:cxsAAOxyoeBSBLC8My PSU is an old XBOX 360 power supply. Just strip the main output cord. Red + Blue wires are your turn on leads (just short them), yellow are 12+, and black are all ground. That's 150-200w of reliable power depending on the model you get.Those two XBD boards are incredibly efficient on light output. I adjusted my CC drivers to only pull 80w from the wall for all of the lighting.


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## ssanasisredna (Apr 22, 2017)

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