LED's

[bast]

I would like to know if someone use LED's has light source? I would like to try this type of light for starting orchids from flask, Do you think that was a goos idea?

[jay]

Try this thread. I love my LED.


LED Lights

Hope this helps.

[bast]

Thank's for you link, i use two pannel too, one red and blue and the other just blue. I try to reach phal to bloom under this light (red and blue) and the spike growth strait to the light and i don't able to see effect of parasit light on the spike!! I will propably change the steting to have other observation!

[Rocinante]

Here's my set-up. I'm getting a lot of new growth on most of my plants:

[bkim]

Really interesting. When using LEDs, do the plants react to the higher intensity by developing red pigment?

[Rocinante]

A reddish pigment often signifies that the plant is getting significant levels of light. It is like when a human gets a suntan. I have only been using LED's for 6 mos. and as of yet I cannot say I have seen such pigmentation in any of my plants.

[jay]

I have a Cattleya Noid that has show quite a bit of red pigmentation under LED's. It currently has two sheaths, (one splitting from buds, one developing buds, and one nearly developed growth. It does have red flowers as well so that might be adding to it.

[psyc1210]

This is something I am very interested in. As I believe my Catt is not getting enough light...it's leaves are darker than my Blc.....It has not bloomed for me yet, but that may be because of the trauma of being repotted when it's roots were terribly rotted from being in moss from Lowe's. I'll be watching and looking into getting a panel or two of LED's to maybe mount on my orchid table for the Catts.

[missann]

I have never heard of people using LED's for orchids, but I am brand new to orchid growing under lights. I had a bunch of orchids I brought back to Idaho from Hawaii (lived in HI for 6 months) of course it was easy to just grow them on my deck out there, but here I have had them in my "plant room" with an east facing window that doesn't provide enough light. (we don't have any south facing windows in our house). So this year I have put my orchids outside in a greenhouse on by deck here, and I supplement them with flourescent lights when the shade has started to cover the greenhouse.
Are LEDs expensive? How much have you paid for yours and have you had any luck with gettting them to flower?

[bast]

LED's was not expensive. Go on ebay and led's growing light and get lot of information about products. So you have to understand, led's don't provide reat light for humains. We red and blue pannel, that don't give white light!!

[jay]

Plants use the Red and Blue frequency of the light spectrum to photosynthesize. Most of the rest of the spectrum is not used and thus wasted. That is why LED light panels for plants will concentrate on these colors. It also will not seem as bright as a white light because it does not have the whole spectrum.

With that being said, I bought mine from LED Grow Lights - HomeGrownLights.com
I got the 14 watt kit and built them myself.

[kid a]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

Here's my set-up. I'm getting a lot of new growth on most of my plants:

Does the light reach the middle shelf from the led panels well? I am thinking if they are not that expensive maybe I should get some when I move into my own place and use those on a shelf like that.

[Rocinante]

Actually, you would also need lights for the middle shelf as well, I would think. The further away the plants are from the lights, the less effective the light absorbtion (so I understand). When I started growing with lights, I went right to LED's because they do not generate any heat, and I like that aspect for safety reasons. I am still pondering whether to get some small T-5 flourescents for the middle shelf for growth comparison; they do get warm, but I've never grown under T-5's and I am curious about them. As of yet I'm undecided on that thought. Halide lights are out of the question - too hot! So far I'm happy with the results of the LED's though. They seem to be effective, and I may just stick with that.

[kid a]

ok, thanks. Right now I am just using two full spectrum light bulbs and everything is doing well.