LED VS HPS Grow Lights

Quality LEDs will outperform HPS, I agree. But they get a bad reputation, because there are so many low quality lights out there that don’t perform as advertised. Also, there’s a bit of a learning curve when switching to LED. I think a lot of growers don’t get the results they expected on their first grow with LED and quickly decide LEDs don’t work.

“Intensity”? You mean luminosity? Because HPS produces high-energy photons with a smaller wavelength which means plants see the photons as being smaller and they tunnel down into the matter further, meaning more energy is captured. LED produces low-energy photons with a larger wavelength so that the photons are perceived as bigger to the plant, and less energy is captured. This is proven again and again in tests.

Using the LED during vegging produces higher Calyx to Leaf ratios and also reduces node spacing so we produce short squat plants perfect form Fimming or the Screen of Green method. But for flowering, that 1000w HPS will ALWAYS be better than any LED now or in the future!!!! PERIOD. Also.. if you are using CO2 injection with LED’s you may as well stop. Your plants can benefit from up to 1300 ppm CO2 ONLY if the light is very bright AND if it is very hot.

Think for a second about heat… what is it? Infrared radiation. Which is what? Infrared photons. So heat produced by those HPS lights is seen by the plant as a massive flood of photons in Infrared spectrum! The plant wants to capture all of those extra photons but needs CO2 to help with that part of the ATP cycle. You can’t get that extra yield with LED’s. Just turn your CO2 off because it is making no difference or switch to HPS for your flowering cycle if it’s feasible.

Further, studies have shown that LED’s don’t even become economical until the 5 YEAR mark. Some are saying they got this down to the 18 month mark but this is anecdotal chatter compared with studies of most of the leading LED brands compared with most of the leading HPS brands.

LED lights are amazing but expensive to buy a quality unit.

Look for a unit that tells you what it draws from the wall and don’t claim to have tested them until you have one that draws a min of 400 watts from the wall for a 4×4 room.

I am so tired of youtube videos comparing a cheap light that draws only 150 watts from the wall against a 1000 watt hps.

My LED claims on the box to be 810 watts but only draws 450 watts from the wall so the fact it beats a 600 watt hps is great and if it beats my 1000 watt light and I think it will is amazing.

Higher watt LED’s like mine do produce more heat then I expected so to the comment from Mark about co2 intake should not be a problem as long as you buy quality.

Nothing beats the sun but my winters are still fun.

Advancements in horticultural lighting seem to be moving at the speed of light.

Not repling or commenting. Just trying to learn. I want to start to grow but want to find out other people mistakes first and see if I can grow some good but without a hassle. Looking at led vs hps or even mh. Im an electrician so I’m pretty fimilar with watts lumens and all that. Looking to get a tent. I’m in WA so Summer’s I’m thinking led and winters maybe hps cause it will keep it warmer. Don’t really know. Any tips, links to read, videos are always better. Anything helps. Thanks
Oh yeah, haven’t smoked much in many years. But figure I’d switch to bud instead of drinking before I kill myself haha then once I’m off probation I should have some good stuff and have this down to a science. Well hopefully
Thanks

DO NOT buy LED lights and think that you will yield as much as using HPS. It is just not true. LED’s have better quality of light, but it’s quantity that is shown to help photosynthesis. I am a commercial farmer in CO and you are clueless if you are using LED’s. There’s no way they will yield 1.5-2 pounds per light if used indoors. Only with Blue Dream maybe, but you’ll need a 12 foot ceiling for the height of the plants. They are obviously referring to indoor yields with HPS and outdoor yields with LED. I have never used a light that would yield much more than a pound a light. Indoors that is. Outdoors are a different story. Some plants can be 5-10 pounds depending on the veg time and strain.

I’m in the process of testing different combinations. 1st set was 2700k CFL’s from home depot. I’ve used them by selves for a decade..They work great. Back on topic. 8 2700k CFL’s & a UFO all red LED. Bud density was 2x. I keep plants 12-14inch with co2 dropped at top of plant. As to heat the plants need to be kept quite warm ,so co2 use works great.Next step is to try 3 all red LED panels & 8 2700k CFL’s. Will try& keep posting.

Hello,

Can anyone confirm with experience with LEDs.. “that they experience 1% loss in light and 1% loss in yield over the 5 years of owning the LED lights?”

Also what is the industry looking to achieve for grow lights that have not been truly produced to market excluding costs…

I am a new grower and I love the capability of LeD. I Have done alot of research and basically i would rather purple and blue plants and have to wear sun glasses every time i get close. But its for the good of the plant. Ive grown a little bit here and there but this will be my first 100% me tree. Ive acquired some super soil from a local farm so Theodore and his brothers and sisters have tye best chance and they wll came from seeds so anything is possible

Red

“most LED growers get 1-1.5 g/W.”
What a complete and utter crock of shit.