Do LED lights throw enough lights to be used to grow plants?
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Do LED lights throw enough lights to be used to grow plants?

by Pam
(Saskatchewan)

I have read all sorts of conflicting opinions on this. IF they throw enough light to use for growing plants, would that be cost effective for growing plants IF the heating situation could be addressed? If so, I have read that they are not evaluated in terms of lumens, so how to judge what sort of set up would be required?

Doug says that he understands there are now LED lights set up and configured for use as grow lights. I've talked to a few suppliers (at a recent trade show) and they are supposed to be sending me a system for review and evaluation. Bottom line - the advertising is there but I have no experience with being able to say yeah or nay on this one.

Sorry.

Maybe some of our experienced indoor gardeners will chime in on their experiences (no advertising/links allowed - just personal experiences please)

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Do LED lights throw enough lights to be used to grow plants?

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Seemed okay
by: Gail O.

For what its worth, I grew a few plants ( African violets, etc.) in an inside windowbox under 3 lamps with LED bulbs in them. To the eye, they grew as well, or better than, plants under incandescent bulbs.
LED lights for starting seedlings
by: Tracy Ross

Last year for the first time I started seedlings under LED lights. I used a light panel with 225 red and blue lights intended for hydroponic gardening and the seedlings did just as well as those grown under fluorescent lights.
LED lights not great for the country
by: Nancy from BC

We started doing the switch over to these lights and found they burned out faster then the regular bulbs! When I inquired from a rep at our hardware store, I was told that people who lived in the country have problems with power fluctuations that result in the bulbs burning out faster.(!) Interesting as a lot of country folk would welcome the chance to be more enviornmental!
LEDs As "Grow Lights"
by: Karl K

Contrary to popular belief, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) used for home lighting applications of ANY kind do not yield the many hours of life touted for them. For example, an LED night-light was "rated" for a life of 5 years. I bought one and it lasted a little over seven months before gradually growing dimmer and dimmer and ...

As for "Grow Light" applictions: LEDs emit the wrong wavelength of light to be effective. Outdoor sunlight is rich in ultra-violet (UV) light, and household LEDs are in a much different spectrum. You can buy LEDs that are specifically designed to produce UV, but they are prohibitively expensive! Stick with UV flourescent lamps for "grow light" applications.

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