Grow lights can be incredibly confusing and overwhelming. The question always arises which one is best, in today’s episode. We are going to answer that question by addressing one of the biggest lies about grow lights.
Grow lights can be incredibly confusing and overwhelming. The question always arises which one is best, in today’s episode. We are going to answer that question by addressing one of the biggest lies about grow lights.
48 Comments
Thank you for this clarification! I appreciate you and all your messages! I’m growing bigger!☀️🎉❤️
I've been using LED shop lights for years and remember when I was looking at what to use, the general consensus was to look for lights that have 5,000+ Kelvin. 2,500 lumens is okay, better to get 3,000, best 5,000+. But a 5,000K shop light is perfectly fine for seedlings, only full plants require more than that.
I've used this setup 5 years now and it's great! Bulbs were about 35$ when I got them, 70$ now (🙃🫠). Still a great price and easy to set up on a wire shelving unit.
Thank you for this information!
Put them on the window sill on a propogator.
Just started my chillies, 12 varieties. Shoots already. I'll harden them off in march/April, put them outside in tubs 👍 🇬🇧
That was very informative thanks! 👍👍. I understand from your video what to use if you were growing seedlings. But I am over wintering large potted plants in an insulated garage and want to encourage some major new growth before I put them out. So can you tell me please what kind of light you would suggest? Average temperature in the garage is about 38°to 42°. For the last three years, I have just counted on the LED tube lighting that’s in an average garage (not much 😂). It’s not a big area, just the space that one car would take. I realize I have been very lucky, as they have done well. Your video made me wonder though if I might give them a better start with a little lighting change. I would really appreciate any thoughts or advice you might have. Thank you! (Michigan transplant to Indianapolis… growing season is a whole different game down here)
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Thank you so much for this video and clarifications!!
Your analogy is a bit off. If an HID light, like a metal halide is a pickup truck, then an LED would be a box truck. LEDs produce the most light per watt of any grow light. The absolute best metal halide light is going to produce around 1.5 micromoles per joule. LEDs are now producing about 3 micromoles per joule. Look up Bruce Bugbee if you want to learn all about grow lighting.
After looking at all the options and considering my very limited gardening funds, I settled on VIVOSUN Clamp Lamps, SANSI LED Grow Light Bulb Full Spectrum (10W- E26 Base), Briignite LED Grow Light Bulbs Full Spectrum (E26 Base) and a 120" wide east facing bow window. I rotate the seed trays so the plants get a dose of whatever light the bulbs might offer different from each other. So far the plants are growing straight rather than leaning toward the window. I'm pleased.
I am very new to gardening and seed starting, had a small grow light from another YouTuber. This year upgraded to the Vivosun VS1000. Another thing with a better light. Space… verticals. Have a 30” shelf that I am starting seeds, and at 25% it is barely low enough with light on top shelf and tray on bottom. (About 21”) I use it for one 1020 for now. And that’s about 200 PPFD at top of the plants. Seems light a good light to me as a new seed starter
Careful using leds. You should wear special glasses. Think of welding? I use T5 florescent lights. They are hard to find but they have lasted years! With the proper color bulbs, I have grown easily to fruition 😊
I use full spectrum grow lights with built in fans. Add to that the heat mats, and I can germinate most things within 5 days, and they keep a 12 x 12 room at a constant 75 degrees. I turn them on at sun up, and switch them off at sundown, but keep the mats on all the time.
Also off topic, a lot of people say after sprouting remove heat mat. My basement stays around 65° and soil is colder. So leaving the heat mat under after sprouting gets the soil up to approximately 70-75° so kinda necessary just to keep soil at a growable temp. Again I’m new so may be a mistake but keep an eye on soil moisture daily since it’s like 30% humidity as well in Utah lol
I really like how you explain things! Thank you!
Do y'all have Seminole squash/ pumpkin seeds for n.fl area and how much.thanks
At certain times of the year our local stores put the full spectrum led grow lights on sale. $30 for a 2 ft light. Win!
This is SO helpful!!!!! Thank you! Your analogies are spot on!
You are misrepresenting the lights. if an LED consumed as much power as a metal halide, they would outperform a metal halide. They outperform Halide lights period. Very few grow operations use metal halide. Also, metal halide does not provide the proper light spectrum. you have to switch bulbs for different growth stages. Manufacturer matters. Plus you overpaid for your LEDs you paid full price. There are sales all the time. If you want real indoor light experience and opinions, you need to watch the cannabis channels since grow lights are their forte.
Thank you for making this video Luke!
Walmart sells 2' × 4' led shop lights linkable, plug and play, equivalent to 10,000 lumens, 5000 kelvin, for around 40 bucks.
Hey. Can anyone help. I'm in london, Ontario, Canada, when is my seed starting season. I heard you shouldn't start them too early where when you can't put them in the ground for weeks, is that true?
Awesome way to inform. Ty so much!
I use 4ft 5500k led shop lights from Walmart. There the hyper tough brand and cost under $20 a piece. I use two lights per tier on a metal shelving unit to start my seeds and I have no issue maintaining them until they're ready for the garden/high tunnel. I also have two higher end grow lights. One is a spider farmer 1000 and the other is an ac Infinity 1000. When it comes to starting plants to move outside I really haven't noticed a difference using the shop lights vs grow lights. If you choose to go the shop light direction just make sure you buy lights that are 5000k and up in the spectrum rating which is considered daylight and keep the lights close to the seedlings
Another important consideration between lighting types is the amount of heat generated. Assuming equal wattage (400W), LED fixtures produce the least amount of heat at 80-120°F followed by CFL at 100-150°. HPS and MH are much hotter at 400-600°F and typically require good ventilation.
Off topic: I Saw a video of you saying to sterilize potting mix with Boiling water to prevent fungus gnats, but do you have to feed this soil before using it? Or does the feed stay intact when boiling
Barrina LED Shop Lights, 5FT, 50W, 6500LM, 5000K Work great and cheap. 4 foot are even cheaper.
Very helpful! Thank you
my lights are called "shop lights". I just raised them as the seedlings grow. works great
I use Walmart HyperTough LED shop lights 10,000 lumens with a 5,000 Kelvin daylight rating. They are fantastic and very affordable. My seedlings grow very well under the lights. One thing to keep in mind about the full spectrum grow lights like the Vivosun, the light has to be higher away from the seedlings. My sister learned this the hard way. She placed her light above the seedlings as usual. The light intensity burned the seedlings. She discovered the light had a dimmer switch. She started seedlings again, raised the light higher and lowered the light intensity. That worked much better for her.
The first thing I look at is the heat it puts off. While that may be good for some, I live in the low desert so that's a huge no.
Devils Lettuce? OMG…
I use LEDs to grow seedlings and even full grown plants. I grow Orange Top Hat tomatoes all winter long on LEDs. I just harvested some lettuce and cilantro for a dinner salad tonight using only LEDs.
Check any cannabis channel and you will find people are growing 6 foot marijuana plants with only LEDs. LED's are not just for seedlings.
My fluorescent grow lights kept burning out bulbs. So I removed the ballast and all the wiring and replaced them with strips of LED grow lights in the reflectors. repurposed and working great.
Thats not true. Leds put out the most light per watt for sure.
Thank You!
LED's are cheap, use less energy, are dimmable, and output more lumens overall.
EDIT: And they usually come with a 2 to 5 year warranty as well
And I almost forgot – they are waterproof, no worries about exploding bulbs if you spray
Vipar XS1500 (150 watts) dimmable, waterproof LED, $89 Amazon
Thanks!! Any chance you could do a video (or series) of what seeds to start in what month per zone? (zone 3 near Duluth) 50 miles south and I would have a different zone. If I plant next to a wall, it could be a different zone. Ugh.
Great vid super helpful thank you!
Wrong
While I was visiting my stepmother in Colorado last year she told me that her laundry room fluorescent lights had been flickering for a few months. Being a good stepson I went to Home Depot to get replacement tubes. I was surprised to learn that in Colorado you can’t buy fluorescent tubes anymore. I haven’t had fluorescent tubes in my own house in Minnesota for years so I had no idea.
Devil's lettuce? Sounds like an old govt propaganda film called "reefer madness".😅
Cannabis has helped more people, with fewer side effects than any other medication produced.
THE GOOD HERB!
But Luke, it's called Jazz Cabbage!😂 Btw, come back to DOW!
Thanks for this information. I have some plastic shelves from Menard's and some LED light strips from Amazon and grew nearly 1,000 seedlings last year. Thanks to a prior video from you that included some leeks and onions. I'm in Michigan but 5a, so I start my seeds after you do, and I'm waiting impatiently!
Bottom line: 3200 lumens/5000 Kelvin LED shop lights are sufficient to grow seedlings. Been doing it for years. A little more is better, but…That's up to you. You're welcome to spend more if you have deep pockets.
Please add more languages to the audio track. I am specifically interested in Polish.
GREAT to know….
Makes an 11minute video about "application", then calls weed the "devils lettuce" I mean why even call it that? Cannabis has helped "millions" of people. See? Application. You should listen to your own advice. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black here…."Drives me crazy"….💚💪
devil's lettuce xD never expected to hear you say that 😀