To make high-efficiency LED grow lights, it is very important to choose high-efficiency LED grow light diodes. The brands Koray is using include: Osram , Samsung , Seoul, Toyoda, etc.
For the same brand and same model, with different brightness levels, Lux/BIN is very different. Especially with different current and power, the PPE varies greatly.
Let’s take a look at the following chart
As we can see:
The PPE at 65mA 2.71V is 3.02umol/J
Driven at 100mA current, PPE is 2.89umol/J
Driven at 150mA current, PPE is up to 2.72umol/J
Osram red diodes have a relatively high PPE reaching to 4umol/J, which is a very high efficiency.
If it's a 430W LED grow light(like Koray G4000), and the efficiency is required to reach 2.7umol/J,
then the PPF should be 430*2.7=1161umol/S,
using the Samsung LM301H SK, PPE 2.89umol/J, 100mA*2.85V=0.285W,
the required quantities of diodes are 1400+pcs.
However, the efficiency of Osram red diodes is much higher than the white light. If we add some red diodes, the number of white diodes can be reduced. The specific numbers, as well as the PPE, the light attenuation of the lens or the protective measures, etc. is needed to be considered.
Koray G4000UR LED grow light has 72 Osram Red/IR diodes, PPE is designed to meet 2.7+umol/J.
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The uniformity of light is very important to the growth of plants. If the light is uneven, some plants will absorb more light than other plants, which will cause uneven growth, causing some plants to shade other plants. Uneven light will also cause water insufficiency Even areas with high light will dry faster than other areas.
If the hot spot of light is too high, it will burn the plants, and if the light is too low, the crops will grow slowly.
In short: uniform light, uniform growth of plants, high uniformity of light, care for each of your plants
In the family indoor planting, there are generally only a few LED plant lights, or only one LED plant light, you need to buy a plant light with uniform illumination.
Let's discuss below, personal home planting, commonly used LED quantum boards, and its light uniformity.
In original LED plant grow light quantum board, there will be a very high light hot spot directly below the light fixture, which is easy to burn the plants.
The previous generation of LED quantum board has a hot spot in the center, which is easy to burn crops; the four corners of PPFD are low and crops grow slowly.
Koray high-uniform illumination LED quantum board, after optimizing the arrangement of LEDs, have greatly improved the uniformity of light, and there is no light hot spot directly under the lamp, which can better grow your crops.
High light uniformity series, uniform light, no hot spots in the center, even crop growth
The picture below shows the spicial arrangement of LEDs in the LED plant light quantum board with high illumination uniformity series.
Optimized permutation and combination, the light uniformity is greatly improved, and the patent has been applied for.
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Hot spot cause uneven growth, causing the medium plants to shade other plants. Uneven light will also cause uneven water use. Areas with high light will dry faster than other areas. If the hot spot of light is too high, it will burn the plants, and if the light is too low, the crop will grow slowly.
Therefore, Koray develops a High Uniformity Series for our professional cannabis growers:
The Koray High Uniformity Series has undergone three evolutions from the initial arrangement of LEDs with even spacing, to the first light uniform optimization, and then to the current high-uniform LED board plant light module.
The Koray G1000 High Uniformity LED module is developed not only the arrangement of the LED diodes, but also the quantities of LEDs and Osram IR, by 40% increased, which has greatly increased the PPFD average by 8%.
The Koray G2000 high-uniform LED board plant light module changes not only the arrangement of the LED lamp beads. The final version of the LED lamp beads has increased by 40%, the heat dissipation aluminum plate size has increased by 18%, and a better Osram red LED lamp has been selected. , The uniformity is increased by 30%, and the average PPFD is increased by 6%.
The Koray G4000 high-uniform LED board plant light module changes not only the arrangement of the LED lamp beads. The final version of the LED lamp beads has increased by 40%, the heat dissipation aluminum plate size has increased by 19%, and a better Osram red LED lamp has been selected. , The uniformity is increased by 43%, and the average PPFD is increased by 6%.
Due to more Osram red diodes, the red light ratio is higher, which is more suitable for flowering and tasseling of cannabis medicinal plants.
Koray, high uniformity, we make unremitting efforts to improve quality.
]]>While it may not seem obvious, keeping your grow lights the appropriate distance from your cannabis plants is one of the most important factors to having a successful grow.
Having the lights too close will cause the plants to burn and wilt, quickly killing them off. Raise your grow lights too high and the plants will stretch, causing the stems to be long and skinny leading to a very weak branch. Once the weight of bud growth reaches a couple of weeks, the branches will snap due to being so long and skinny.
Now before I show you the appropriate heights, I would like to mention two important items. First, these heights are applicable for both indoor and greenhouse grows. It does not change. Second, when hanging your lights you will want to consider the type of light you are using. For example, and LED light can get much closer to plants without burning them when compared to a HID Light.
A simple test you can always use to tell if you are too close is hold your hand under the lights right where the tops of your plants are. If it is too hot for you to hold your hand there for 5 seconds, it is too close and the light needs to be raised.
Now lets discuss the appropriate height for your LED lights. The first thing to consider is what stage your plants are in. When in the Seedling stage, you want the light to be around 2.5-3 feet above the tops of your plants. Once you are in Vegetation, you can lower the LEDs to be around 2-2.5 feet above the tops of the plants. Finally, in flower you will want the plants to have a distance of 1-2 feet from the lights.
As your plants develop and age, they will be able to handle more light at a higher intensity. You just need to slowly work them up to it is all. If you are not using LED grow lights, but a HID or some sort of Sodium bulb, I recommend adding foot to the heights I discussed above. Most importantly, always use the health of your plants as an indicator. Use the hand test as well and you will always be able to have your LED grow lights at the perfect height!
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The uniformity of light is very important to the growth of plants. If the light is uneven, some plants will absorb more light than other plants, which will cause uneven growth and cause some plants to shade other plants. Uneven light will also cause water insufficiency Even areas with high light will dry faster than other areas.
If the hot spot is too high, it will burn the plants, and if the light is too low, the crop will grow slowly.
1. For professional planting, large-sized folding or array plant lights are generally used. In order to use the light to a greater extent, the hanging height is generally low, about 0.3-0.6 meters, to cover For a more uniform range of illumination, it is still necessary to optimize the light uniformity of this type of plant lamp to improve the uniformity of light in the coverage area
In general foldable or array type plant lights, there will also be a very high light hot spot directly below the light fixture, which is easy to burn plants.
Not optimized folding plant grow light, four corners PPFD is very low
Optimized folding plant grow light, PPFD radiation uniformity is greatly improved
The foldable plant light optimized with 3 different lens reflectors has a 34% increase in uniformity and an average PPFD increase of 14% compared to the non-lens product (tested in a dark room without reflection, the suspension height is 16” (0.41m), 5ft*5ft(1.5x1 .5m) coverage area, 81 points test.
2. In family indoor planting, high reflectivity plant tents are generally used, and we also need to use products that have been optimized for light uniformity
Even for personal planting, more and more people are using LED folding plant lights for light uniformity. Since the size of the folding plant lamp is larger than that of the quantum board, the uniformity is better and the planting effect is better.
However, optimization is also needed to improve uniformity
PPFD test data of 5ft*5ft (1.5x1.5m) plant tent without reflector,
No lens reflector is used, and the four corners of the PPFD are low.
The figure below is the test data of the optimized folding plant light
Folding plant lights with 3 different lens reflectors for uniformity optimization. Compared with non-lens products, the uniformity is increased by 25%, and the average PPFD is increased by 10% (1.5x1.5m plant tent test, hanging height 16" (0.41) m), 36 point test
Even in the reflective plant grow tent, the uniformity is increased by 25%
The following figure is an illustration of the optimization method of the uniformity of the folding plant light
Using 3 different lens reflectors with different condensing angles, the LED pitch is actually optimized
Several points to improve the uniformity of illumination:
1. The larger the size of the lamp, the more even the coverage at close range; if the lamp is small in size, the LED lamp bead arrangement is optimized, and the uniformity improvement effect is not obvious.
2. The higher the lamp hangs, the more uniform, but the higher the hang, the greater the light loss
3. It is the best choice to add a secondary optical lens to the edge of the large-size luminaire, which is the best choice, especially for planting crops on sites with low reflectivity.
]]>What is the best plant grow light spectrum? My answer is: the spectrum that can be adjusted is the best plant light spectrum.
The advantages of tunable spectra are:
Oriented by results, give plants different spectrums and illumination at different planting stages, and even give crops different spectrums and illumination at different times of the day.
We know that different plants have different needs for light, and different growth stages have different needs for light.
Even if it is the same plant at the same growth stage, if we need different planting results, we also need different spectra. (For example, we want to increase the flavor and taste of leafy vegetables, for example, we want to increase the content of compounds, THC, CBD, terpenes, flavonoids, etc.)
Obviously, these problems or requirements cannot be solved by plant lights with a fixed spectrum.
Therefore, we need the plant lights with adjustable spectrum, and only the plant lights with adjustable spectrum can meet the complex planting needs.
As professional growers, we hope to improve the yield and quality of the crops we grow, and we hope that the taste and flavor of our crops are unique and the most attractive. The plant lamp with adjustable spectrum can give different plant spectrum in different growth period, which can improve the medicinal and nutritional content of your product.
For example, if you want to increase the yield of green vegetables, you can provide UVA ultraviolet light 15–20 days before harvest, and PPFD light is about 10 µmol/m²/s.
For example: we hope to increase the number of flower buds and harvest in advance. We can turn on far red or infrared light during the flowering period of the crop to promote the growth of flower buds.
Dual-channel plant light, providing far red light of about 10µmol/m²/s during the flowering period
Finally, it needs to be explained that there is no existing best spectrum, only the most suitable spectrum at the moment. Science is developing, and the times are advancing. The best spectrum is created by itself, using multi-channel self-adjustment, and professional growers know it even more. What spectrum does your plant use.
Adjustable spectrum requires intelligent control. In the follow-up, we will discuss the Horti Guru plant light controller and how to achieve spectrum control.
to be continued
]]>When it comes to growing cannabis, HPS lighting has been the stable workhorse for cultivators across the globe. However, there is an increasing trend of LED lights emerging, and the LED grow light industry is developing rapidly in both size and quality. So, we thought we would take a look at the two, and assess the pros and cons of each.
Log onto any cannabis growing forum, and you will easily find a heated debate about which is better: HPS or LED lighting. Look back at posts from a couple of years ago, and HPS was the clear winner. Sure LEDs could get results, but for the higher initial cost, they were just not good enough to unseat the HPS light from its throne. However, as the years have gone by, LED grow lights have come on in leaps and bounds in terms of technology and quality, and have substantially dropped in price. This has led to the arguments against them growing weaker and weaker. However, the debate still rages on, as those who have HPS in their blood are happy sticking with a tried and tested method, and more experimental growers sing the praises of their new fancy LED setups.
For the purpose of this comparison, we want to leave ingrained lighting habits behind, and look at both options with a fresh set of eyes – hopefully giving a decent and unbiased comparison.
High Pressure Sodium lights, or HPS for short, have been traditionally seen as the best of the best when it comes to grow room lighting. These lighting systems tend to have a wattage range of 75-4,000 watts, have ideal CCT levels for cannabis, and produce a hefty amount of lumens. They also come in all shapes and sizes, making them quite a versatile option.
The Pros of HPS Lighting
The Cons of HPS Lighting
LED lights are relatively new to the cannabis growing scene, and had a pretty shaky start. They appeared with promises of increased yields, better growth, and higher potency, but for many, failed to deliver – especially where cheaper LED lights were concerned. This is why so many HPS growers remain sceptical of LED grow lights, because if something sounds too good to be true, it often is. However, since their emergence, LED lights have come a long way, and are now able to hold their own against HPS lighting. The real problem that persists is the massive range of LED lights available. They are not standardised in the same way the HPS lights are, and thus can vary hugely in quality brand to brand. Once again, if an LED light is cheap and promising the world, it is probably too good to be true. It is the tried and test brands, that often come with a high price tag, that really work wonders.
The Pros of LED lighting
The Cons of LED Lighting
As you can see, each type of lighting has its own benefits and drawbacks. The quality debate is becoming less and less relevant, so it is really going to come down to what you need from your lights. Generally speaking, simply because of the initial costs involved, HPS lights are probably going to be better suited to the hobby grower tending a couple of plants. However, if money is not as much of an issue, and you are looking for long term efficiency, then LEDs may be the way forward. Also, if you are growing in a very confined space where heat is going to be an issue, then LEDs are going to take the worry of a fire hazard off your mind.
If you really want to get the most from your cannabis, and have the room to do so, there is a growing number of cultivators who use both HPS and LEDs in tandem, bringing together the advantages of both, and cancelling out many of the disadvantages of simply selecting one type of light. Of course, this is even more expensive, and probably not that practical for a lot of smaller grow tents, but the option is there.
Either way, whilst HPS lights may not have lost their throne, they should probably scooch over a little bit, as there is no clear winner any more. At the time of writing, we find both high quality HPS and high quality LED lights to be equal having weighed up their current pros and cons. However, HPS lights have reached their peak in term of developments, where LEDs are only really getting started. Who knows what the future may hold.
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If you're looking to understand how grow lights compare, you likely have come across the metrics PPF and PPFD.
However, you might be confused about what these metrics mean, and how you can make sense of them to make an informed purchasing decision. In this article we go over the basic differences between PPF and PPFD.
PPF and PPFD are both acronyms that deal with the amount of light for a light source or location:
What exactly is a photosynthetic photon? A photon is a single particle of light, and can take on a variety of wavelengths. Those that are capable of contributing to photosynthesis are considered a photosynthetic photon.
Specifically, this includes photons with wavelengths between 400 nm and 700 nm.
PPF and PPFD measure the quantity of such photons. The critical difference is that PPFD measures the density of these photons falling on a particular surface, while PPF is a measure of the total number of photons released from a light source.
In our graphic below, each dot represents a single photosynthetic photon. PPFD is the number of photons that land on a particular surface, while PPF is the total number of photons that are released from the light source.
The graphic should reveal two additional properties about PPFD.
First, the closer to the light source, the higher the PPFD reading. This is due to the dispersion of light as one moves away from the light source.
Second, the center of the beam typically has the highest PPFD reading. As you move farther away from the center, PPFD will decrease.
Both PPF and PPFD measure the total number of photons. This is obviously a very large number, so the unit micromoles (μmol) per second is used. A micromole is equivalent to approximately 6 x 1017. Further, since we are measuring the rate of these photons, this is counted per second.
PPF is simply micromoles per second, but PPFD is micromoles per second per meter squared. This is because we want to know how many photosynthetic photons land on a square meter per second.
PPFD should always be accompanied by a distance and location. Most manufacturers will publish PPFD data, but be sure that you take into account:
Without knowing this information, you cannot meaningfully compare PPFD.
PPFD can be the result of multiple lamps lighting a single area.
PPF, on the other hand, measures the amount of PAR from a single grow light. You can make meaningful comparisons between lamps by comparing its PPF measurement. That being said, be aware that depending on the beam angle, this can affect eventual PPFD readings depending on the products.
Since PPFD is a measure of how much light falls on a surface, even a small, handheld light meter or spectrometer can measure the amount of PAR that falls on a surface. These are typically lower cost and even be connected to smartphones and used in the field.
PPF, on the other hand measures the amount of PAR that is emitted by a single light source, and in all directions. Therefore, slightly more sophisticated instruments are required. Typically a goniosphere or integrating sphere is needed. These devices capture the light emitted in all angles, and then measures the collective light emitted.
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Here below are some pictures of harvest, i have some explain. you can compare the fruit with my big hand.
Devil's Broken Soul Pepper, 1 million scoville of spiciness, do you want a try?
Chaotian Pepper
Yellow Devil Broken Soul Pepper, also 1 million scoville of spiciness
Yellow pear tomatoes, the appearance is very pleasing, the taste is okay
Green tiger tomato, very pretty, also I like the taste
San Masano tomatoes, I haven’t eaten them before, the taste is average, a bit sour
The sunrise bumblebee, because of hydroponics is bigger than expect, however plant in soil is much better
Here below is the plant tent i used, with a 100W plant lamp.
Basically one kilowatt per day is enough, I planted in this tent, exactly 2 months, 60 kilowatt-hours of electricity as a hobby. If you use the plant lights to grow economic value, you will need to plant special varieties, for example, the price of Chalapita peppers is $220,000/kg.
Finally, let me tell you what i learn from these two month. I found that the some of the pepper seeds that cost me a lot of money were FAKE. We don’t know until the seed became fruit! It’s such disappointed and time and money waste.
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Energy Conservation
Safe and Reliable
Long life
Human perceived comfort
Intelligent control
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What's the best LED grow light ? Koray definition is: 6 elements are indispensable!
1. Effective.
The most important includes two points, a good plant light recipe spectrum, Suitable or higher light intensity (PPFD), high light uniformity.
Spectrum: The light recipe of plants. Every plant lamp manufacturer claims that its own spectrum is the most effective. Here I want to talk about the good spectrum and the not-so-good spectrum (at least the extremely red light 660nm). The planting effect difference is less than 10%. There is no most effective spectrum now. The quality of the spectrum depends on what you need, you grow vegetables and need a good taste, then you can add some UV purple light, if you need to change the flowering cycle, you may need to add some far red FR730 . A good spectrum, I think, should be adjustable, and it should contain multiple adjustable channels, UV channel, blue and white light channel, red light channel, far red light channel, so that we can according to plant species, plant Adjust the spectrum reasonably at different stages of planting. Of course, it seems a bit difficult to adjust the spectrum.
Only the spectrum that can be adjusted can be an effective spectrum, and the multi-channel plant light can adjust the spectrum.
Regarding the spectrum, I would like to discuss it separately with you later, so I won't say more here.
PPFD: In fact, PPFD is the most important data in plant lights. It is more important than the spectrum. Only a suitable PPFD can have a good harvest. Generally, indoor planting is related to light, that is, insufficient light or insufficient power. Higher PPFD can reduce the illumination by dimming, while low-light products can no longer increase the illumination.
Generally speaking, the average PPFD for leafy vegetable planting requires 250umol/m2/s, hemp planting seedling stage requires 150umol/m2/s, vegetative growth period requires 400-600umol/m2/s, flowering and blooming harvest period requires 600-1200umol/s The light of m2/s, the vegetative growth period and flowering period of cannabis, require additional carbon dioxide. The growth stages of tomatoes and peppers are basically the same as hemp. Adding carbon dioxide can also increase production.
Uniformity of illumination: The higher the uniformity of PPFD, the better. The uniformity is related to the suspension height of the lamp. The higher the suspension height, the uniformity of light will increase, but the light loss will increase.
The LED quantum board plant light optimized for light uniformity will not produce hot spots in the center at a suitable suspension height.
The lighting effect of LED plant lighting must reach 2.7umol/J, but almost all plant lights claim to be above 2.7umol/J. This requires us to analyze and identify them. Generally, plant lights produced by famous brands have higher credibility. If it is not a brand, we need to know the brand of LED lamp beads (preferably with a specific LED model) and the number of LED lamp beads, which can also help identify the credibility of the light effect. Generally speaking, the same LED is used For lamp bead models, the more LED lamp beads, the higher the efficiency.
In fact, safety should be the first priority. Lamps should meet the safety requirements of all countries in the world. In addition to meeting safety requirements, they also need to be reliable and reliable to ensure long-term operation. LED lights will also generate heat, and temperature rise is also an important Indicators, too high temperature will seriously affect the life of the plant light, and the heat dissipation capacity is also an important indicator of the plant light.
As mentioned above, low temperature rise is a way to ensure long life. Use good components, especially power supplies, which are relatively easy to damage. You should try to use brand-name power LED plant lights, such as Meanwell power supply; and lamp beads, You should also choose to use the plant lights of major international brands, such as Osram, Nichia, Toyoda Gosei, Samsung, Seoul and other brand lamp beads.
This can be said to have nothing to do with plants, but the plant planting environment may also be our temporary work environment. This place also needs human-friendly light. Under this kind of light, we can also see the growth status of the plant and discover diseases and insect pests in time. And other issues. For plant growing areas where UV lamps are used, the UV lamps should be turned off before entering the plant growing areas.
Intelligent control of illuminance(PPFD), spectrum(plant light recipes), which include, according to different plants, different growth stages, different planting requirements, light time control, light gradient conversion control, spectral gradient conversion control, etc.
For indoor planting, light is an important variable, and other growth environments are also critical, such as: ventilation, temperature, humidity, soil or nutrient solution, pests and diseases, etc. If the lamp you buy has the above 5 advantages, the effect of planting No, it may be caused by other reasons, so I won’t discuss it here.
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There are 4pcs FR(IR) LED in this product
There is no actual evidence to show that these four FR(IR) lamps are of practical use. In actual planting, these four FR(IR) lamp beads are replaced with 660nm deep red lamp beads, and the planting effect is not different.
FR(IR) is effective in many papers and experiments. Why is it useless on this kind of lamps? The reason is actually very simple.
If 4 lamp beads are turned on individually, when the floating height is 0.5m, the PPFD is less than 0.2µmol/m²/s, which is almost nothing.
If it is to be effective for plants, it needs at least about 10µmol/m²/s, that is to say, FR(IR), in this product, it has to be increased by 50 times to be useful.
Similarly, if there are only a few UVA lamp beads on a high-power plant lamp, it is claimed to be useful. This is a deceptive behavior, because similarly, a few UVA lamp beads can only provide less than 0.5µmol/m²/ s light.
The amount of UVA added is too small, there is no separate UVA control, it is not recommended to use
So, how to add UVA, and FR(IR) to be useful?
The power of UVA is 35W. In the plant tent, the hanging height is 0.5m, which can provide UVA of about 10µmol/m²/s.
Special attention should be paid to using UVA with caution, even the UVA part of the spectrum.
FR730 (IR730nm), the power is 35W, the suspension height is 0.5m, it can provide FR(IR) close to 10µmol/m²/s
FR (IR) is particularly effective for flowering medicinal plants, but a certain amount is required. Far-red mixed in other spectra, the illuminance of FR cannot be measured alone, that is to say, the PPFD ,The actual effect and usage of FR are doubtful.
Separate UVA and FR (IR) need to be turned on at the right time to have an effect on plant growth. For example, turn on FR (IR) during the flowering period,or turn on FR (IR) when night falls to simulate sunset.
Some plant lights add a small amount of UVA and far-red infrared light, which is of no practical use to plants. Maybe the only benefit is to give people comfort
Separate UVA channel and far-red light FR channel are generally effective.
The following plant light is a single ultraviolet light UVA channel. This amount should be effective and should be used with caution not to have adverse effects
UVA accounts for a large proportion and should be effective. In the case of scenes where UVA is not used, UVA can be turned off without causing adverse consequences.
The plant light below is a separate FR (IR) channel, and the light should be sufficient
Enough far red light FR730 (infrared light IR730nm), independent channel, please turn on during the flowering period
FR (IR), the power is about 50W, the PPFD provided is about 10µmol/m²/s, and the height of the suspension is about 0.6m.
to sum up:
to sum up:
UVA, experiments have proved that it is effective for leafy vegetables, but the illuminance of this spectrum should not be too high or too low. For example, just adding a few UVA will not have any effect. For general leafy vegetable cultivation, add UVA of about 10µmol/m²/s in the middle and late stages. However, UVA is harmful to many plants, especially in the seedling stage. Pay attention to use; in fact, very small UVA, such as UVA less than 0.5µmol/m²/s, has no effect on plants, and of course it has no great harm. Can achieve the effect of placebo.
FR(IR), during the flowering period, can stimulate the flowering of crops and increase the yield. Of course, FR(IR) less than 5µmol/m²/s does not have much effect.
]]>Three months have passed from the seed to the present. The early ripening tomatoes have matured and Bhut Jolokia pepper has begun to bear fruit.
Progress in Spectroscopy Experiments, the hydroponic rack is almost completed, the lights has been installed, and the separation wall is being prepared to separate the different spectral planting areas. It is already summer, ventilation facilities need to be installed or a large air conditioner be installed.
Today is May 6th. Let’s take a look at the harvest. I really don’t want to say the fact that rats entered the planting area and the damage was relatively large. Fortunately, the most expensive Aji Charapita Pepper seedlings were not eaten. And the loophole has now been closed.
Green Tiger Tomato, Sunrise Bumble Bee Tomato, Sweet Million Tomato, and Super sweet 100 Tomato are all tomatoes that started soaking seeds on February 3, 2021. Today is May 6th and it has been 91 days. The second and the third bunches of fruits have turned red.
Take a look at the harvest:
According to the experience of planting, the tomato grown in soil is easier to mature, and the fruit grown in hydroponic culture is bigger. In Figure 2 are the Sunrise Bumble Bee Tomatoes, and the hydroponic tomatoes are one size bigger than the soil grown tomatoes.
Sweet Million Tomato fruits are more, Green Tiger Tomato leaves diseased, but scion is good.
The varieties of peppers are not necessarily authentic. I hope that the legendary Chalapita peppers of 220,000 yuan per kilogram are pure varieties. Experts can help see if the last picture is correct.
Planting, continue to learn and practice.
]]>It has been more than two months from the seed to now, and finally saw the fruit, it should not be far from the harvest!
As I mentioned last time, five plant lamps with different spectra are in production, and the progress is slower than expected. In addition to the spectra, the PPFD should be basically the same. Two of them are dual-channel with UVA added, which is still a bit complicated.
Today, I will introduce to you the varieties that I have planted and have produced fruit.
Some of the crops planted here started to soak seeds on February 3, 2021. Today is April 19, 75 days, which is still very long. These are 12-hour lighting with low light without deliberately adjusting the light. And spectrum.
(In addition, there are also experimental planting of fast-growing crops. There is a summer sun tomato, a sweet aperitif tomato, a Dragon’s Breath pepper, a Carolina pepper, long sunlight for 16 hours a day, and sowing on March 17. Planting seeds, 33 days today, the tomato has bloomed and it should be considered to be growing quickly, but the leaves of the tomato are a little yellow. The Carolina pepper already has flower buds. The growth of the Dragon Breath pepper is not good, but compared to the same period of conventional cultivation. Plants of the same varieties of peppers are twice as tall)
Picture above
Zhangshugang pepper, one of the most expensive peppers in China, the flavor of self-grown must be different
Finally, let’s talk about planting. Tomato navel rot is related to varieties. Soil culture is prone to navel rot, and hydroponics can reduce tomato navel rot;
I don’t know if it’s the problem of hydroponic nutrient solution. The tomato seedlings grown in soil grow faster and bloom and bear fruit faster
Among all the tomato varieties that I planted from seeds, only Indigo Pear Drops Tomatohas no results yet and its growth is very weak.
Planting, I am still learning and practicing.
Next time, I will introduce the peppers I have bred. Among them is the most expensive pepper variety Aji Charapita
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Horti Guru plant light control system is a horticultural LED control system that can control light, detect temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and other plant growth environments. If you add corresponding equipment, you can also control temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration.
Horti Guru plant light control system provides up to 8 channels of individual PWM signals, which can control the spectrum and luminosity of the corresponding equipment.
Horti Guru is committed to serving modern smart agriculture.
]]>Potato, Solanaceae Solanum, is an annual herbaceous plant. Potatoes are native to southern Peru.
In my hometown, there is an ingredient, a very small potato, This is a small potato that does not grow up, the variety is Marco, (similar to or the same as Mira potatoes)
Different from the good-looking, big, but tasteless potatoes in supermarkets; Marco’s small potatoes, which are smaller than eggs, and their “small and exquisite” shape make them easier to cook and taste, and they are very convenient to cook. Once cooked, it is filled with the aroma of potatoes, soft, fragrant, and sweet.
When I was young, I liked potato bacon soup. Wash the newly dug potatoes and put them in a snakeskin bag, rub them twice, and then peel them for later use.
Cut a few slices of bacon, put it in the pan, fry a few times, then add the potato, stir fry for a while, add water and simmer without any condiments (the bacon has a salty taste), it only takes 15 minutes, and you can add some Chopped green onion, that delicious, can be called a classic aftertaste!
In October 2020, I suddenly remembered the memories of this young age. I bought some potatoes online. Because the season had passed, the taste was no longer there, so I put a few of them and planted them in planting pots as seedlings and put plant lights. Under the light, apart from watering and providing light, it didn’t take much care of it. It actually grew and Yielded potatoes.
In January 2021, most of the potato beans and small potato leaves were withered. They were originally prepared to be dug out for the Spring Festival. Today, after the exam, the children specially dug out some of them to see if they can make the taste of childhood.
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Today is Christmas, and the global epidemic is still abusive. In winter, it is not suitable for the growth of crops. Indoors, the home environment is still an office factory, with air conditioning and heating, and many crops can be grown. Of course, this requires lights and plant lights.
So join me in planting vegetables. In the next month or so, I will record every planting stage in real time: Soaking seeds, accelerating germination, raising seedlings, transplanting, vegetative growth, and harvesting, the entire growth cycle takes about 40 days. Let’s grow lettuce at home with me. Planting here is not only teaching, but also edible (this is not a planting table). For greening and education, the actual planting will exceed 144 lettuce), we can use it to cook noodles and make salads.
The first is the soaking of seeds. The seeds are purchased online. Bibll lettuce suitable for hydroponic culture, emerald green lettuce and soft tail lettuce. The key to germination should be the seed itself, the germination rate of the seed is high.
Soak the seeds in 30°C (86°F) water for 3 hours
After cleaning, pour the gauze into the 28°C (82°F) incubator for germination (remember that when I was young, there was no incubator and heating, and when it was cold, we would put it in the farm compost, the fermentation temperature was higher)
Nursery seedlings, today (two days after soaking the seeds), put the teething seeds into the nursery sponge, pay attention to the root down, bury the whole seed in the sponge, keep the sponge moist, put the seeded sponge into the seedling tray, spray The water wets the entire seedling tray, and the sponge cannot be soaked in the water.
At the end of this article, there are pictures and texts about the six stages of lettuce planting. They are pictures of the previous planting. Use them as a catalog. Plant lettuce and tomatoes with me. I will publish the relevant progress according to the current actual planting schedule. If the planting fails, I will also report the truth to you; here I will tell you that the dwarf tomatoes and cherry tomatoes have been placed in the sponge for 2 days. This was soaked on December 17, and it has been 8 days. Please see the picture below. The growth is relatively slow.
Below are the previous planting instructions
If you have friends who want to grow vegetables and fruits indoors, you can explore here. Indoor cultivation is not disturbed by the weather and other large environments, and even does not require sunlight.
Let us look forward to the harvest in a month!
]]>Almost all LED plant lights advertise their high efficiency. The photosynthetic light quantum flux efficiency is 2.7umol/J, 2.8umol/J or even higher. Whether it is really high efficiency, as a buyer, especially an ordinary individual consumer, it is very It is difficult to distinguish the true from the false. This article can tell you how difficult it is for LED plant lights to achieve high efficiency.
Let’s take a look at the following chart first, which represents the world’s top light source, and is basically the highest luminous efficiency LED chip or LED lamp bead produced in large quantities.
Need to declare: This is the test under the same instrument and equipment, the same calibration light source, and the same environment; the test results do not represent the quality of the brand.
This LED plant grow lights has added UVA and FR(IR)730nm, the light efficiency is less than 2.7umol/J
Test parameters include current, voltage, photosynthetic light quantum flux PPF, luminous efficiency PPE, spectral wavelength, etc.
(Plant grow light LED chip test data sheet)
As can be seen from the above table,
Most of the white light part of the lamp beads:
Then, how many LED lamp beads are needed for an LED plant lamp with an efficiency of 2.7umol/J, simply estimate a 630W plant lamp, if the efficiency is required to reach 2.7umol/J, use the LM301H lamp beads that the industry responds well, and the brightness according to the above table BIN is SK BIN, efficiency 2.89umol/J, can only use current below 65mA, power of each LED lamp bead is 0.18W (0.52umol), PPF value of 630W lamp is 1700umol/S, if only LM301H is used, the required quantity More than 3000pcs, the 660nm red light efficiency is high. If the red light scheme is mixed into the LED lamp beads, the number can be reduced. The specific number will be explained in detail next time.
G550 four-channel plant light, the sample has been made, and the test result is satisfactory!
It should be noted that: G550-4H is a plant light for professional growers, not suitable for beginners.
The following is a discussion on the use of G550-4H to grow hemp. Because it involves UVA lamp beads, improper use may reduce the output, so this method does not constitute an operation recommendation
General quantum board plant light module, given the planting area, the flowering period of hemp is: 5’*5’, and 1.5×1.5m plant tent
After actual tests, in the field of professional planting, I think 4’*4’ (1.2×1.2m) plant tents are more suitable. Compared with 5’*5’ plant tents, the uniformity of light will be greatly improved.
Cannabis varieties: It is recommended to adopt photoperiod flowering varieties, which have high yield and can be propagated by cuttings (stem cuttings)
“Horti Guru” and G550-4H cannabis cultivation password (for reference only)
Note:Although the test results UVA 395-400nm has a very low illuminance, 15umol/m2/s at 24″ (0.61m), we still do not recommend beginners to use it. We will not sell this product to individual consumers for the time being. If you are a professional grower, or a researcher in cannabis cultivation, please contact us!
Open the “Horti Guru” APP application, enter the device, click programming settings, copy program 1, edit channel color, edit growth stage, growth cycle, daily light time, light intensity PPFD, temperature and humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, and other data, such as Picture:
]]>In the natural environment, when a plant sees uneven light day after day, it can only mean one thing—the plant is partially shaded. Thus, the plant will maximize its light exposure and orient itself to utilize the available light as best as possible. This partially shaded plant will grow taller and leafier wherever sunlight is present, to capture as much light as possible. The fact that the sun has relative infinite distance is important, because a 30” tall plant may see 1,000 umol/m2/second at the top leaves—but if that same plant grows to 40” tall, it will still see 1,000 umol/m2/second at the top leaves. The difference between the bright and dark areas are the same. The effect of shadowing is no different over the course of a 24-hour day. All is well in the plant’s world.
Electric Lighting – Intensity + Distance Recommendations
Now let’s fast forward to the built environment, wherein plants are grown under electric lighting. Each of these electric light sources has an engineered distribution to get an even distribution on the plant canopy. For example, a High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamp—like High Pressure Sodium (HPS)—should have a batwing distribution. as shown in Figure 1. Creating a batwing distribution is a great way to get even uniformity, where you have high intensities at higher angles and less intensity directly below. In the example below, the highest intensity is 832 umol/sr/second. This number gets translated into “photosynthetic photon flux density” or PPFD (umol/m2/second) via the “inverse square law”, where the incident angle can be ignored as the plant will naturally turn towards the brightest point through phototropism, and the math distills nicely down to:
Figure 1. HPS Sodium Polar Plot (top) with a peak intensity of 832 umol/sr, and a BIOS LED light source (bottom) with peak intensity of 62 umol/sr/second.
In order to make sense of these PPFD values, you need to understand the range of light levels for growing fruiting or flowering crops such as Cannabis or Tomatoes. Figure 2 provides an overview of typical recommendations for a wide range of fruiting and flowering crops, where:
Figure 2. Effect of different light levels on plant growth (right) and the distance away from a light source in order to fall within said range (left). For example, if you have a light source with 800 umol/sr intensity, the plant surface must be between 32” and 40” away from the light to be within the “optimal light” range for growth.
High-Pressure Sodium
When a system using High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) is used, it is designed and spaced to have even illumination, negating the impacts of these potentially damaging light levels; this is how it works in the case of buildings. However, when you combine this with a dynamic system, such as a growing plant canopy, the results can be hazardous for the plant. This is illustrated in Figure 4, which shows how the plant grows into the distribution of the light source. With HPS, you first start at a distance of about 40” from the light source. As it grows, the uniformity breaks down, and where the two light sources overlap in distribution, too much intensity occurs and the plant will then receive hazardous amounts of light.
Figure 4. Overview of growth over three different stages of growth under HPS lighting, with distribution as illustrated in Figure 1. The chart illustrates how PPFD changes as the plants grows, creating uneven uniformity and exposing the plant to hazardous PPFD light levels.
When using an LED lighting system, what you want to strive for is the exact opposite—the most amount of LED bars evenly spaced. Starting at a much closer 12” distance, each bar provides a much lower and less hazardous amount of light that creates an even PPFD over the entirety of the growth of the plant. Based on the standard 120 degrees distribution from LED lighting, this leads to ideal uniformity up until the growth distance is 2/3rd of the bar-to-bar spacing. For example, in Figure 5, we show a bar-to-bar spacing of 6”. Ideal uniformity can be obtained when as close as 4” (2/3rd of 6”) away, without enabling hazardous levels of light.
Figure 5. Overview of growth over three different stages of growth under LED lighting, with distribution as illustrated in Figure 1. The chart illustrates how PPFD remains in the optimal lighting zone throughout all stages of growth.
Those who look back at the table from Figure 2 may notice that even low outputs such as 50 umol/sr/second might incur damaging amounts of light. However, it should be noted that these intensity levels are obtained using measurements taken at a long distance away from the light source (known as far field photometrics). These numbers really start to break down once you are within a distance equal to the maximum diameter of the light source.
Let’s assume that the LED bar is over 40” in length. Once you are less than 40” distance from the light source, you can start to assume that the entirety of that bar is not contributing to any given spot on the canopy surface. At 4” distance, you can confidently cut the intensity down by a factor of 3. This means that you will never approach the intensities where you might incur damage (see Figure 6).
Figure 6. Inverse Square Law example for plant growth.
You probably know that plants require light to live and grow, but have you thought about grow light uniformity and other aspects of lighting? While some light is better than no light, there’s no reason to settle for less than perfect. When optimizing your lighting system, there are a number of factors to consider.
Light output, light energy efficiency, and light uniformity impact both the success of your grow and your energy costs. By understanding and optimizing these factors, you can achieve better yields and cut your utility bill. It’s a win-win.
When choosing grow lights, it’s important to pay attention to the light output. There are a lot of measurements and acronyms involved with grow lights, and all of these can get confusing. So, let’s take a look at some of the terms and measurements that matter.
Photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) is the range of light plants use for photosynthesis. It includes light in the wavelength range of 400-700 nanometers. PAR is not a measurement, but rather a way to describe a range of light.
Photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) is the measurement of the amount of PAR produced by the bulb and ballast. The PPF is measured in terms of micromoles per second (μmo/s). It’s important to note this measurement does not take a reflector into account. It also does not involve light reaching a given area, but rather light coming out of a lamp.
Photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) is a measurement of the amount of PAR that reaches a certain point. It is measured in terms of micromoles per square meter per second (μmol/m²/s). The PPFD differs based on how far away from the light a measurement is taken. So, don’t just measure the PPFD right under your light and assume that amount of light is reaching your plants.
A watt is the unit used to indicate how much energy a fixture is using; this is also known as the energy input. It’s important to note that more watts does not always mean greater light intensity.
Since manufacturers often list a lot of information about lighting fixtures, it’s hard to decide what matters. Should you care about watts? PPF? PPFD? All of it?
First, look at the PPF. This number corresponds loosely to the light’s intensity. More accurately, the higher the PPF, the higher the light bulb’s output.
However, this number does not take the reflector into account. So a lot of this light could be lost to the surrounding area or absorbed by the reflector and turned into heat. Make sure to note the efficiency of the reflector, as well as the PPF.
As an example, let’s look at the DimLux 1000 Watt light. This light comes with the Philips MASTER GreenPower Xtra 1000W lamp. This high pressure sodium (HPS) bulb has a PPF of 2150 μmol/s at 1000 watts; the highest output of any bulb on the market.
When growers boost this light into overdrive mode, its PPF bumps up to 2580 μmol/s. At this level, it uses 1200 watts. Along with this, growers can dim this light to a variety of levels. This helps growers save energy and reduce heat output.
While PPF is an important measurement, remember this number doesn’t take the reflector into account. When we look back at the DimLux 1000, we see it comes with the Alpha Optics 98 reflector. This reflector has a 98% efficiency, which is an exceptionally high rating. Therefore, the vast majority (98%) of the light produced is making its way to the canopy rather than being absorbed by the reflector. Remember, this percentage applies to a clean reflector, so make sure to regularly maintain your reflector.
The energy efficiency of a light is important to your bottom line. Therefore, it’s important to look at the energy use of a light along with its output.
Let’s look back at the DimLux 1000 Watt light. When this light is producing 2150 μmol/s of PAR, it is consuming 1000W. By dividing the PPF by the consumption, we learn this light produces 2.15 μmol/s/W. The higher this number, the more efficient a light is.
For example, if a light emits a PPF of 2150 μmol/s and uses 1500 W to produce this output so, it will produce 1.43 μmol/s/W. This light is less efficient than a light that has the same PPF but only uses 1000 W to produce this output.
Another important factor in determining light efficiency is heat. When a light fixture traps heat, the area around the bulb heats up. Bulbs struggle to produce light at higher temperatures, so their efficiency decreases.
Some types of lights produce more heat than others. For example, CMH lights produce more heat than LED lights. Therefore, cooling costs are typically lower with LED lights. Remember to factor the energy used for cooling into your light efficiency calculations.
Since cooling costs can add up, it’s smart to explore other heat-reduction options. Automated controls can dim lights when temperatures get too hot, saving on cooling costs. Ventilation helps remove heat and keep the light at an optimum temperature for bulb efficiency. For example, the Alpha Optics 98 reflector contains ventilation holes that allow heat to escape. In addition, this reflector has a socket that growers can use to extract hot air.
While growers often think about lighting factors such as quality, quantity, and efficiency, they sometimes overlook grow light uniformity. But they shouldn’t! Light uniformity is just as important as other lighting factors.
As you may have guessed, light uniformity is how evenly light is spread across a given area. When designing optimal lighting for a grow room, a good number to shoot for is 90% uniformity. This means that the minimum light is at least 90% of the intensity of the intensity of the average light.
Uniformity is important for even growth. If lighting is not uniform, some plants will receive more light than others. This leads to uneven growth, which can lead to some plants shading out others.
Uneven lighting can also cause problems with uneven water use. Plants receiving more light will dry faster than those receiving less light. This makes proper irrigation challenging.
However, this is also where some confusion comes up. The uniformity provided by an LED grow light with 1000 diodes without lenses will not produce the light intensity necessary to penetrate deep into the canopy. And there are many reflectors that can create uniform light, but they simultaneously diminish the HID grow light’s intensity, making it less effective at penetrating into the second and third tier of canopy!
If you want to grow taller plants, that flower throughout the different canopy layers, the grow lights you use must deliver intense light to the canopy, and that’s where DimLux HID grow lights shine. The combination of industry leading ballasts, lamps, and reflectors allow you to get flower production deep into the canopy, increasing your yields, and encouraging the plant to express it’s maximum genetic potential.
Most lights produce light that varies in intensity. For example, the intensity right under the light will be greater than the intensity at the edge of the light’s range. Therefore, if you have multiple lights in a grow room, you need to figure out the proper spacing for proper light uniformity.
A number of factors impact light uniformity. These include the number of lights you use, the type of light you use, the reflectors you use, how close together your lights are, and how high you hang your lights. If you’re thinking this is a complex topic, you’re right!
Since there are so many factors involved, there is no one size fits all design for optimum light uniformity. A good option to determine the best setup for your operation is to talk to your light manufacturer. Since they are familiar with the specifics of your lights, they can help you design a system that maximizes light uniformity as well as other features.
To find the ideal setup for your growing project, fill out and submit this form. Global Garden staff will get back to you with a DimLux lighting plan made just for you. This plan will help you optimize grow light uniformity, therefore increasing crop health and yields.
When hanging grow lights, your goal is to optimize three factors: light intensity, heat, and light coverage. When hanging lights, it’s important to consider grow light uniformity as well. You want every plant in your grow room to receive the optimum amount of light.
There is no one size fits all hanging height for grow rooms. The optimal hanging height depends on a number of factors.
Reflectors impact a light’s footprint, or how much area it covers. As reflector width increases, so does the area a light covers. As light height increases, the area a light covers also increases. Therefore, it often makes sense to select narrower reflectors for high hanging heights and wider reflectors for low hanging heights. The Alpha Optics Reflector is adjustable, providing both wide or narrow configurations. Additionally, DimLux offers the Add-on Reflectors, to send more light down to the plants rather than allow it to strike the wall.
The greater the number of lights, the more area you can cover. For each light, the lower you hang it, the smaller an area it covers. Generally, if you are trying to cover a large area with only one light, you will need to hang this light higher than if you are using two lights.
When using more than one light, it’s important to space the lights so all areas receive the same intensity of light.
The size and shape of your tent or grow room impacts the number of lights you can hang, as well as the height you can hang them at. As you probably know, you can’t hang your lights any higher than the top of your growing area! Also, remember to consider how walls impact light. If walls are not reflective, light will be lost when it hits the walls.
It’s important to note the size and growth stage of the plants you are growing. When plants are in the vegetative stage, lights should be further away than when plants are in the flowering stage if they are the same intensity. Basically, plants that are vegging use a little less light than flowering plants.
Different types of lights have varying levels of intensity and heat output. Make sure your lights are not so low that they will burn your plants.
Now that we know the factors that impact grow light hanging height, let’s learn about what happens if you hang heights too high or too low.
If you hang your lights too high, you’ll experience a number of problems.
Footprint is too wide, and light is lost to walls.
The intensity of light reaching your plants is too low.
Not enough heat reaches your plants.Likewise, there are problems if you hang your lights too low.
Footprint is too narrow, and not all plants receive light.
The intensity of light reaching your plants is too high.
The area around your plants is too hot.Lights for Your System
As you’ve read above, there are a number of factors that are important when designing your lighting system. The grow light intensity is important, but you must also take into account energy efficiency. Another aspect to pay attention to is grow light uniformity.
To figure out the best lighting configuration for your operation, contact Global Garden staff. We’ll be happy to help you find the best products for your needs.
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