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How does the Lumen output of the LED Grow Master Grow Light compare to other grow lights?
Lumens and Lux are measurements of how bright a light source appears to the human eye. Since the
human eye is most sensitive to colors plants don't need, and least sensitive to colors plants prefer, they can't be used to accurately compare the plant growing capability of an LED plant light. If a grow light manufacturer rates his grow light output in Lumens they are only telling you how bright it will appear to you and light your room, not how well it will grow your plants. The most accurate unit of measurement for comparing plant lighting is the microEinstein, which measures how many photons of light strike an area per second. But, while this is a much better way to estimate a lamp's plant growing ability than Lumens or Lux, it is still very difficult to directly compare two different types of grow lights. All grow lights except the LED Grow Master grow light emit large amounts of light plants don't use very efficiently, so including that light output in a light's plant growing measurement is misleading.
What type of soil should I use for my plants?
It is always best to use a more porous planting medium when gardening with LED grow lights. A loose
soil that doesn't compact will allow more oxygen to reach the roots, increasing plant metabolism and
growth. A porous medium will also help avoid problems associated with over watering.
How warm should I keep my plant growing area?
The energy efficient line of led grow lights will not heat up your growing area like traditional grow lighting products. In cooler weather you may need to compensate for this by raising the temperature of your growing area to between 70 degrees F to 80 degrees F if you wish to accelerate the rate of plant
growth. If you can, monitor the temperature of your plant's root zone as this can also affect the rate of plant growth.
Should I water my plants differently when using the LED Grow Master Gro-Bar?
Absolutely! Plants grown under the LED Grow Master plant lighting systems use much less water than
those grown under conventional MH or HPS (i.e. HOT!) grow lights, and so need to be watered less
frequently. Be very careful not to over water your plants, and check to see that the soil is drying out before watering them again. The time between watering will vary with plant species. Over watering will slow root development, stunt plant growth, and cause nutrient uptake issues.
How often and how much should I fertilize?
Your plants will need fewer nutrients when grown under led grow lights. Start with a lower amount of
nutrient, approximately or around 1/2 of the amount recommended by the manufacturer.
How close should I mount my light bar above my plants?
Mounting recommendations are written on the back of each bar according to the model you are using. If
mounting any of our LED grow lights closer than 12" you must angle them in toward the canopy as
opposed to mounting them directly overhead. Placing a single bar closer than 12" directly above a plant can quickly cause damage even without the infrared light.
My plants aren't flowering like I expected. What can I do?
LED grow lighting is very gentle to your plants. In some cases you may need to introduce some "stress"
to help you plants bloom. For example, turn your lights on for fewer hours each day, or allow your plants to dry out a little more than usual between watering cycles. If your plants are grown indoors without supplemental light, some plants, such as tomatoes, may benefit from the addition of a single 60 watt light placed anywhere in the room with the plants. This provides a small amount of invisible infrared light, which some plants find beneficial.
How long should I operate my lights each day?
Remember, most plants need to sleep just like we do, except plants prefer that the room e totally dark at night. Check on the Internet or with your local nursery to find out the preferred light/dark period for the plants that you are growing. One of the characteristics that we are learning is that if you are growing under LEDs only (no sunlight or other artificial light) you may be able to use the led grow light for 24 hours and see up to 40% more growth. Always remember the balance between light, heat.
Is it safe to look at the lights in your led grow light?
The light emitting diodes (LEDs) used in our led grow light are very high intensity. Never look directly into the light at a close distance, or for long periods of time.
Are there any special considerations for commercial growers?
In commercial operations you will want to monitor your C02 levels. The LGM5 LED grow light emits a
large amount of absorbed light, which may require slight augmentation of CO2 levels (+300-500 PPM).
It looks like one of the LEDs in each cluster isn't working. Is this normal?
If you're using the professional type light bar (Model LGM3/LGM5) you may notice that one of the LEDs
in each cluster appears to not be lit. This is perfectly normal for this advanced product. Light comes in many different wavelengths. People can only see a very narrow range of light wavelengths. The advanced technology used in this product, and in particular the professional type versions, use a very wide spectrum of light output. Over 60% of the light emitted from this led grow light is not visible to the human eye. Plants have a preference for the light that we cannot see.
I can use LED plant growing lights to replace the HPS in my indoor garden and expect equal growth?
In a greenhouse situation or room where plants have access to sunlight, this is true of the LED light bar. If growing indoors, without the use of any sunlight, LED light bars are best used in a hybrid system. There are several options for configuring this system. For instance, instead of running 1,000 watts of HPS for the entire photoperiod, you would run the HPS for one hour in the morning, one hour in the afternoon, and one hour before the lights go off (or 30 minutes every 3 hours), then run our grow lighting for the entire photoperiod. The advantages in the hybrid system lie in the ability to reduce electrical use by over 70%, eliminate overheating of the grow space, and increase the lifetime of your HPS. This isn't to say that you cannot grow indoors with our plant growing lights only. Using only our led light bars you will see natural growth rates (the rates seen in an outdoor garden). Most indoor gardeners are able to at least double these rates with a hybrid system.
Since the LED grow lights do not get hot, I can put them right on the top of my plants?
Although you cannot burn your plants under your LED light bar, the LGM550 must be placed a minimum of 18" from the top/side of your plants and the LGM3 needs a minimum of 12". This minimum space allows individual wavelengths to combine from one LED to the next before reaching the plant canopy.
Further is almost always better. We have clients who use our grow lighting up to 6' from the plant canopy. Because the LED Grow Master bars use the wavelengths of light that are most efficiently absorbed by plants, the light source is extremely potent. Putting the bars too close can result in the same symptoms you would see by moving an indoor plant into direct sunlight outdoors. If bars must be mounted closer than the minimum recommended height.
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