Growing With LEDs: Experimentation For Better Outcomes

HID bulbs have been the go-to setup for indoor growers over several years.  These bulbs usually end up producing the best final result, even though handling the power consumption and heat is an issue.  Many individuals have recently begun converting over to LED setups as opposed to HID, since they are good for both cycles and are much safer for the plant and environment.  There are points to consider when switching lighting methods aside from the light itself; otherwise, people will experience bad results.

Most growers know exactly the amount of nutrition and water to give their plants to obtain the greatest results.  One of the main slips people make when transitioning to LED lights is not utilizing the right setup for the light.  Given that both systems require vastly different amounts of water and nutrients, trying out a hydroponics system will show the differences in the plant quicker.  Even if a mistake is made, hydroponics setups will show the deterioration and following regeneration much more clearly than conventional soil setups do.  Since many growers that buy LED setups are looking to save money in a few different ways, they usually put the lights over closet soil setups, only to later find that they are not going to get the results they wanted.

The reason for this is the variation in heat between the bulbs.  While LED grow lights generate almost no heat at all, HID setups produce huge amounts of heat that also affect the plant even when they are vented.  The quantities of everything must be adjusted to better fit the new environment the plants are put in, such as the soil, water and grow nutrients.  Mainly, less needs to be included in be more effective.  Besides chemical reactions caused by these lights, the heat from HID grow lights evaporates the majority of the water and nutrients added into the soil usually.  This is why hydroponics are the most useful way to experiment with LED bulbs, since there is not a risk of too much water, but alternatively just nutrients.  Nutrient burn on the leaves is the best signifier that there is too much in the way of nutrients, and these can easily be taken from a hydro system.

Each setup demands a little experimentation independently.  In an LED setup a lot less is more, and the height of the light to the plant should be adjusted along with the frequency of water and nutrients.  LED systems today can produce quality that is similar to, if not better than, the quality HID bulbs produce, but in order to obtain these results, some messing around and always keeping a journal of the changes are necessary.