These are LED's - not CFL's! Where (and why) did anyone get the idea that LED's "want" to be that close? Nothing could be further from the truth; you would actually cause problems with the LED's that close to the leaves. Indevidual LED's put out a "narrow" (typically 20 degrees or so) beam - from only 1" or 2" away - that would give a "Polka-Dot" lighting effect that would cause the leaves to wrinkle and pucker up like a waffle. Most reputable manufacturers of LED grow lights say to keep the lights 12-18" away, to avoid the "Wrinkled Leaf Syndrom". The truth is - you need those extra few inches for the LED light to spread out and "overlap" each other, creating an evenly lighted area. The distance is also needed for the LED's of different wavelengths to evenly mix thier colors.Also of note is that you should try to get the leds about 1-2" away from the tops of your plants
I was referring to the use of proper full spectrum wide angled leds.These are LED's - not CFL's! Where (and why) did anyone get the idea that LED's "want" to be that close? Nothing could be further from the truth; you would actually cause problems with the LED's that close to the leaves. Indevidual LED's put out a "narrow" (typically 20 degrees or so) beam - from only 1" or 2" away - that would give a "Polka-Dot" lighting effect that would cause the leaves to wrinkle and pucker up like a waffle. Most reputable manufacturers of LED grow lights say to keep the lights 12-18" away, to avoid the "Wrinkled Leaf Syndrom". The truth is - you need those extra few inches for the LED light to spread out and "overlap" each other, creating an evenly lighted area. The distance is also needed for the LED's of different wavelengths to evenly mix thier colors.
Yes, that's true! Most of the UV-B LED's that I have seen (in the past) were rather expensive. Several $'s each, as opposed to a few cents each. But the reptile lights (CFL's) do a pretty good job from what I understand. But I think it is more than just UV-B that is is missing from LED grow lights.If you are building your own led panel's, You need to add some Ultra violet, purple to blue-green in the 200nm to 270nm, To try and get some UVB, Useful Radiation (PUR).
They also make a 10mm super bright. They make a dual-colour led, Put a fader and mixing-board and you can blend your own arrays.
You can also mix some reptile lamps with your leds to achieve the UVB, Put them on a separate timer, they don't need to be on more than 6 to 8 hours a day.-- Also you want to turn the UVB lights off when you are in the grow room, The UVB is harmful to humans, but plants love the Active Radiation. Good Luck. Later
The leds that i was talking about to someone who was not youwere 5 watt leds.Full Spectrum Grow Lights
Item # F42XL
Uses powerful 1 watt chips. Superior appearance of plants. Provides red, blue, plus continuous full-spectrum enhancement. Designed to operate 3-12 inches from your plants. Wide angle beam for uniform coverage. Direct replacement for incandescent plant lights.
Full-Spectrum LEDGrowLight only £58 each
Covers 1-2 sq.ft
Full-Spectrum LEDGrowLight 10-pack £499.95
Covers 10-20 sq.ft.