My Grownorthern HS1 has been confusing me. It certainly doesn't 'appear' as bright as 50 watts of CFLs. I measured the HS1 lumens with a light meter and it seems low: 15,000 lumens at 35 cm directly under the LEDs. My Hubbabubbasmelloscope was very leggy too, I thought maybe my light was dirty, maybe defective or weak LEDS.
Now I am thinking that I measured wrong, my cheap light meter is tuned to visible light but more that half the HS1 LEDS are infrared. And Hubbabubbasmelloscope seem to be leggy by nature.
The leaves on my Sour Crack plant show stress if the light is closer than 30 cm directly under the LED. I think you are right, I like 40 cm above the seedling. BUT it makes a huge difference if the seedling is directly under the LED or or not. The HSI diffuser definitely helps spread the light more smoothly, but "holographic" is marketing hype. Light intensity quickly drops farther from the center. At 20 cm off center it is down to 50%. Also 50% at 30 cm the other axis (I have the 60x90 diffuser) The diffuser helps smooth the gradient but it does NOT give an even blanket of light intensity.
I am thinking I need a Bowl of Green, not a Sea of Green to maximize grams per watt and give even light to all the plants.
Hi HubbaBubba
Im not great with technical matters but i can give a fair judgement of the performance from what i have seen so far from the Hs1 since i switched from Hps just after Christmas.
I agree the light intensity coverage area isnt as much as a CFl or even 250w Hps for that matter. Should definitely have two units to cover a 1.2mx1.2m area or else there is just not enough light.
I honestly dont think its fair to measure an LED with a luximeter to record the lumen output as from what i read other variables come into play when comparing LEDs to other lights.
Over all i am happy with the new units and for the efficiency and cost they run at i cant complain.
I too am far from impressed with my HS1's,
I purchased 4 to replace 2 x 600w hps lights and their is no way in hell that these lights are as powerful as advertised.
The trichome production and bud quality is amazing but the yield is less than half and penetration intensity leaves alot to be desired. NO WAY do these lights compare to 250w hps each.
Anybody considering buying these should really hold off for some more completed grow journals prior to dropping your hard earned coin.
After reading tangs logs in order to create optimum temp conditions Ive added 3x 180w topled ufos to ramp up the heat for my next grow to see if this improves things as my current temps are at 23c / 45rh with the 4 hs1s running in a small 800mm x 1450mm x 2100mm tent.
I hope I can report a more positive experience in a few more months.
Hi Puffman
Im sorry to read your not to happy with the New GN LEDS.
I agree with you that the penetration of the unit is nothing compared to HPS but i think if you want to get good results, you might need to be a little more creative in the way you hang your units.
For instance if i was growing one plant in flower in a 1.2mx1.2m space i would use two lights hung vertically up top and then maybe half way down i might hang the other two along the side to penetrate the lower half of the plant.
Yes there is a loss of heat when changing over from HPS but this will happen with any LED unit.
I user a radiator with a thermostat to keep my temps up and it works fine.
I have seen good results from my last grow using these new units, but i trained the plant to have an even canopy thus it made it easier to get better light penetration.
I had rock solid buds from a tiny plant in a small pot, less than 10L and still yielded 3 oz.
I believe that two units together under one or maybe two plants can be the equivalent of max 500w HPS but no more than that.
In my experience to get the best results and maximize the performance of the units you can only share at least two lights with one plant.
Hopefully you give the units a fair trial before making you mind up definitively.
Id also love to know how you feel about them after a few months.
Happy growing dudes.
: 19-20 C
,im up my girl ec too 1.0 wont to see how she like it,look forward to seeing your next up date im going to run some CLAY PEBBLES,in my flood and drain on my next run,
