5 April 2017 LED light (Plant Growing) Posted on April 5, 2017 by Durgan http://durgan.org/2017/April%202017/5%20April%202017%20LED%20light/HTML/a> 5 April 2017 LED light Four growing containers were made to facilitate small plant growth. There is room for six pots in each bucket for a total of 24 which is a reasonable amount for a home grower. Various seeds are started and grown to a reasonable size prior to placing in outdoor garden about May 25. Experimentation indicates the light is adequate for the purpose indicated, precluding much more expensive lights. Main advantage being very little heat is produced by LED lights. Details of construction. The parts used were obtained locally 22 liter bucket beverage trade, 110 volt fan ordered off the internet, LED lamp from the local hardware store. lamp fitting a trouble lamp cord and socket. Vent holes and fan hole were made using a soldering iron and melting the plastic as required. Approximate cost: bucket $3.00, fan $25.00,LED Lamp $40.00,lamp electrical fitting $12.00. Total cost ~$80.00.They should last several years. Power consumption LED and fan is about 35 watts.
LED Lamps have some new terms for most. I have been digging up relevant information. PAR 38 means Parabolic Anodized Reflector. The 38 means, thirty eight times 1/8 inch diameter bulb so a PAR 38 means 38 times 1/8 inch for a diameter of 4 and 3/4 inches. No seller bothered knowing this. So my LED flood lamps are 4.75 inches diameter with a built in PAR reflector. Simple. Spectrum for growing may be of interest. The bulbs are rated as 3000 Kelvin or 6000 Kelvin which indicates blue at 3000 and Red at 6000. Use the Blue 3000 for seedlings, but my experimenting indicates that either is suitable. This area is mostly sales hype at the present time. Power consumed should be around 25 watts. Lumens or light intensity should be around 1000. So for a bucket lamp choose PAR 38, 1000 lumens, 25 watts, 3000 Kelvin. The bulb screws into a typical socket. They should cost around $40 and supposedly last forever. There are some fancy types in a frame that cost in the $300 to $400 range. They are good bulbs for large deep pocket producers not the typical home grower.
