It's time to read and vote for your favorite article in the 2013 Write-Off Contest! The four finalist's articles are featured in the May 13 newsletter and can be found through this link. Hurry! Voting ends May 18.
Welcome!
You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
Alright, here we go folks. I received my lights yesterday and was excited to see how they performed. Unfortunately, one of my LED panels ended up turning off every 30 - 45 seconds for about 5 - 10 seconds, then lighting back up. And so on and so on. I doubt the plants would like that. Needless to say, I was disappointed but not too surprised given the feedback on Amazon. I will be returning it today or tomorrow for an even exchange so hopefully my next unit will work properly. Too bad because, out of the two units that I bought these LEDs were bigger and brighter than the other unit since it was rated at a slightly higher wattage. This unit also came with a hanging kit, but it is not adjustable.
The other unit came in an anonymous white box. It is listed as a 13.5 watt unit, with blue and red LEDs just like the first unit. It has worked so far but now I need to figure out how to hang it up since this unit did not come with a hanging kit.
They both put out beautiful light, and I am sure seedlings and maybe lettuce or mesculn will thrive as well.
I'm a little behind the times and have not heard of these lights. Where did you find information about them and how much did they cost if you don't mind me asking. Are you able to grow lettuce in the garden all winter? Some winters we can do that (north central TX) if we cover the plants up during the really hard freezes. Last fall/winter/spring we had an abundance of lettuce, collards, mustard greens, cilantro and turnip greens since it was a mild winter. Hopefully this winter will be like that : )
Ladypearl- Yes, I can grow lettuce all winter long as I am on the gulfcoast. I'd like to use these lights to grow lettuce during the late spring and summer months, though :) Maybe next year and the years after, if it is possible with these lights.
I've had some lettuce, green bean, and okra seeds under these lights for about 4 days now and nothing has germinated as of this morning. I used jiffy seed starting mix and those small jiffy pack planting cells. Maybe I did not water them enough because they seem to dry out quickly. Regardless, I am not done experimenting. Oh, and the lights are on for about 14 hrs, I believe (maybe 12.) The LEDs are at least 2" from the soil.
As far as information on LEDs, I have not used any one particular source. I've read various threads here on DG, and perhaps a few other gardening BBs that I cannot recall. I've also checked out a few online vendors and, of course, Amazon. The customer reviews are quite interesting as well. I paid $35.52 for one unit and $43.87 for the other.
Note- the $43.87 unit had bigger LEDs and was brighter. The unit was defective though and I returned it for an even exchange yesterday.
