Forum home› Plants

LED Grow Lights

BraidmanBraidman Posts: 269
in Plants
.
Hello,

I have had trouble striking and growing on cuttings this year!

Other years I have had no problems, but this season they just sit there and if they do root they fail to grow on.

I was reading about "Led full spectrum Grow lights" have any of you heard of them or had any experience of them , would appreciate any pros or cons before I would think of purchasing  them.

Many thanks
«1

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 83,966
    What sort of cuttings?

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 8,875
    I don't think they would make any difference. Success with cuttings is, in my experience, mostly about getting the moisture levels right so that they don't wilt or rot before they root.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • mrtjformanmrtjforman Posts: 331
    I'll second what Jenny is saying. All your tools need to be sterilized, I use a fresh blade every time.

    I was struggling this year to take some cuttings myself and the most likely reason was that the plant was a bit deficient so I fed it and a month later tried again - this time all rooted - I did also use some seaweed extract on the cuttings which seemed to have good results.

    If you do want a decent seedling led have a look at this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07L57Z5TP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    If you are asking what the benefits over fluorescents or blue/red led's are - plenty. Blue/red leds only provide blue and red light. Full spectrum provide all colours of the rainbow which means the plant can absorb a lot more light without getting stressed getting all its energy from only 2 colour receptors. Different light spectrums provide better growth also. The benefit of the led over fluorescents is slightly better light spectrum and about half the energy consumption(possibly more).

    The light I mentioned above uses about 60 watts of electricity which is quite a lot for a led. 
    If you wanted something smaller that only uses 20 watts of electricity then I can highly recommend this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/ROOT-Spectrum-Growing-Kitchens-Propagation/dp/B078WJMLL1/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=rootit+led&qid=1567910972&s=gateway&sr=8-1


  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 10,313
    As far as plants are concerned they only use light in the red/blue spectrum.
    Green light is of no use to a plant and is reflected which is why leaves look (mostly) green.
    LED lights are much more efficient than incandescent.
    An alternative are T5 flourescent tubes. They can be hung just a few inches above the plant tops and give a good light output which will be fine for seedlings.
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • HelixHelix Posts: 631
    My great turn round in being successful with cuttings was buying a bag of vermiculite. Made a huge difference and success rates have rocketed.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 10,313
    Helix said:
    My great turn round in being successful with cuttings was buying a bag of vermiculite. Made a huge difference and success rates have rocketed.
    I agree - I've had great success with about 80% perlite 20% MPC
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • JIMMMYJIMMMY Posts: 241
    Update!

    Many thanks to all those that replied.

    I had bought myself a 100lt bag of perlite and used it to take the latest batch of cuttings (before I posted on here) to overwinter for next year.

    Salvias ,penstemons, fuchsias and others which on checking  have started to root, ostropermums have only a swollen base to the stem and are always limp even with spraying!

    I have used perlite in the past but found I had had no trouble rooting cuttings so that was why I had stopped using it.

    Still no idea why my green fingers deserted me.

    Have had a look at the LED lights, maybe the tooth fairy will put one under my pillow!

    Again many thanks!
  • BraidmanBraidman Posts: 269
    Update!

    Many thanks to all those that replied.

    I had bought myself a 100lt bag of perlite and used it to take the latest batch of cuttings (before I posted on here) to overwinter for next year.

    Salvias ,penstemons, fuchsias and others which on checking  have started to root, ostropermums have only a swollen base to the stem and are always limp even with spraying!

    I have used perlite in the past but found I had had no trouble rooting cuttings so that was why I had stopped using it.

    Still no idea why my green fingers deserted me.

    Have had a look at the LED lights, maybe the tooth fairy will put one under my pillow!

    Again many thanks.
  • JIMMMYJIMMMY Posts: 241
    This stupid forum, keeps changing my name, it would not let me sign in as Jimmmy so I changed it to Braidman, now it has reverted again.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 10,313
    :) the wonders of modern technology 

    Glad you've cracked the cuttings!!
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Sign In or Register to comment.