Hi All,

My trees are all doing just fine still, but that isn't the interesting part. I'll update in the near future with more recent pics of them.

The interesting part is that I just finished replacing the two 400W equivalant (~128W actual draw) CFL light bulbs in my bonsai grow tent, with a single LED light.

Shocking, right?

It actually puts out about the same amount of lumens as the two lights it replaced, and surprisingly enough it runs around 80W right now (adjustable output). Also, as the LED has only one side that emits light, it essentially doubles the about of strong light being sent to my trees.

If your curious on what kind of LED this is, it is a Cree CXA3070. Here is a link to some info on them:

www.cree.com/LED-Components-and-Modules/...tional/XLamp-CXA3070

And, here is a pic of it in action.

Another shot of the new light, and suprisingly the glare was still there after petting my camera adjust. Like looking into the face of the sun.

It'seems been about a year since I last posted.

Could someone move this to the progressions section?

Juniper has gone through two winters inside, in hydroponics.

Lighting sure does make a difference.

Heyya,

How's the juni? still alive?

stiple wrote:

Hi all,

So its now ealy November, and in northern Virginia its been a bit chilly for a week or so, but with warm spells mixed in.

My juniper is still alive and growing in my growbox inside after about 6 months.

I think that it won't miss the winter season at all, as it possibly still thinks its spring inside the growbox.

Here's a follow up picture of it taken today.

I grow Juniper in the tropics, no winter here!

Indo wrote:

stiple wrote:

I grow Juniper in the tropics, no winter here!

Must You rub it in, but then you miss the challenge of the snow.

Not wanted to rub, just timely reasons

Oh never mind, my last post, could you please tell me what collar led do you use? Cheating a juniper out of winter, well if it dies, they're all over around here. Then again ... Did you keep it, at growing temperature, as if it was summer, or sort of like my house, Well the pipes don't freeze, and when we cuddle under the quilts, it seems nice and warm (sometimes hot (never mind)) our ficus cutting lived (not under the cover)s TMI).

What did it grow in? Give us some info

I think this has been referring to an older post, and not sure if the user is still on the forum. Definitely curious.
I work in high-end performance lighting, and the LED he/she is using is what's known as a COB (Chip On Board). They really crank out light, but also produce lots of heat. That is why this has that large heat sink on it (it's actually a heat sink for a computer CPU with copper heat pipes and integral fan, but perfect for this application). The truth of LED is they produce more lumens (light output) per watt than incandescent, which means you can get the same output with less heat. But, when you push lots of lumens, you still produce lots of heat (Operating temps should be kept ~90°C or less). Hence, the heat sink. Now, color...

Color temp: Plants love reds and blues. All other colors are kinda wasted on them. Most of these COBs (& lighting in general) use between 2700K-5000K. The lower the number, the warmer the light. The higher, the bluer. 2700K looks like an incandescent bulb. 2400K incan on a dimmer (sunset). 5000-6000K will remind you of poor fluorescent choices. There are some tune-able RGBW's out there (red, green, blue, white), but many don't crank out lumens. If you go a route like this COB option, just use gel filters (theatrical color plates). If you're not up for customizing or DIY projects, plenty of people make grow lights with the proper color ranges. Look into hydroponic suppliers, or even aquarium aquascapers - there's good stuff.

For some reference: Standard 60W incandescent pushes ~1000 lumens (lm). This Cree LED is pushing 10,000 lm. The sun produces ~ 98,000 lm at sea level. These LEDs will blind you, so use a diffuser or don't stare at them.

Thank you very much. i'll have to experiment. It doesn't mater if they die, what to do with the ones that don't die. Save them for the next wild test, i guess.