Cheap and Easy Led Grow Light

Intro: Cheap and Easy Led Grow Light

this is my version of the led grow light. the blue and red led are good for stimulating plant growth and the clear give off all the other colors the green is to make the light look clear instead of blue and red like most led grow lights 

STEP 1: Materials

1.a metal pie pan

2.one blue high output led strip

3.one red high output led strip

4.one clear high output led strip

5.optional one green high output led strip

6. 12 volt adapter

the led strips should only be about 2 dollars for two inchs at the local electronic shop and should have a self adhesive side  

STEP 2:

put the led strips on the inside of the pan. put four holes in the pan so the wire can go to the top of the pan.

STEP 3:

pull the wires though the holes and connect the positive wires together them do the same for the negative wires and connect them up to the adapter. i wrapped  the wires with some electrical tape to make it look neater and to prevent shock.

STEP 4: The Test

plug in the adapter into the wall if the lights turn on the your ready to hang your light. if the lights do not tun on the check the wire and make sure the positive is not connected to the negative. and for hanging i used some cheap paper clips that i had they hold on to the rim really good. 

STEP 5:

now place the plant of your choice under your light and watch it grow. in the photo i have my pepper plant in my home made hydroponic system that i show how to make in another instructable 

STEP 6:

check out my other instructable and maybe event give me a vote for the contests i will be entering thanks a lot and happy growing 

Comments

[meDaniel]

Really keen on the outcome, if it's good, will consider building it =]

[ChrisB2]

Here is a question. If a colour change LED system is Blue, Red, and Green LEDs, and they give off white light when all are combined couldn't you use a commercially available (ikea for example) LED colour shift kit for grow lights? The specs on the Ikea product are spotty, but if powerful enough they should work...?

[lynnfiorante]

I know green light does not help I just made it with these colours so the resulting light would be clear and not mess with your eyes

[Costarus]

Green light for plants indifferent. White light they are only interested in red and blue. On the photo - the schedule of light absorption by the plant.

[lynnfiorante]

I was using it for a while and the plants grew well but I had to take it down I did not have enough space for it

[damionflynn]

Cool instructable. I would be curious to see how well the plants react to this setup over time.
How long have you been using this, or a similar setup?
Do you have any data on how well this would work long term vs getting a full spectrum fluorescent?

[lynnfiorante]

I am just using the high power LEDs they seem to work really good but from my understanding I think it's the colour of light given off by the LEDs that helps the plant to grow

[sires6]

What electronics store? Will radioshack have this?

[lynnfiorante]

I just went to the electronic store and they had sold it by the inch but the brand does not really matter as long as they are high output and have a self adhesive side

[monkeyking2013]

Do you have a brand for the light strip. ?

[lswashbuckle]

The light needs to give off UV and UVA Light rays in order for any plant to grow indoors. It consist of two different light bulbs. this setup won't work... Nice try. keep on, keeping on. : )

[DTOM_Bear]

Actually, plants don't derive much, if any, real value from UV light. Consider that most UV from the sun is blocked by the the ozone layer. Fun fact: researchers concerned about ozone depletion are testing the _adverse_ effects of UV on crops. Along those lines, gardeners working with blacklight/UV grow lights find that plants grown only under such "experience similar symptoms to those kept in a winter climate." (http://www.gardenguides.com/131137-effect-black-light-plant-growth.html)

You might be interested in some comparisons between old standard incandescent lights and specialized grow lights. In the grow light, the spectrum does extend farther into the UV range, but the UV _intensity_ is much lower relative to other wavelengths. Basically, grow lights run hotter to simulate the color temperature of the sun, and cranking up the temperature always spreads the spectrum: i.e.- the extra UV is an accidental/unavoidable byproduct of high light output. (http://www.gelighting.com/na/business_lighting/spectral_power_distribution_curves/pop_curves.htm?3&6)

Folks like to work with blue and red grow lights simply because that avoids wasting power in the green range that plants tend to reflect. If your LEDs are tuned to _emit_ red/blue, fine. But if you're _filtering_ an incandescent/fluorescent to block out anything but the red and blue, you're wasting useful light.

[jimand]

I appreciate this information about the effectiveness of LED lights versus specialized UV grow lights.

[wazzup105]

No UV leds ? (probably not available in led strip format)