Full spectrum LED light... can I use this to grow plants?

[AlexHamilton]

So I know this is alittle off the reef topic, but Just as the title suggests, I am wondering if I can use my 165w LED reef lights to grow plants.(vegetables, Fruits, etc) I have a couple of 165 reef lights that aren’t in use and am setting up a greenhouse. Could I use this a supplemental lighting? Would it work?

Thanks!
-Alex

[oreo57]

Should work great for vegetiative growth.. Flowering, not so much..
assuming they are very blue-centric..
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...RdeSn-lPdNnZm7

will need more red though..


http://lighthort.com/2017/02/14/far-red-new-red/

[AlexHamilton]

Oh that’s perfect! I am just wanted to keep the plants in Veg throughout winter that way I can have some larger plants for next season. So if this works for Veg then I think I am all good!

My light also has 2 knobs, one for adjusting “White” light and another for “Blue” light, should I just leave the Blue lights off? The whites are jReds and Purple and White lights, the Blue are literally just the Blue lighting. The Blue isn’t very beneficial for plants correct?

[alton]

A couple years ago I gave my brother a T8 Fluorescent fixture with two grow lamps and a Mars Aqua Led fixture. The Mars Aqua fixture tomato plant grew twice as fast as the other.

[oreo57]

Originally Posted by AlexHamilton

Oh that’s perfect! I am just wanted to keep the plants in Veg throughout winter that way I can have some larger plants for next season. So if this works for Veg then I think I am all good!

My light also has 2 knobs, one for adjusting “White” light and another for “Blue” light, should I just leave the Blue lights off? The whites are jReds and Purple and White lights, the Blue are literally just the Blue lighting. The Blue isn’t very beneficial for plants correct?

Blue light is very beneficial..
https://gpnmag.com/article/effects-o...ght-on-plants/

Generally, only a low intensity of blue is needed in a light spectrum for fully functional photosynthesis. Therefore, indoor lighting (such as in vertical farming) and greenhouse lighting usually include blue in the spectrum.

Generally, blue light suppresses extension growth; plants grown with blue light are usually shorter and have smaller, thicker and darker green leaves compared to plants grown without blue light (Figure 1). In the production of ornamentals, these attributes can be desirable because in essence, blue light can act as a growth regulator. The utility of blue light as a growth regulator is pronounced with indoor lighting and generally has less or no growth-inhibiting effects in supplemental greenhouse lighting. There are some reports in which extension growth is actually promoted under only blue light, although this response seems to be crop specific.

What you might see is very reduced inter-nodes (stumpy but healthy) and very dissected leaves (if they have that tendency)

need to just balance the plants needs (# of photons) using both channels. cutting blue down (whites are already high blue) is fine as long as enough photons are present for what kind of growth you want..
If you just want to hold plants over winter.. may not be necessary to have any blue. Plants will tell you if they are getting enough light..