LED light -- will be doing install to test

[Rik Kretzinger]

I will be working with this LED light to determine how effective it is on a 5 square indoor aquaponic system .  I will start out with duck weed and see what happens.

[Burton]

any duckweed grow updates for this ? I know it only has been ten days but in internet time that's forever! >.<

[Rik Kretzinger]

HERE IS AN UPDATE:

running LED panel 10 hours a day 20 inches above the grow bed.

 

Started with this  much Duckweed:

 

 

After 10 days Duckweed has doubled and looks great.  So far so good.  More updates to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[D Money]

Any updates on this, Rik?  Are you still running the same set up?  Have you tried growing anything else w/the Grow Panel since April?  Thx

[Rik Kretzinger]

D Money --

I have been re-tooling my setup over the past few months, so nothing new.  Since the system is in my garage it is very hot during the summer in Northern California well into the 90's and my tank and grow bed get to around 76F.  So I have added a chiller and fully automated sensor setup.  My plan is to lower grow bed temperature to around 72F and use the LED light to grow cilantro.  I will be testing the LED light to determine if I can use higher end of grow bed temperature and the LED spectrum of lighting to keep the cilantro in vegetative state and prevent bolting.  This will then allow me to grow cilantro on a consistent basis and year round.  There is a strong market for year around cilantro in our local area.

rik

[D Money]

Very cool, Rik.  I am also in NorCal & will solely be trying to grow w/LED's.  I live in one of the larger bay area city's and literally have 15 mins of sunlight in my place during the day w/my ap unit receiving none of it.  I have 2 GP14's and will probably upgrade to UFO's soon -- just wish they werent so pricey.

Best of luck w/the cilantro & would love to see your progress.  -D

[Rik Kretzinger]

D - I have read about and seen trials on you-tube using UFO units with good results.  I agree with you about the cost of the LED solutions.  I have started collecting ideas and articles about building my own.  To me it seems that understanding the drivers and how they work is the bigger issue in building my own.  The LED products work, so now it is really developing the design and understanding how to drive the arrays.  We are getting much closer and it gets better each month.  Seems to me time is a bigger issue with all the other projects everyone are working on.  I think it will happen and then we all can use the technology to our advantage.

D Money said:

Very cool, Rik.  I am also in NorCal & will solely be trying to grow w/LED's.  I live in one of the larger bay area city's and literally have 15 mins of sunlight in my place during the day w/my ap unit receiving none of it.  I have 2 GP14's and will probably upgrade to UFO's soon -- just wish they werent so pricey.

Best of luck w/the cilantro & would love to see your progress.  -D

[Rik Kretzinger]

D --  LED light commercial system

You might want to check these guys out it looks as if they are using LEDGP45's and a lot of them.  Since you are in Northern California they might let you visit.  It is not aquaponics, but I think aquaponics could be set-up to accomplish the same results.

Future-of-Farming

[Cory Cramer]

I'm testing one of these out right now. http://www.advancedledlights.com/products/SpectraBoost-Grow-Spotlig... Nothing scientific, yet. I just want to see if I can get some decent growth. Currently, it's running in a dark basement with no other light, but I think these would be a nice supplement for indoor systems that are near a window because the light can hang above the plants without shading them from sunshine coming in through the window. I transplanted some lettuce from one of my other systems, so I should have some idea how well the light can do on its own in a month or so. Right now it covers about a 2 foot square area.

[D Money]

Thanks for that link, Rik. I checked out the guys facebook page and it doesnt look like they are currently offering tours of the location.  I am amazed at the number of LED's he is running.

My AP system is actually set up very similarly to the ones they have @Ecopia in the same tiered layout (not as many) w/no sunlight.  Right now, w/approximately 11 days since direct sowing, I have actually experienced a bunch of germination in two of my 5 sq. foot beds w/the 14watt panels.  I have a feeling that I am going to have to order 2 more to compensate for the plants on the outskirts that are leaning towards the light.  I overplanted, not expecting so much germination, but things have been popping up like crazy.  I am researching other higher wattage lights for post-germination, but the spinach & mixed greens seem to be enjoying the current lighting.