Hot: GE Full Spectrum Par 38 Grow Light

While a nice light due to it not being as harsh as a grow light, the yellow/green and quite a bit of orange part of the spectrum is really is useless for growing, but it gives the bulb a high PPF which GE is trying to show case here, they're also being deceptive as well comparing it to other types of light because the LEDs probably have a relatively small spread, so the total light is actually relatively small, where as a 4 foot long fixture will cover a lot more area. There are a lot better options you could do if you want to do indoor plants, but I will admit most of them have that ugly red/purple look to them.
 
While a nice light due to it not being as harsh as a grow light, the yellow/green and quite a bit of orange part of the spectrum is really is useless for growing, but it gives the bulb a high PPF which GE is trying to show case here, they're also being deceptive as well comparing it to other types of light because the LEDs probably have a relatively small spread, so the total light is actually relatively small, where as a 4 foot long fixture will cover a lot more area. There are a lot better options you could do if you want to do indoor plants, but I will admit most of them have that ugly red/purple look to them.

I dont intend to use this for growing, just starting. But youre right, the area it covers is tiny. Thankfully, the seed starters fit into the cone. But in hindsight, I should have gone with 2 foot fixtures and attached them to the shelves in my green hours. The plants would have pointed up much better.

I honestly thought those purple lights were a gimmick but I understand now why they are like that. So thanks for that.
 
Thanks for that - in all seriousness if anyone knows of a deal on UV-C bulbs/lamps that would be super awesome right about now as apparently it is known to kill covid19 with enough exposure, there are instructions on building a lightbox for sanitation.
 
I dont intend to use this for growing, just starting. But youre right, the area it covers is tiny. Thankfully, the seed starters fit into the cone. But in hindsight, I should have gone with 2 foot fixtures and attached them to the shelves in my green hours. The plants would have pointed up much better.

I honestly thought those purple lights were a gimmick but I understand now why they are like that. So thanks for that.
Yeah, whatever tool for the job, if you're doing a single pot (no pun :D) this is more that good, but if you wanted to have a serious indoor greenhouse with lots of plants then it scales up kind of expensive with these and there are much cheaper tools for the job.

And yeah just google "chlorophyll spectrum" and you'll see where the absorption is for the various types, mostly blue/violet and reds, not so much green/yellow/orange part of the spectrum. I have been in the saltwater aquarium hobby for over two decades, and we've learned about the best way to grow corals (photosynthetic), and even saltwater algae/plants as well.
 
Last edited:
Can I use this to grow "tomatoes" indoors?

I think the bigger problem is those tomatoes require high humidity. If you have a crappy basement, that's always humid without a dehumidifier, then yes, I think it would work.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20200401_144926.jpg
    IMG_20200401_144926.jpg
    292.5 KB · Views: 0
If you have a backyard, and aren't committing any sort of felonious acts by your plant of choice, it's real easy to make a hot box (no pun :)) with some plastic sheeting, then don't worry about the bulb of choice :D
 
If you have a backyard, and aren't committing any sort of felonious acts by your plant of choice, it's real easy to make a hot box (no pun :)) with some plastic sheeting, then don't worry about the bulb of choice :D

You know. I should have probably thought about this. Would having the plants in the ground with say a plexiglass box over them be enough to keep them warm when the air temperature is still around between 32 and 40?
 
Can I use this to grow "tomatoes" indoors?

No.

This isn't worth wasting your money on if you are going to grow anything, at best it's good for supplemental light on a houseplant but really not a solo light source. You would be better off with a T5 array or a quantum board or a cob setup or some logic pucks. Heck even a chinese burple would do more for you in growing than this, it just does not have the output required to do much more than germinate and cover the very early growth stages of a plant. Once it's past a seedling it's going to get lanky as heck if this is all you are using and it will quickly outgrow what this light can output.

I run this in my main tent and in my smaller tent that I keep an orange tree in for winter I use a 2x2 model as well as an older Vero29 Cob array. I tend to favor cobs over quantum boards though the newer iterations have been compelling, the logic pucks have been superb and even when I'm not running them at everything responds really well.
 
You know. I should have probably thought about this. Would having the plants in the ground with say a plexiglass box over them be enough to keep them warm when the air temperature is still around between 32 and 40?
Possibly, might depend on how cold the ground gets. I know my father in law uses them on his farm to get plants started before the frost ends, I don't know what the temperature limitation is though. Google "Cold frame" I'm sure there's plenty of resources out there on how effective they are.
 
...huh.. my friend took RGB LEDs and turned on just red and blue, we did NOT think it would work. but, i'll be dipped. The leaves started seeking out the light even when you moved the plant.
 
scobar

You might like these.

No these are total shit for my usecase, pass all day long.
These would be OK for the average Joe wanting to start things indoors to go outside, like seedlings.
You need a shitload more light to do something inside to harvest.
 
If you're handy Bridgelux Eb Gen 2 strips are where it's at. Cheaper that other rigid strip lighting and good $/watt.
 
Back
Top