That expensive grow light I bought was a total waste of $280

I mean everyone online raves about those high end LED panels for indoor propagation, so I dropped $280 on a full spectrum unit from a popular brand. After three months of running it 16 hours a day on my seedlings, they were all leggy and pale compared to the ones I had under a basic $40 shop light from the hardware store. The color rendering looked nice to my eyes but the PAR readings I took with a borrowed meter were actually lower in the center than my cheap fixture. Has anyone else had better luck with those expensive lights or is it just marketing hype?

3 comments

3 Comments

claire_hart5320d ago

Did I write this post in my sleep? I did the exact same thing with a $250 "pro grade" light and ended up with tomato seedlings that looked like they were reaching for the last slice of pizza at a party. The cheap shop light I replaced it with is barely hanging from a shelf with zip ties and somehow my peppers are actually thriving now. It's kind of humiliating how much I spent on something that makes my plants look worse than the janky setup from the hardware store.

wesley18120d ago

Man I felt that one in my wallet. I dropped $300 on a fancy LED panel for my basement setup and my basil looked like it was trying to escape the pot. Now I've got a $20 shop light from the hardware store held up with baling wire and the plants are practically jumping out of the dirt. Makes you wonder if those expensive lights are just selling us fancy aluminum cases full of hype.

harper_foster20d ago

Oh man, I went through the exact same thing with a $300 panel last year. Swapped it out for a standard T8 shop light from the hardware store and my seedlings finally stopped stretching like crazy. @wesley181 is right about the marketing hype, the cheap lights actually put out way more usable light for less money.