FAQs
Why use LEDs over HPS?
Research shows that LED lighting can improve taste and increase plant productivity compared with HPS while using less electricity. This is because LEDs are capable of more efficient light production and can produce a better spectrum of light that is more usable for plants than the spectrum from HPS lamps. LEDs also have the benefit of lower radiant heat, which means that the temperature of your growing environment can be more easily controlled and there is less risk of temperatures getting too high in the summer or in hot climates.
Can I use another (non-LUMii Black) ballast to power your LEDs?
We cannot guarantee that ballasts from other manufacturers will be able to power the LUMii Black 720W or 720W/960W fixtures safely. Attempting to use other ballasts with our fixture will unfortunately void the warranty of your fixture.
How can a LUMii Black 600W ballast drive a LUMii Black 720W LED
The Lumii Black Ballast is described as 600W as this is the rating of the HPS bulbs that it is designed to power, however with the boost setting on, the LUMii Black Ballast is capable of delivering a higher power output than 600W. More precisely, it can deliver an additional 15% more power for 690W. This power can go to either a bulb or a fixture.
However, these numbers can be slightly misleading because in addition to the draw for the bulb or fixture, the ballasts will draw an additional 30W for their own components, meaning that the maximum power draw from the wall for a ballast and bulb/fixture is 690W plus 30W for a total of 720W.
What distance do you recommend from my LUMII Black Blade LED fixture to the top of the canopy?
For propagation, adjust distance based on the area you need to cover, with a minimum of 15 cm for seedlings. Otherwise, we recommended a distance from canopy of 30-50 cm. Start at 50cm and adjust as plants grow.
Typically, the power setting will have a greater affect than the distance, however. For this, we recommend using 75% light for vegetative stage and 100% for flowering stage.
Please note that the above is guidance only and different plants/varieties will respond differently, though the above will give solid results with no issues.
Do I need to check for branded chips like Osram or Samsung?
Not necessarily. Almost all LED chips are produced in far-eastern countries like China. This mincludes brands like Samsung and Osram. The technological expertise required for manufacturing these products is primarily based in these countries and can be adopted by other manufacturers too. LUMii has access to the same technologies which we utilise to make top-tier, dependable, efficient LEDs that are specifically designed for the horticultural industry.
What do PPF and PPFD mean, what is the difference, and which should I pay more attention to?
PPF (Photosynthetic Photon Flux) is the total amount of light that is usable to the plant emitted by a fixture every second and is measured in µmol/s, sometimes written µmol s -1 . The higher the PPF, the more usable light there is overall!
PPFD (photosynthetic Photon Flux Density) is the amount of light usable to the plant over a specific area measured in µmol/m2/s, sometimes written µmol m -2s-1 .
PPFD increases as the distance between the light and plant decreases because light spreads out over the distance. Manufacturers can play around with this distance when declaring figures, so for this reason PPF is a much more reliable indicator of performance when choosing an LED.