Indoor lighting whats the best bang for the buck?

[SeaWalnut]

Here’s a great video from Migro. Migro is a light seller so take his info with a grain of salt but he is amongst the most comprehensive indoor light reviewers. He clearly shows how he takes his light readings and he will not hide the fact that other lights have higher efficiency or PAR output than his own brand.

He also references research papers and interviews professionals in the industry like Erik Runkle of Michigan State University. This is a very general overview of plant lights.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oK8e5bgqgT8

Here’s another video with Bruce Bugbee
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X1O3OD-dI20

Simon

The PAR itself its not acurate since a PAR meter measures blue and red light but it will not tell you how much blue and how much red for a given PAR value.
You can measure a blue light and that will give you a high PAR value but if you try to grow plants with only blue light ,no matter how high the PAR value,those plants wil die of light starvation.
An example of a bulb that has 50 % blue and 50 % red light  comparef to a 100% red light bulb,they will have the same PAR but the only red one will grow plants much better since plants use verry little blue and mostly red light.

[simon_grow]

Yes, a broad spectrum of wavelengths is best. Most of the newer technology LEDs have a full spectrum white light with higher CRI(than older Blurple) so the light is visually more natural. The newer LEDs also have added IR diodes but still lack UV.

I wonder if advancements in Plasma and Ceramic Metal Halides will be able to catch up or even surpass the efficiency and quality of light from the latest in LED technology.

Simon

[spaugh]

40 acres of marijuana greenhouses full of blurples light up Arizona sky.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/14/us/arizona-purple-sky-scn-trnd/index.html

[Kevin Jones]

I can relate... somewhat... I have a nice pinkish glow leaking out of the cracks and seams of my garage right now.
In my case... I'm starting early Serrano peppers.
The local constabulary frowns upon anything of a euphoric nature.
Maybe one day...

Kevin