Hi Youtubers, I'm Al Gracian from AlboPepper.com.
Today we're looking at an independent test... of an LED grow light from the Thrive Agritech line up.
Thrive Agritech may be a newer name but it was formerly known as Transcend.
Last year we looked at the Transcend T5 replacement bulbs.
These LEDs replace the individual bulbs within an existing 4 foot T5 light fixture.
What if you don't already own a system of T5s?
Well, today we'll look at the Infinity Linear LED - a self-contained LED system that is
ready to use out of the box.
This system has a higher efficiency rating than the T5 LED tubes.
And it brings a lot more to the table in both features and flexibility.
Thrive Agritech was generous enough to send me two of these bad boys.
A single Infinity Linear is able to replace TWO high output, 4 foot T5 bulbs.
That's the claim at least.
So I'll run them head to head against my T5s to see if they live up to the hype.
Let's look at a few things that are specific to the Infinity Linear.
It's super light weight.
The lens cover is shatterproof.
In fact this entire fixture is designed to be waterproof.
That makes it perfect for vertical farms where you may have multiple levels of nutrient solution.
This offers two mounting options.
We have brackets that can be surface mounted and then clicked onto the light.
And also wires for hanging.
With two lights, I can demonstrate the daisy chain feature.
But even more impressive is the end-to-end configuration where these can be connected
together for a continuous, linear light source.
Let's look at how I'm configuring these.
I'm trying to structure a fair test against some T5s.
So ideally, the LEDs will be placed side-by-side.
I expect 2 Infinities to keep up with a 4 bulb T5 system.
So I've created a super basic mounting option that does the trick.
But how far should these be placed from the plants?
Well I spent a whole weekend with my Apogee SQ-500 sensor, taking PPFD measurements.
The T5s seemed brighter...
Was this a realistic comparison after all?
At a distance of 6 inches the T5s were pushing 480 PPFD (too intense for my lettuce).
But at a distance of NINE inches, the readings dropped to 333 PPFD.
That extra space is good too, because of all the heat this throws.
The Infinity Linears were only outputting 263 PPFD.
But once I placed them at 6.75" centers, that went up to 283.
It still seems a little unfair, but we'll give it a shot & see what we get!
These were grown in the Summer in a garage that's NOT climate controlled.
Not by design, but simply how things worked out.
We have 4 hydroponic lettuces on each side.
Identical nutrients in all trays.
Half mixed from rain water and the others from tap water.
Here are the details for the testbed.
The lettuce seedlings were thinned for matching vigor, after a week of germination.
And then the test was underway!
After week 1... all plants looked fine.
At week 2 we had even better growth.
The LEDs produced longer leaves.
Would these plants become thin and spindly?
Well after completing week 3, the Infinity Linears looked quite promising.
At day 22 one of the trays under the T5 felt very light.
Our solution was running low.
Time to conclude the test.
The LED plants appear bigger.
But the T5s have a deeper color.
The pigments are more concentrated, perhaps due to light levels, heat response or even
spectral composition.
On both sides, there were slight signs of tip burn, but it was not severe and most leaves
looked healthy.
Roots looked healthy in all samples, but the LEDs produced a more extensive root system.
Time to weigh these and measure the remaining solution.
And here's a fancy chart to show all recorded data.
Plant weights - even info about our nutrient solution.
Now, for the fun part, where we get to make... graphs!
First up, look at how much extra growth we got under the Infinity Linear LEDs.
The T5s produced an average plant size of 95 grams but look at the boost under those
LEDs - 129 grams!
Next, look at the contrast in water consumption.
A significant increase under fluorescents.
But the plants weren't using the water for growth.
Instead this must have been caused by increased heat levels.
You could look at the growth versus water consumption side-by-side.
See that direct correlation under the LEDs?
Larger plants, more water use.
Under the LEDs, these plants appear to be using just what they need for tissue production
and growth.
To get a rough idea of just how much water is required to produce the plant mass, this
graph overlay is more to scale.
So let's sum up our key data points.
The Infinity Linear LEDs were able to boost lettuce growth by 36%.
But those plants used 36% LESS water.
All the while, in my testbed, the LEDs consumed 36% LESS power!
Speaking of power consumption, how much did it cost to run this test?
This shows the total cost for each light.
Going further, we can compare how much growth was extracted per light.
Looking at the cost difference per gram or ounce.
When it's all said and done, switching to these LEDs gave me twice the harvest per dollar
spent on electricity!
Keep in mind though that this test was designed to compare two Infinities to four T5s.
In reality though, these LEDs are not just some T5 replacements.
They bring MUCH more to the table.
That includes some amazing flexibility in the way they can be configured.
Is it possible to extract even MORE growth per watts consumed?
I suspect so.
And that's what I'm testing next.
Already though, I'm quite happy with what I've seen.
Thrive Agritech has done a great job in their production of these Infinity Linears.
Something to note, the models I tested boast an efficiency of 2 micromoles per joule.
But this has been upgraded to 2.2 micromoles.
Improvements are always coming along.
But who should buy one of these models?
Certainly these lights are perfect for: seed starting, lettuce, microgreens, plant cloning.
These are great for home gardeners.
But especially for Growth Chambers, Tissue Culture Labs, Greenhouses and VERTICAL FARMS.
The waterproof construction is ideal for Hydroponic, Aeroponic or even Aquaponic installations.
Pop over to Thrive Agritech's site for the latest specs.
Plus there's plenty of documentation explaining all of your configuration options.
If this LED seems like something that will suit your needs, I certainly can recommend
it.
I really appreciate Thrive Agritech, for taking the time to contact me and sending these lights.
And I really appreciate your support on my channel.
Please subscribe if you haven’t already.
And as always, Happy Gardening!