2022 Best 200W LED Grow Lights For Your Indoor Garden
If you’re testing your green thumb for the first time with plants, you’re probably wondering about the best LED grow lights. After all, having a quality light source is the first step to a successful indoor harvest.
The problem is: what makes the best grow lights better than the rest? Between the techy acronyms and the sheer number of options to choose from, buying an LED grow light with confidence is no easy task (especially when your purchasing other growing products, such as a grow tent). Not to worry — we’ve rounded up all the best LED grow lights for indoor plants, and chosen the best ones for you.
ECO Farm FLD 200W Full Spectrum Dimmable LED Grow Lights Bar
Features:
This ECO Farm LED grow light makes you get a 35% higher yield compared to OLD purple led lights. The LED grow lights use 800 LED chips that consume only 200W, with perfect coverage for 2x3ft, running 50% less power than the HPS /MH and getting maximum higher yields. The intensity of light can be adjusted according to the stage of plants. Excellent full-spectrum LED grow lights deliver optimal light-spectrum coverage for your blooms. The SMD leds spectrum is white 3000K leds, white 5000K leds, 660nm red leds and 740nm IR leds. A full spectrum increases the quality of your crop. not only cost-effective but also produces better yields. This LED grow light can be folded up 180°, installed, and moved easily.
Viparspectra KS2500 250W LED Grow Light
Features:
The VIPARSPECTRA KS2500 LED Grow Light uses the market leading Samsung LM301H diode (3.10 μmol/J), a more energy efficient LED that increases crop yield and saves operating costs. The KS series is designed for individual or commercial growers who want to optimize their growing space for maximum crop yield while producing the highest quality crops. Composed of 3000K warm white, 5000K white, 660nm deep red and IR730nm, it provides your plants with an excellent spectrum, tailored for germination, vegetative and flowering applications in indoor environments. The KS2500 delivers high light output and consistent uniformity with market-leading efficacy, consuming only 250 watts of perfect light for 3'x3' coverage.
Advance Spectrum 240W Sun Series Model E 4-Bar Full Spectrum LED Grow Light
Features:
The Advanced Spectrum 240W Sun Series E-Type 4-strip full-spectrum LED grow light adopts a full-spectrum design that is closer to natural light. Exposure of plants to grow light strips increases terpene levels. It ensures better and more complete plant growth — from seedling to harvest. This high performance LED grow light is suitable for plants that grow in water and soil. Plug-and-play systems are easy to implement with minimal cost. All die-cast aluminum bodies provide excellent heat dissipation to prolong lamp life. It ensures that the system stays cool and the consumer gets high output. Grow lights come with manual dimmers to help you manually set the correct spectrum for your plants at different growth stages.
Factors to consider when choosing the best grow lights
There’s a lot that goes into the decision-making process when choosing which type of light a grower should use, including the cost, quality, intensity, and desired spectrum.
Here we’ll go over the main factors to consider when choosing grow lights:
Cost and efficiency
Facility layout
Light spectrum
Let’s look at each of these in detail:
1. Cost and efficiency
In general, the cost to purchase HIDs is lower than for LEDs, but prices on LEDs are decreasing. Plus, many companies offer rebates, helping to offset the upfront costs. But when calculating capital expenditure, you also must consider the net running costs of lights, including how much power they consume and how much heat they give off.
“Plain and simple, LEDs are extremely energy efficient,” says Delaney. “When talking about efficiencies, it’s not just about the light itself but more in terms of environmental variables. LEDs throw off considerably less heat than other lights, such as HPS. This has a dramatic impact on cutting cooling costs, making it more efficient all the way around.”
That said, as Kirk notes, some growers rely on the heat from HID lamps to provide warmth to their facility. “If a grower is replacing HPS lamps — which often provide heat for the grow room due to their low efficacy — with LEDs, which run cooler, they’ll need to properly compensate by adjusting the HVACD [heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and dehumidification] system to add heat to the room.”
2. Facility layout
Another key consideration is the space that plants cultivators are working with. With vertical farming increasing in popularity, growers are now able to produce high yields within a limited footprint. Plants are grown in tiers, which means a multi-level lighting system is required to supply all plants with the right amount of light.
HPS lamps are usually unsuitable in this scenario, as they tend to be large and give off a lot of heat. On the other hand, LEDs have a slim profile, fit easily into racking systems, and don’t emit much heat. As such, they can be strategically placed to ensure that all plants have the right amount of light, no matter their position on the racks.
3. Light spectrum
Plants require different levels of light intensity and spectrum composition depending on their cultivar as well as their stage in the growing cycle. Recent advancements in research mean that lighting manufacturers and growers are now equipped with more in-depth knowledge in this area and are tailoring lighting systems accordingly.
As mentioned, LED lights offer more control here, but not all LEDs are made equal. This is definitely an area where you need to do some research and find out what the different lighting manufacturers are able to offer.
As Delaney reveals, “When you’re looking deeper into the light spectrum, we’re really starting to see companies experiment more in-depth with diodes, adding deeper reds and more UV at various stages. With these initiatives, we’re seeing better results with higher yields. It’s still early on, but this is a big trend within the market.”
Conclusion
Overall, when deciding on the right lights, growers need to establish their key objectives. For those who want greater environmental control or need to introduce new spectra and light intensities to optimize plant attributes like morphology, cannabinoid content, and overall yield, LEDs should be the first option.
That said, cost is often top of mind for growers and HIDs can sometimes win out here. Just remember to factor in all long-term expenses including the upfront price, utility fees, and replacement costs when calculating expenditures.
