December 13, 2022
Sometimes the hardest part of growing houseplants is creating the environment for them to thrive. Worrying about your plants getting proper sun exposure can be difficult, but grow lights are an easy solution! There are many options for indoor lighting. You can start your search for the best LED grow lights for your houseplants here.
Natural sunlight contains the full spectrum of light, including all colors of the rainbow and even non-visible light like infrared and UV. When we use LED grow lights for indoor growing, we want to mimic natural sunlight as closely as possible, to create the perfect growing environment for our plants, even better than what we could find outdoors. Because we want to mimic the perfect growing environment for our plant, we should copy the natural environment of our plant while using a light source that produces a full spectrum of light.
The color of the light is one of the most important aspects that affect indoor growing. The two colors red and blue are on either end of the spectrum, and they have different effects on your plant. Further, your plants will utilize certain colors at various stages in the grow cycle: for example, plants utilize blue light to grow new leaves and to stretch stems and branches, while they use red light to produce buds and flowers.
A good grow light will need to produce sufficient red and blue light as these parts of the spectrum are extremely important to plant growth, while plants reflect a lot more green and yellow light, which is what gives them their color. During the process of photosynthesis, plants usually respond to 400 and 700 nanometer wavelengths, which, coincidentally and very useful for growers, corresponds to the visible portion of the light spectrum.
The intensity of light that a plant obtains is determined by bulb brightness and the distance from the plants to the light. Of course, different plants need different light intensity. Usually, plants that grow in northern climates do not need as much light as plants that grow in tropical areas.
As a quick reference, 10 to 12 inches of distance between the light source and the plant is suitable for a lot of houseplants like begonias, ivies. Other plants like philodendron can have a light source up to 36 inches away and still grow happily. On the other hand, some vegetables require a much higher light intensity before they will be able to flower or grow usable products..
ECO Farm ECOD Samsung UV+ IR 640W Dimmable LED Grow Light
Features:
This ECO Farm LED Grow Light has high energy efficiency up to 40% energy saving, and get 50% greater yield compared with the traditional HPS lights. High quality and 50000 hours long lifespan can mostly reduce your electricity bills or maintenance fees.The bar structure LED grow light provide you more even and full canopy coverage, make the light more concentrated, make the illumination is more uniform. The growth of plants requires an environment of red and blue wavelengths, use led grow lamps to boost productivity, Increase your yields & profits 50% without adding any additional energy costs. This grow light dissipates heat quickly and high performance, growing lamp with 6 passive-cooled bars, no-fan no noise design, give you a quiet cultivation environment and extend plant light lifespan.
Omega Luna 630W PRO+ LED Grow Light
Features:
The Omega LED grow lights run about half the cost of standard HPS lights. Not only that, but its life expectancy is a staggering 50,000 hours: more than 11 years for a 12/12 cycle. The Pro+ boasts lower running costs than its predecessor, while the specs will only increase. Each LED strip operates at 2.9 µmol/J but is more powerful than most ceiling lights on the market. The Pro+ is designed to be smaller and lighter than the original, and is just as impressive as its performance. Thanks to the foldable central hinge, the light can be easily stowed away or for the grower to take with him on the go. The Pro+ is dimmable and controller compatible, allowing users to monitor the plant’s environment and make adjustments to keep it in optimal health.
When trying to find suitable LED grow lights, there are many aspects you need to think about.
Don’t worry though:
It’s not rocket science.
What to Consider When Searching for the Best LED Grow Lights
And once you go through the most important factors, you will understand what you need exactly. Here’s what you should pay attention to:
Wattage. The required wattage of your LED lights would depend on many factors. They may include the tent size, the plant type, the growth phase, and so on. So, while you have general recommendations for different tent sizes, you may want to check an online calculator that can also factor in other aspects.
Coverage area. How big is your grow tent? You need the lights that would cover the whole area, so that each plant gets enough light. Typically, the most powerful LED grow lights can cover a 4 x 4 area. This means if you have an 8 x 8 tent, for example, it’s better to buy two lamps that would cover a 4 x 4 section. Performance-wise, such a configuration would be better than buying bigger lights for an 8 x 8 area.
Budget. LED grow lights can be quite expensive, and that’s the main issue users typically have with them. However, LED lights will serve you longer, which means they can be a worthy investment. The price will depend on the quality of parts, spectrum, and the light intensity. But remember that the most expensive lights might not be the best ones. You need to pay attention to the characteristics first, and only then — the price.
Warranty. Typically, the warranty for LED grow lights ranges between 1 and 7 years depending on the brand. A 3-year warranty is probably the most common coverage option. Of course, most users want longer warranty as it can be an indication of good quality. However, it’s also important to check what aspects the warranty covers. Fixing LED lights can be expensive, so if your warranty covers that, you would save more money in the long run.
Durability. The durability of the LED grow lights should be of utmost consideration when you are searching for the best LED grow lights, so you will not waste your hard-earned money on something that will not last. Ensure you always purchase what will stand the test of time.
Heat output. Your plants will be at significant risk if you do not consider the heat emitted from your LED grow lights. You may even spend extra to cool the room. Hence, it is essential always to consider the heat output of your LED grows light when searching.
PAR. For a grow light that suits every stage of your plant growth, you should consider PAR when searching. PAR which means Photosynthetically Active Radiation is the amount of light your LED panel is emitting that contributes to the photosynthesis process of your plants.As you already know, not all types of light aids in photosynthesis. The reason why the plant in your sitting room will die even though it is being exposed to the lamps there. The type of light emitted by sitting room lamps is not ideal nor does it aid photosynthesis.
So, the PAR value of your LED grow light is very essential. This value is actually more important than the wattage of the LED grow light.
LED grow lights are gaining popularity among indoor gardeners and hydroponic growers. While LEDs have been used in commercial applications for some time, it’s only now that they’ve become affordable for home gardeners.
LEDs offer many advantages over traditional grow lights, including higher efficiency, longer lifespan, and cooler operating temperatures.
But there are a few things to look out for when buying LED grow lights, such as power consumption and light spectrum.
October 20, 2023