April 08, 2022
Far have we come from the days of relying exclusively upon natural sunlight as our only source of grow light- today’s technology equips the modern gardener with LED grow lights!
Whether you are aspiring home growers or hardened veterans, grow light kits come in all sorts of variations that cater towards excelling in growing specific plants. In short- they are exactly what a successful grower needs to succeed in any environment.
Ready to find the perfect light for yourself? Let’s dig in and look at the highest-rated LED grow lights that can help you start your production successfully.
Grow lights are pretty nifty for hobby gardeners and commercial growers alike. Here are some common uses for grow lights:
Growing plants entirely indoors
Starting seeds or propagations
Extending the growing season of some herbs and veggies
Supplement insufficient natural light
That last one is pretty important to us indoor-growers. Have you had ever problems with succulents turning out just plain green instead of all those vibrant colors Pinterest promised? Or you order plants that look really pretty and then slowly fade to dull green over a few weeks?
Yup, that’s because they haven’t gotten enough light (or not enough strong light).
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.
Features:
Jungle LED grow lights are designed to be efficient and easy to install right out of the box. The Jungle LED grow light offers a variety of power cord length options, whether you want to mount the LED driver on the side of the rack or the fixture itself, the Jungle LED grow light comes with a simple snap-lock connector for quick and easy cable reconnection . The Jungle LED system maintains its IP65 wet location rating and its corrosion-resistant construction, allowing it to be installed in your grow space with minimal restrictions.
Power vs energy expenditure
More power does mean more production, but it also leads to higher electricity bills. The most commonly used lamps are between 400W- 600W, with their corresponding ballasts. LED lights create the same amount of energy at a much lower wattage level, but are often advertised using traditional wattages.
Temperature vs space
the more watts, the more heat. If your grow tent or room is big, this probably wont be an issue, but if it’s small or you live in a warm area, you may have to invest some money on fans that help you control the temperature.
Light spectrum vs the time you’re going to spend cultivating: depending on the phase in which a plant is, the light spectrum will be different. During the vegetative stage, plants need blue light while red light is needed for the flowering. Many growers will change the light bulbs in every stage of their plants. The blue light during the growth phase will always lead to bigger plants, however, there are other growers who prefer keeping the same lamps during the whole cycle, adjusting only their intensity. While this is possible when you work with sodium lamps, it’s not advisable if you’ve got fluorescent lamps. Most new LED lights will allow you to change between spectrums with a flick of a switch.
The Cooling System
The heat is extremely important in the field of lighting it with horticultural vocation or not.
Even though LEDs produce less heat than other technologies, this heat is not negligible and must be taken into account. For panels of a certain power, it is imperative to dissipate the heat to guarantee the life of the lamps, but also in the case which interests us, to avoid temperature increases detrimental to the plants.
There are two cooling techniques: active dissipation and passive dissipation.
Active dissipation
The active dissipation is based on fans that extract hot air around the lamps so that it is replaced by cooler air. This principle is simple and proven because it is used in many everyday devices.
Passive dissipation
The passive dissipation as the name suggests is not based on any moving part, but on the presence of a piece of metal put in direct contact with the heat source (that is to say, the lamps). Metal has the physical property of dissipating heat in the surrounding air, thereby cooling lamps.
Noise Problems
In addition, a poor quality lighting device can in some cases produce annoying hissing or noise.
In conclusion, it can be said that the lower the quality of the lighting device, its components, and its manufacture, the higher the risk of noise pollution.
Sealing Of The Lighting System
Certain types of plants require fairly high humidity and temperature (carnivorous plants for example). It is therefore strongly recommended to choose lighting equipment that can function and above all withstand these conditions of use.
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, the 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.
October 20, 2023