ECO Farm Z6–600 Samsung LM301B LED Grow Light VS Nanolux LEDzx 630W LED Grow Light
Not getting the desired results for the indoor plants you handpicked for yourself? Are you sure they are receiving the light that they need?
After all, sufficient availability of light is as essential for plants as the soil quality. So, if you are still using an average-quality grow light, it’s high time you choose a better light source like a full spectrum LED grow light. In fact, this type of grow lights is considered to be one of the best options for indoor plants.
But then again, there are hundreds of options available out there and as such, making the right choice becomes difficult.
Should You Go for Fluorescents or LEDs?
While fluorescent and LED light can create full-spectrum light, LEDs are way better for the environment and your wallet.
LEDs are great for plants; you simply need to find the right grow light that is calibrated to meet the needs of an indoor plant. This means an added blue light boost to help enhance photosynthesis, stimulate rooting, and promote peak growth. LEDs also do not give off too much heat.
LEDs can have a higher upfront cost, but they are extremely efficient. An LED uses half the electricity used by a fluorescent light and lasts five times longer. It also helps that grow lights are environmentally friendly, free from mercury, and unlikely to shatter like glass.
On the other hand, fluorescent lights are more affordable, making them a great choice for those just starting their indoor growth journey. At no point should you consider a conventional incandescent bulb, as they aren’t suitable for indoor growing. In addition, these bulbs tend to give off too much heat, which can burn your tender foliage.
ECO Farm Z6–600 Samsung LM301B LED Grow Light
Features:
This ECO Farm LED grow light adopts Samsung LM301B Full Spectrum White Light Diodes, 660nm Red Diodes, IR+UV Diodes on independent controls.Each LightBar is Made up of 272 pcs leds: Totaling 1,632 diodes per light. Removable and Replacable Lightbars. easy to install, easy swap out for any potential defective individual bars or diodes, just swap out single bars instead of entire systems. The full spectrum of this grow light consists of 3500K warm white LEDs, 660nm Far Red + IR + UV, infinitely close to natural sun light, excellent spectrum applies to the whole stages of indoor growing plant; It can be freely adjusted lighting intensity as plants need of growth at different stages. Aluminum heat-sink, no fans no noise, Robust thermal and electrical design allows LEDs to run cooler and retain 90% of output beyond 36,000 hours; Protection grade IP65, protects LEDs against dust and water, no optical loss, easy to clean.
Nanolux LEDzx 630W LED Grow Light
Features:
The Nanolux LED grow light is designed to be lightweight and compact. This fixture is foldable for easy handling. It allows random start, soft start, soft dimming capabilities, and features over-temperature protection, under-voltage protection and open / short circuit protection. The fixture is 0–10V COMPATIBLE, allowing control of your lighting with 0–10V protocol. The units can be used at any voltage range of 100–277 volts and features a smart digital control. 110V-277V wide voltage design, available with different NEMA power plugs for a wider range of voltage used. If one or several bars fail, the life of other bars and the power supply will not be affected. IP65 rated, IP65 design protects against environmental conditions such as moisture and dust.2.65 umol/j for a total of 1650 umol/s. Folding design facilitates transportation and saves on shipping and storage costs. Smart digital bar protection system: Upon one or more bar failures the system will digitally protect working bars and the power supply allowing for continuous ongoing operation.
Factors To Consider
Light intensity
Red light is ideal for flowering and fruit set.
Light intensity is the brightness of light. The amount of light produced by a bulb is measured in a variety of ways and, unfortunately, two different bulbs may report their light output using different measurements, making it hard to compare. The distance between a light source and a plant impacts the light intensity.
While there are many ways to measure light, a few common measurements you are likely to see include:
PPF (photosynthetic photon flux) is a measure of how much plant-usable light is released by a bulb per second and is measured in micromoles of light per meter per second (umol m-2s-1). You may also see PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density), which is a measure of PPF as it reaches a surface like a plant leaf. PPFD goes down as your plants get further away from the light source.
Lumens are less relevant when considering lighting for plants. Lumens measure how bright the light is to the human eye, and do not measure some of the important wavelengths that plants need to grow.
Watts are a measure of the amount of energy needed to produce light, rather than a measure of the actual intensity of the light. Light bulbs should report both watts and another measure of light intensity such as PPF, lumens or foot candles. A more efficient lightbulb will produce more light with fewer watts of energy.
Distance from light source
Keeping sufficient distance between plants and a light source is especially important when using bulbs that produce a lot of heat, like incandescent and high-pressure sodium. But even with LED and fluorescent lights, maintaining a proper distance helps to ensure healthy plant growth.
Seedlings: 4–6 inches (move your light up regularly as they grow)
Hydroponic lettuce and herbs: 6–12 inches
Foliage houseplants: 12–24 inches
Flowering houseplants: 6–12 inches
Light quality
Light quality refers to the wavelength or color of light. The light spectrum is composed of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet light. Sunlight provides all colors of light.
The part of the light spectrum that plants use is called Photosynthetically Active Radiation, which is composed of primarily red and blue light.
As lighting technologies have become more efficient, grow lights that only emit light from the red and blue wavelengths of the light spectrum have become more common.
Check the packaging to see what type of light is emitted by a grow light before buying it; grow lights tend to be labeled as blue, red, or white/balanced light.
Blue light or mixed light bulbs are suitable for starting seeds and leafy greens, as well as non-flowering house plants.
Red light or mixed light bulbs are suitable for promoting bud formation in flowering plants as well as keeping the plants shorter.
White lights or mixed/balanced light bulbs are suitable for most plants at any stage of growth.
Light duration
Light duration (photoperiod) is the number of hours of light a plant needs per 24-hour period. Plants are classified by photoperiod into three categories for flowering response: short day, long day, or day-neutral.
Short day indoor plants, such as chrysanthemum, Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti and poinsettia, require short days to flower. You cannot reflower them indoors unless they are grown in short days.
Long day plants, such as African violets, gloxinia and tuberous begonias, flower when the daylight exceeds the hours of the night period.
Day-neutral plants are insensitive to day length differences for flowering and include indoor plants such as flowering maple (Abutilon), Crossandra, and gerbera daisies.
Use a timer to provide supplemental light if growing in a location with less natural light. Set your timer so that plants receive the following total light hours.
Seedlings: 16–18 hours per day
Hydroponic lettuce and herbs: 12–14 hours per day
Foliage houseplants: 12–14 hours
Flowering houseplants: 14–16 hours
Conclusion
Whether you are indoors or outdoors, gardening is a comforting activity. If you prefer the former, you should invest in the right accessories, which means good indoor plant lighting.
Make sure you understand all the key performance factors for choosing the best indoor plant lighting for growth.
