February 23, 2023
Grow lights allow you to garden almost anywhere and in every season. While grow lights are popular when the spring garden is starting to seed, you can also use them to grow herbs, houseplants, and vegetables year-round.
When you’re looking for the right grow lights for your needs and space, remember to always look for the most environmentally friendly lighting options. Even small efficiencies like placing lights near sunny windows or finding lights with timers can really add up over the years. You’ll feel good knowing you’re starting a green habit like gardening while reducing your overall carbon footprint.
Think of grow lights as a long-term investment. You’ll be able to use them every season to grow delicious herbs or any other plant. They are especially good for growing seedlings before the weather is warm enough to grow outdoors. Growing your own plants from seed can also help you save money compared to buying from a nursery. Perhaps most importantly they bring life and light to those dark months of the year. Here are some of the best grow lights when you start your own indoor setup.
Grow lights are important for houseplants because they provide the artificial light plants need to grow and thrive. Indoor plants may not get enough natural light to support their growth, so grow lights can help make up for that.
Grow lights can also be adjusted to provide different wavelengths of light, which is important for different stages of plant growth. Using grow lights can help ensure your plants get the light they need to grow and thrive even indoors.
ECO Farm Z8–800 Samsung LM301B LED Grow Light
Features:
The ECO Farm LED grow light is equipped with SAMSUNG LM301B chip and 8 high-efficiency aluminum rods to ensure high-efficiency PPE 2.7umol/J, better heat dissipation, and long service life. Compared with old plant lights, the average PPFD is increased by 30%, and the yield and quality are increased by 50%. 8 LED growth lights, each rod is covered with high-grade glue, waterproof and easy to clean, not easy to be filled with dust. This plant growth light also uses a special dimmer, which can precisely adjust the brightness. 0–10 levels are optional. This means that you can see clear brightness levels and record while adjusting. No need to worry about differences. At the same time, it also has an ideal full-spectrum and amazing heat dissipation: excellent full-spectrum mixing of white, blue, red, and ultraviolet light, IR LED (3500K, 660nm and IR 760nm & 396nm UV), close to natural sunlight. The spectrum applies to the entire stage of indoor planting.
Gavita Pro RS 2400e 800W LED Grow Light
Features:
Gavita LED grow lights produce 2400 μmol/s at an impressive 3.0 μmol/J efficiency and provide a broad spectrum of white light and enhanced blue light to help enhance flavor and aroma. This powerful full-spectrum light source is designed for all aspects of plant growth — from the vegetative stage to the end of flowering and when higher light levels are required. Using the Gavita Master EL3 controller, the luminaire can be dimmed by up to 10% without any loss of efficiency. The RS 2400e is built with high quality components including Gavita drivers and custom Gavita branded diodes to deliver the performance and longevity you’ve come to expect from a trusted brand.
Expected Coverage Area
This is an important point you should be aware of. People often ask which kind of plant grow lights is the best? it depends. Many grow lights do not fit in the same grow space.
What is the optimum suspension height? It depends on what stage of plant growth you are in. First select the system size, then select the fixture size and output.
Watts per square meter (W/m2)
Typically for hemp we recommend 300 to 400 watts per square meter. That’s the level of a hungry light plant. But, of course, this will depend on the kinds of plants you want to grow.
Instead of adjusting the canopy height distance, you can always dim the light to achieve the desired intensity, depending on your growth stage. If you intend to increase light intensity to high levels of PPFD (eg: >1000 µmol/ms/s during flowering), you may need to increase the CO2 level of your growing system.
Light Spread and Uniformity
It is also important, when purchasing grow lights, to ensure that the photons are evenly distributed throughout the canopy. Some companies specialize in the dead spots of the growing canopy.
For example, 900 PPFD in the center, but if you see the edges have a smaller PPFD value, say 200. Therefore, uniformity plays an important role in your planting system to avoid uneven canopy.
Efficacy (µmol/J)
It is described as how efficiently a grow light can take incoming wattage and convert it into usable PAR. This is an important factor. If the manufacturer does not provide this specification, growers can calculate it by simply dividing the total PPF output by the total input power. Some LED grow lights may have 1000 watts, but are less efficient.
Spectrum
Another big thing to watch. There is a spectrogram with all available colors. If a grower wants to grow indoors, from sowing to harvesting, he should choose full-spectrum lighting.
Almost 20% of the light spectrum is blue from white LEDs, perfect for plant growth stages. About 48% of them are red, with greater influence during flowering.
Energy consumption
In the past, growers only focused on wattage. Higher values are better.
Watts are a measure of energy expenditure. If you consider a single 1000 W luminaire, that means an energy consumption of 1 kW per hour. With this, you can predict your future electricity bills.
If you want to make a profit from the plants you grow, you should calculate whether the profit will cover these costs.
Diode
Growers must be aware of these. There are many manufacturers of diodes, but not many top-notch ones. Industry leaders such as Lumileds and Osram should always be considered.
These are efficient and well-cooled LEDs that can run for a long time because electronics work more efficiently at lower temperatures.
The cooler the LED grow lights, the better their performance, durability (lifetime, >60000 hours) and reliability.
CRI (Color Rendering Index)
This parameter represents exactly how the light renders the plant in its natural color. There are LED lights that can illuminate your canopy with a more purple color, which will reduce the detection of problems with growing plants.
The higher the CRI, the closer the crop will appear to its natural color. Growers don’t want to work in purple. A higher CRI value indicates more white light from the fixture.
Naterial Quality
The overall quality of the materials from which the luminaire is made is another aspect. The chassis must be strong and durable. Aluminum radiators also have the advantage of exchanging heat more efficiently.
Getting quality LED grow lights for your houseplants and home garden is crucial to ensuring the health and vitality of your plants. With the right grow lights, you can give plants the light they need to photosynthesize, even in low-light environments.
Whether you want to grow a lush indoor garden or extend the growing season of your outdoor plants, grow lights are a powerful tool. With so many options available, it’s crucial to research and choose the right grow lights for your plants and budget. With proper setup and care, your plants will thrive, bringing life and beauty to your home and garden.
October 20, 2023