November 11, 2021
Are your indoor plants not getting enough lumen and PAR output?
We’ve got a solution for you — a LED grow light. The scientific spectral design of this type of grow light meets the light requirements for all plant growth stages, making your indoor planting easier and more efficient.
The choice of LED grow lights, however, is huge on the market, and not every indoor grower can make the best buying decision.
So, in our selection of the best LED grow light, we took into account all the important features you have been looking for.
LEDs, or Light-Emitting Diodes, are (relatively) new lighting technology. They bring some pretty neat advantages to the table.
The first thing to know is that they are extremely energy-efficient compared to the other kinds of light bulbs. They produce very little heat and lots of light, all while using minuscule amounts of electricity.
Another cool thing about LEDs is that you can get them to emit a very narrow band of light depending on the materials used in the construction. For our purposes that means they’re even more energy-efficient since you can choose to use just red and blue LEDs (the primary wavelengths of light that photosynthesis occurs at).
Using those specific wavelengths lets you do some cool stuff. Red light, for example, is an important trigger in the flowering process for many plants. Using lots of red LEDs might encourage your plant to flower. Blue light is important for stimulating vegetative growth.
LEDs are super small, too, which means they can be used in a lot of ways. They come in tube and CFL varieties if you want to replace your existing fluorescents with LED. They also come spooled up on long strips — you can use LED strips (or LED tape) to illuminate a space you wouldn’t be able to fit a tube or bulb into.
For an imaginative person, LEDs can open a lot of doors!
Once again, it is important to understand that there is no universal rule for how far to place LED lights from plants in each phase of growth. Different manufacturers construct their LED lights in different ways. There are multiple details to take into consideration, such as the power and angle of individual LED diodes within a fixture and the use of lenses to reflect light downwards. The best way to get that perfect distance between the light and your canopy is to consult with the manufacturer.
The second thing to keep in mind is that the correct LED light placement changes for each stage of growth. If your LED is dimmable, you can use dimming to adjust the intensity of the light on the plant surface. If your LED is not dimmable, your only option is to change the hanging height. These examples aren’t hard-and-fast rules, so don’t follow them without the blessing of your light’s manufacturer. But just to give you a ballpark sense of what LED light placement generally looks like throughout the growth cycle:
LED Light Placement For Seedling Stage
Seedlings need the least intensity and most distance between the canopy and the lights. You may have the instinct to blast these little guys with a high-intensity light to promote fast growth. The truth is, they’re young, vulnerable, and likelier to thrive with a gentler approach.
Vegetative Stage
In the vegetative stage, you want to get your LED lights closer to your plants. In general, plants in veg only need about half the light that they need in bloom. It follows that you could have up to twice the hanging height that you use in bloom.
Flowering Stage
It’s in the flowering stage that you really need the highest intensity. It is important to build in a “hardening off” phase as you move from veg to bloom. Slowly increase the intensity or lower the hanging height until you reach the manufacturers recommended height in bloom.
Again, these are general guidelines. Discuss the ideal distances with your manufacturer and keep an eye on your plants for signs that you’re overloading them. If your plants are getting too much light intensity, they’ll let you know.
Phaser X660 Pro LED Grow Light
Features:
This Phaser LED grow light has 2.4umol/J High Energy Efficiency, getting a 50% greater yield compared with the traditional lights. Up to 40% energy saving, high quality and 50000 hours long lifespan can mostly reduce your electricity bills or maintenance fees. 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 grow lamps to boost productivity Increase your yields & profits by 50% without adding any additional energy costs. 3-inch Sturdy die-casting aluminium alloy, which dissipates heat quickly and high performance, growing lamp with 8 passive-cooled bars,no-fan no noise design, give you a quiet cultivation environment and extend plant light lifespan.
GIB Lighting 630W LED Grow Light
Features:
The GIB LED grow light offers an output of 1575 µmol/s with an excellent efficiency of 2.5 µmol/y. The LED luminaire is suitable for the entire life cycle of plants and can be used in the growth phase 4x4ft. Thanks to passive cooling without a fan, the grow light operates completely noiselessly and is less susceptible to technical problems. The service life is specified as at least 50,000 hours. Lush, full-spectrum lighting meets spectacular efficiency with the GIB Lighting 630 W LED. With a PAR output to beat most 1000w HID lamps, these LEDs are the future of indoor growing. Make long-term cost savings on your growth by using less electricity — and get better results from your growth. Unlike traditional HID lamps, which can cause grow room temperatures to rise dangerously, LED lights create little heat. This makes it easier for you to manage your environment, especially in the summer.
It goes without saying that a LED grow light significantly reduces your electricity bill. Aside from your main electricity bill, there are many benefits associated with owning a LED grow light.
Save Water
As the temperature within your grow tent increases, the moisture within the medium begins to evaporate. Your cannabis crop will start to wilt, which is a clear sign of heat stress.
This is a scenario that countless growers face when using HID lighting in an enclosed grow room without an effective ventilation system.
Most of us think that we can get away with a miniature AC system, but in reality, we’re trying to reduce our overall costs.
Instead, you’re putting your plants into a precarious situation by forcing them to walk on a tightrope.
Inadequate ventilation will leave your plants stressed while the intense heat from a 1,000-watt HPS is bearing down on them.
The main advantage of a LED grow light is that it reduces the heat in your grow room, which simultaneously decreases the plants’ water needs.
If your room isn’t hot, then your plants intake water at a reasonable rate according to their size. The medium doesn’t lose moisture quickly when the temperature isn’t soaring into the triple digits.
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Although most of us don’t think about it, we place a high amount of stress on the planet with our needs.
It’s important to realize that the amount of energy that’s necessary to power multiple HID lighting systems is unsustainable.
Now that cannabis cultivation is legal in many states, the amount of growers is increasing. If every grower is compelled to use LED technology, we can reduce our overall power consumption and energy use.
By reducing our energy use, we can sustainably grow cannabis. The more sustainable our cultivation practices, the less stress is placed on the environment.
Implementing LED technology will reduce our overall carbon footprint and improve our lives.
Save Money on Bulbs
You’ll no longer need to buy separate MH or HPS bulbs once you’ve switched over to an LED grow light. Most LED grow lights are customizable, meaning you can choose which colour spectrum at any moment.
This is done by the use of a remote controller or by buttons located on the LED grow light itself.
Reduce Your Weight
Traditional HID lighting requires heavy equipment to power each bulb. Magnetic and digital ballasts weigh roughly 30–40 pounds each. A power cord is attached to the ballast, which then joins the hood and bulb.
Most growers keep the ballast outside of the grow room because it generates heat while it's in operation.
Ballasts are generally fixed to walls or placed in a safe area on the ground. It’s challenging to put ballasts on a wall due to their weight, so it’s common to find these pieces of equipment on the ground.
Instead, a 1,000-watt LED grow light doesn’t require a ballast. This automatically reduces their weight, which makes them incredibly easy to hang within your garden.
Increase Your Safety
As stated previously, traditional HID lighting requires the use of a ballast. Once your room consists of more than one ballast, you may find yourself in a dangerous situation.
Many growers place their ballasts on the floor, with wires crisscrossing in all directions. This presents a specific fire risk, which does occur often.
Ballasts are also prone to overheating or malfunctioning, which increases their overall safety concern.
LED grow lights reduce this concern significantly by not requiring a ballast for operation.
These are solid-state devices that have far fewer points of failure while in use, which makes them considerably safer to use compared to HID lighting.
With the right LED grow light, you can successfully grow indoor plants. All of the options listed in our review offer outstanding results and have proven to be highly effective for indoor farmers who grow all types of plants, from vegetables to flowers and more.
October 20, 2023