Best 300W LED Grow Lights for Small Grow Tents (2022 Updated)
We have seen great progress in LED grow lights over the past 3 years. They are more affordable than ever and we are spoiled! In this article, we’ll provide our top picks for the best LED grow lights currently available for small grow tents and different budgets.
Are LEDs a Good Option for Growing Plants?
LED grow lights are relatively new to the indoor growing world, but they have grown in popularity over the past few years for their ability to produce high yields while staying cool and using a reasonable amount of power.
Today’s LED models are more suitable for growing plants than they were a few years ago. Many modern lamps are full spectrum or “broadband” spectrum (rather than just red and blue LEDs, which produce blue-violet light, sometimes called “blur”). Full-spectrum light is easier on the eyes, and adding at least some green light to the blur usually results in healthier growth. Other spectral colors such as red, far red and infrared are important for the budding/flowering stage. LED manufacturers have developed specialized lenses that direct light towards plants and increase penetration, producing greater yields with the same amount of light compared to older models. There are also many different form factors, ranging from case to diode size, which vary from model to model.
Modern LED grow lights can produce impressive results. These indoor plants grow entirely under LED grow lights from seed to harvest!
ECO Farm FLD 320W Full Spectrum Dimmable LED Grow Lights
Features:
Equipped with SMD 3030 chip, this ECO Farm LED grow light has a maximum yield of 2.5 grams per watt, 30% higher average PPFD, and 50% higher yield and quality compared to other similar lights. Consumes only 320W. This LED grow light has a Yield Max spectrum (3000k, 6000k, 660nm red, 730nm IR LED), which can make the light more uniform, truly simulate the sunlight, and perfectly meet the entire growth cycle of all plants from seed to harvest, including Medicinal plants, flowers, vegetables, etc. Newly designed fast heat dissipation material aluminium with 4 slim cooling strips, produces less heat and saves 50% energy than other old grow lights! The whole plant grow lights are waterproof. No need to worry about wet growing conditions. LED grow lights can be folded 180°, easy to install and move.
Grow Light Science PROGROW 320 LED Grow Light
Features:
Grow Light Science Grow 300 320W LED Grow Light is a full spectrum, high performance lighting solution for commercial or home indoor garden or planting operations. The form factor of the Grow 300 allows for expandability and multiple grow room and tent configurations. The incredible light output (PPF), spectral distribution and efficacy of this grow light will give your plants amazing results at an affordable price. PPFD levels of up to 1,500 umols/m2/s will proportionally increase yield as long as other key factors such as CO2, water and nutrients remain in balance. The GROW 300 easily delivers PPFD levels in excess of 1,000 umols/m2/s, either individually or in multi-cell arrays.
Features:
Cultivate Tech grow light is a 320W, full-cycle LED grow light designed to target only the parts of the spectrum your plants need to thrive through both vegetative and flowering cycles. At 320 TRUE LED watts, the GrowtechX320 is the equivalent to approximately 600 HPS or metal halide watts, meaning, it runs on nearly half the wattage of traditional grow lights. Growtech X’s Full Spectrum Spectral Diode Mix offers a perfectly balanced mix of 660nm red diodes and full spectrum 3000 + 6500K white diodes. This thoroughly tested light spectrum is designed for complete plant development (full cycle indoor light for seed germination, clones/cuttings/mothers, and for both vegetative and flowering cycles).
Things To Consider When Buying an LED Grow Light
Power
The first thing you need to look at is the power the LED fixture provides.
When it comes to power, this aspect does not just cover wattage, but other specifications, such as Photosynthetic Photon Flux (PPF), the efficacy, and average Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD).
PPF vs PPFD
PPF
PPF refers to the amount of light produced by a source, in this case, an LED grow light, per second; measured in umol per second.
Now, if you have a grow area that measures 36 square meters, and your strain needs around 500 umol per square meter, you need 1,800 umol/s of light for the growing area.
Thus, you will need an LED grow light that produces 1,800 umol per second. You can use several in tandem to get the required PPF.
Note that PPF does not automatically equate to the amount of light a plant receives, but rather how much is produced by a source.
PPFD
PPFD, meanwhile, is how effective your plants can use the photons from the light. You would want something that distributes something evenly across the grow area.
If you run a commercial-sized facility, you will need a PPFD of around 1,500 to 2,000 umol/s per square meter per second, which can be supplemented by a CO2 enrichment system and other environmental controlling systems.
But, if you only have a small grow area, 1,000 will be too much, as it would be a waste of energy, since small-time or personal growers rarely use control systems for environment and CO2 enrichment.
Lastly, Efficacy deals with how much photons you can get on the same power consumption.
Spectrum
Some LED grow lights are full spectrum, which gives it adjustable properties to adapt to different phases of growth.
Ideally, you would want to get a full spectrum, which includes UV lighting. That will help you save more, as you can have one set to do most, if not all, the growing phases.
Full-spectrum LED grow lights have both red and blue spectrums, as well as infrared and ultraviolet lighting. These light colors matter, as they help in different stages of growth, inducing photosynthesis, and blooming of buds.
Conclusion
So here is our list of recommended LED grow lights for small grow tents. There are plenty to choose from, but no matter which light you choose, be sure to consider your plans for the next 3 or 4 plantings. Thanks for reading!
