December 24, 2022
Looking for the best LED grow lights for your indoor growing projects? Researching this topic can be overwhelming, leaving you more confused than you started. Grow light specifications can quickly become technical, telling you how many watts, lumens, PAR or PPFD your grow light can deliver.
Once you know the basic grow light metrics, you’ll feel more comfortable choosing the best lights for your vegetable garden, or small grow lights for houseplants; the opportunities for indoor gardening are endless.
The best LED grow lights have several things in common — uniform light spectrum, efficiency, high power and reliability/durability.
Spectrum/Uniformity
The best LED grow lights have a uniform spectrum, so if you have 4 plants under your light, they will all get the same spectrum.
We’ve touched on the spectrum a bit, but it’s important to reiterate that the best spectra include not only red and blue light, but also infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV).
Full-spectrum LEDs allow you to use the same light from seed to harvest instead of having to change bulbs or use different grow lights to grow vegetables/flowers.
Strength
The more light the LEDs actually emit, the more yield you’ll get (in most cases). Therefore, the best LED grow lights need to be very powerful.
Efficiency
Generally speaking, LED grow lights are very efficient. However, the best LED grow lights are also often the most efficient. It is very important to operate at a high level, generate high power, and keep it low cost.
Reliability/Durability
Given the cost of LED grow lights, they need to be considered an investment. Obviously, your investment needs to last a long time to show returns.
Therefore, the best LED grow lights are reliable and durable to stand the test of time.
All the lights we will list are from the most reputable brands and include some kind of warranty. This will give you peace of mind when purchasing knowing you are protected.
ECO Farm ECO D700 700W Samsung LM281B Chip LED Grow Light
Features:
This ECO Farm LED grow light has the highest output of white chip and Osram chip, with high energy efficiency of 2.6 umol/J, PPF 1820 µmol/s, LED grow light provides plants with powerful and high quality light to maximize the Yield. The vegetable footprint is 5 x 5 feet and the flowering footprint is 4 x 4 feet. With an excellent full spectrum (3000K, 5000K, 660nm, 730nm IR, 395nm UV), it can make the light more uniform, truly simulate sunlight, and perfectly meet the entire growth cycle of all plants from seed to harvest, resulting in higher yields. The dimming knob can adjust the light intensity at will (from 0% to 100%), and the daisy chain can be up to 100 units, which easily meets the plant development process, including germination, nutrition, flowering, and fruiting. Foldable for easy placement and portable installation, the adjustable adapter has an RJ45 interface, which can control multiple plant lights in series, which is convenient for you to plant in a large area.
Maxibright JUNO PRO — 720W LED Grow Light
Features:
The Maxibright LED Grow Light is an affordable and powerful 720 watts, has an output of 1800 micromoles per second (PPF), and is optimized to cover an area of 1.5 m x 1.5 m. 6 LED strips to provide uniform full spectrum light with added red spectrum for enhanced blooming. The whole luminaire folds in half, is very easy to transport, and unlike other LED units on the market, it is truly plug-and-play and requires zero assemblies of any kind. At only 40mm high, it maximizes the usable height in any growing space. Juno uses all-new MaxiLED chips. These high-quality chips are hand-picked by Maxirow and will provide the perfect spectral output for high-yielding plants. Each unit comes with a remote dimmer that allows you to adjust the light from 25% — 50% — 75% — 100% power. This is especially useful for growing young plants that don’t require as much light as more mature flowering plants.
Lumii Black 720W LED Grow Light
Features:
This 720W rated Lumii LED grow light is an excellent choice for stimulating your space to flourish. To power the lamp, you will need the LUMii Black 600W digital ballast sold separately. This is the same ballast used for the LUMii Black HPS kit. These lights are lightweight and easy to install, and with the LUMii cord ratchet, you can adjust the fixtures’ height according to the canopy’s height. Just plug in, adjust the height, choose your output settings, and relax.
Before selecting a particular grow light, you must carefully examine the following characteristics:
Power
It is crucial that your grow light is energy-efficient so that you can avoid paying high electricity bills. Grow lights with a lower output wattage are cheaper to operate and don’t generate a lot of heat that could burn your plant. Keep in mind that the higher the wattage is, the hotter the grow light will get, and the more energy it will consume.
Full-spectrum
To support the growth of plants in an indoor environment it is essential to ensure that the grow light you get is capable of outputting a full spectrum of light, as this will mimic the natural light of the sun. With that said, full-spectrum LEDs are more expensive, but they do provide a full spectrum of light for optimal growth in all stages of a plant’s life.
Temperature
The temperature of your grow light is crucial, as it will directly affect your indoor plants. You will want to choose a grow light that doesn’t emit more heat than natural light. We suggest white or yellow lights for smaller plant installations in your home. Red lights may be more optimal for growing fruits in the home, as these provide the heat needed to promote the growth of more sturdy plants.
LED grow lights have become very popular as an effective way to provide light to plants to help them grow. These lamps provide specific light and heat to the plants, promoting their growth. The best LED grow lights can be expensive and take some getting used to. But the people who invest in them, swear by them.