October 29, 2021
There is no substitute for natural light. However, when it comes to growing cannabis, the farmers still will not deny that the gentle warmth of sunlight needed for their plant’s growth is not always available. That is why there have been innovations, inventions, and discoveries to turn unfavourable conditions into favourable ones.
To achieve optimal light for plants, the best option is LED grow lights. These are the most effective source of providing adequate light for growing indoor plants. They improve the deficiency of the sunlight, which passes through windows and on the plants.
The salient features of LED grow lights are adequate energy production, less energy consumption, and the spread of full-spectrum color light. They do not only provide light and energy to the plants, but they also provide ambience. It is pertinent to clarify that they are entirely different from other High-Pressure Sodium lights, commonly known as HPS or CFLs, which are compact fluorescent lamps.
LED grow lights are so common that almost everybody who has even a little know-how and experience about farming is well acquainted with their nature, function, and availability. Above all, they are the most effective artificial substitute for sunlight.
The most important bit of equipment in your grow room is your light.
Why? Light is your plant’s food, you need to feed your plants high-quality food for them to produce high-quality yields.
LED lights for weed are now considered the best lighting option by most growers due to their energy efficiency, durability, and full spectrum.
However, with all the options and technical jargon, finding the right light for your project can feel a little overwhelming.
To work out what size of LED grow light you need, you first need to calculate the exact size of your grow space.
The Size Of Your Grow Space
When growing cannabis, a good rule of thumb is to use a minimum of 50 watts of light per square foot of growing space.
We want to flood our plants with light ( food ) so that they have lots of energy to produce big potent buds.
Therefore, we need to calculate the square footage ( length x width ) of our growing space.
We’ll then multiply this number by 50w to give us the rough wattage of light we require.
EXAMPLE: I have a growing space that is 2ft long and 3ft wide. This gives me a square foot grow space of 6 ( 2ft x 3ft ). I would then multiply this number by 50w, which gives me 300w. Therefore, in this example, I would require an LED grow light that was at least 300w.
HLG 550 V2 BSpec Veg Quantum Board LED Panel
Features:
The HLG LED grow light is designed to replace a single-ended 1000watt HID. Each HLG-550 V2 uses 4 of our custom designed full-spectrum high efficiency white light quantum boards with Samsung LM301B and Blue 470nm. This unit is dimmable, with wattage output from 200 to 480 watts. The light has 4 circuit boards, each containing 288 (1,152 total) Samsung LM301B diodes. Samsung is known to produce top-shelf LED quality, so you won’t have to worry if you decide to go with this quantum board grow light. The boards are placed on a larger aluminum panel with a dimmable Meanwell driver on the opposite side. If you’re curious, or just switching over from an HPS grow light, the HLG 550 V2 is roughly equal to a 1000 watt HPS grow light.
Carambola 4000 Full Spectrum LED Grow Light
Features:
This Carambola LED grow light has a sunlike full spectrum 3500K 5000K and IR 660nm 760nm RED, Infinite close to natural sun light, suit for all plants whole stages indoor growing, rapid plant response from seed to flower.With bloom booster mode greatly increase the red spectrum to get a better yield.Advanded CHMHPS spectrum indoor lighting system will be your best choice.This grow light consumes only 480 Watts true output with 1152 PCS LEDs, more scientifically and energy-efficient! Perfect for 5' x 5' veg stage at 25 inch above the canopy, 4' x 4' bloom stage at 20 inch above the canopy. Newest SMD LED technology provide excellent PPF: 1100 μmol/s, designed to replace a single-ended 1000watt HPS; Carambola CBG4000 Plants Growing lamp makes you get 40% higher yield compare OLD blurple led lights.
Below we have rounded up what to look for when shopping for LED grow lights, followed by a list of the best LED grow lights available on the market today.
The type of light you use has a monumental effect on your cannabis growing efforts. Many factors go into what LED light to use for growing cannabis. We did the research for you and have rounded up the most important ones below.
Light spectrum
While plants can grow under most spectrums, to make the process efficient they need specific wavelengths throughout each growth stage. High quality LED lights provide the full spectrum of light, allowing you to select the best one for each growing stage. Plants naturally react and grow based on the spectrum of light they get outdoors. They will grow as long as they receive blue and red lights, though most good LED lights offer the full spectrum. The spectrum you use in different stages will affect the plant’s growing patterns.
Blue lights (400nm — 500nm): Blue lights are often used in the vegetative stage of growth. That’s because this spectrum mimics the sunlight during summertime. Plants use this blue spectrum as a hint to spread its leaves in order to soak up as much sun as possible during the summer. It’s recommended to use blue light during the plant’s vegetative stage so it spreads and grows leafy. However, if you use blue light throughout growing you’ll get plants with short stems but with large healthy leaves.
Red lights (660nm — 730nm): Red or yellow lights are often used in the flowering stage of growth. This spectrum mimics the sunlight during the fall. This is when plants grow tall to prepare for the upcoming winter. Taller plants are in a better position to bud and pollinate via winter winds. Using more red light stimulates your cannabis to grow taller and flower (promoting bud growth).
Since you’re playing the role of the sun, you can choose the optimal spectrum of light for the strain of weed you’re growing. Most LED grow lights come with customized spectrums of light that are optimized for speedy growth. Manufacturers often state the great PAR of their LED grow lights. Photosynthetically active radiation, or PAR, is the wavelengths of light between 400nm and 700nm. These wavelengths are the best for photosynthesis.
Amount of light
The lighter your plants receive, the better they grow. So, how do you find an LED grow light that emits the highest quantity of light? For one, LED lights are already designed to directly aim at the plant. Panels that are 3W per bulb produce the highest yield without burning the plant. More panels help spread light over more areas. It’s recommended to use an LED grow light with over 2 panels if you plan on having a large growing space.
Wattage per square foot and coverage area
Your grow lights will be running for long hours, so you’ll want to save electricity. You’ll want to check the electrical output of your light, which should optimally stay over 300W. If the wattage is too high, you can run the risk of burning your plants. The recommended amount for growing cannabis is 50–60 watts per square foot. You will also want to know how much area your lights can cover. Most lights we recommended today have a coverage area of 3 ft x 3 ft at the vegetative stage.
Low heat emission
It’s important to find an LED grow light with low heat emission. You don’t want to run the risk of burning or discolouring your plants. You can put lights with low emission close to your plants, allowing them to receive more direct light. Controlling the temperature of your grow room is important for saving electricity and room temperatures contribute heavily to plant growth. If the air is humid, similar to the tropics, your plants grow optimally. Grow lights that emit too much heat turn the air dry, meaning your plants won’t grow.
Quality of materials
LED lights can be an expensive investment and the quality of your light source highly affects the yield. You want an LED light that gives off 3W per bulb, meaning the semiconductor chip needs to be of high quality. You need to look for durability; very durable LED grow lights last for 50,000 hours plus. Look for manufacturers that state longer warranties (2 years plus). They are most likely using the highest quality materials. Most grow lights we suggested today come with a hanging hook and power cord.
Choosing the right product isn’t easy and for many of them, it could be a time-consuming task. However, with this guide, my aim is to help you guys find the perfect led grow lights for your needs.
I hope that you’re able to find the right led grow lights for your usage. If you are still struggling to find one, feel free to comment below or contact me.
June 27, 2024
When choosing Best LED Grow Lights, you should also consider the durability of the lamp, energy efficiency and whether it can meet the light needs of specific plants. For example, the LED plant growth lights provided by Philips Lighting are designed for specific crops to promote uniform growth and improve quality and yield.
June 20, 2024
June 15, 2024
On Amazon, hot growth light types include LED Growing Lights, which have a variety of functions and features such as automatic on/off timing, red and blue LED light combinations, multiple dimmable modes, and flexibility for indoor potted plants or indoor gardens.