Are LED Grow Lights worth it?
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are the hottest thing in interior grow lights for plants.
Well, maybe ‘coolest’ is a better term than ‘hottest.’ One of the main selling features of LED grow lights is that they run much cooler than the competition and are, therefore, more energy-efficient. But LED grow lights are also more costly than conventional grow lights, so the question that you need to ask yourself before purchasing them is ‘Are they really worth the extra money?’
With LEDs being a somewhat new technology, some old school growers may still be skeptical or curious if LED grow lights work. You don’t need to look far to determine the answer is a resounding yes.
How Do LED Grow Lights Work?
LED grow lights use two different types of semiconductor materials to create their own spectrum of light. The first semiconductor has negative charges –electrons-, whereas the second one has positive charges called holes.
They pass light energy through semiconductor chips to emit their spectrum of light unlike other grow lights which use filaments, gas, mercury or lead to produce light.
In comparison, LED grow lights are energy efficient, versatile and more durable than incandescent lights. In addition, they also better for the environment.
Are LED Lights Good for Plants?
A long time ago, LEDs were efficient, but not super practical for growing indoor crops. Their intensity couldn’t compete with the levels coming out of HID models. Today, engineers have made massive improvements to the technology, and are using the available light spectrum of an LED to their advantage.
LEDs developed for indoor cultivation are designed to produce the ideal color spectrum required by the crop. Typically, for medicinal plants growers, this means some combination of white light and a frequency lovingly referred to as ‘blurple’. Blues, purples, reds all combine to stimulate a productive crop.
With the capability to hone in the light spectrum to suit the needs of your plants, LED lights can be very effective for final harvest. During the vegetative stage, blues and purples boost strength and bushiness. Turning the dial towards reds and warmer tons during the flowering stage promotes flower growth. Certain other frequencies in small doses, like ultraviolet, maybe even green, can boost cannabinoid and terpene profiles.
LED lights are not ‘bad’ for your indoor harvest, but their benefits are much more powerful when the cultivator knows what they are doing. Knowing when and how to adjust the light spectrum, and schedule makes a huge difference when using LED lights. They are not a ‘set it and forget it system.’
Advantages Of LED Grow Lights
LED grow lights have become popular with growers for good reason — they offer many benefits that other lighting systems don’t. Advantages of choosing LED lights for growing plants indoors include:
Efficiency
Temperature
Lifespan
The spectrum of light they provide
Their size
Greater Efficiency
Nearly every grower who recommends using LEDs for growing plants will talk about the efficiency of such a lighting system. LEDs are in fact way more efficient than HID lights, which translates to lower utility costs for you.
Cooler Temperature
LEDs run significantly cooler than HID bulbs. HID systems can become extremely hot, putting crops at risk of heat damage, and can even become fire hazards when they’re used in small spaces. (Learn more about the importance of moderate grow-room temperature here.)
Longer Lifespan
LEDs offer more than just improved efficiency and cooler temperatures. You’ll also get more grow hours out of your LEDs — a lot more. LED grow lights typically last for 50,000 hours or more, whereas HID bulbs generally last 10,000 to 18,000 hours, depending on the specific type of bulb. When it comes to longevity, there’s really no competition.
The Full Spectrum
A major advantage of using LED grow lights is the huge spectrum of energy they provide. When you choose LED, you don’t have to worry about switching out lights as your crops mature through their growth cycle. Even better — you can actually install a system that’s tailored specifically to the type of crop you grow.
Less Bulk
Are you growing in close quarters? If so, that’s another reason to go with LEDs, which have the distinct advantage of being able to fit into smaller, tighter grow areas. This advantage goes hand in hand with the cooler temperature of LEDs — not only can you create a more compact grow room, but your crops can grow fairly close to the lights without the risk of heat burn.
Keep in mind that heat burn isn’t the same as light burn — being too close to any type of light bulb puts your crops at risk of suffering from light burn. Reduce the chance of your crops facing light burn by keeping them within the ideal distance from your LEDs — 12 to 18 inches.
State Rebates
Another perk of choosing the LED route is that you could end up saving a good amount of money. Both the federal government and local municipalities issue rebates on LED lighting systems as a way to incentivize growers to invest in energy-efficient models.
Finding the Right Product
When you are choosing grow lights, you need to consider the following-
Size of the Area
The first important thing is the size of the area you need to cover. Consider how many lights will be needed so that everything is fully illuminated.
Plant Growth Phases
Think about whether you need lights for supporting a full growth cycle. If that’s the case you’ll need a full spectrum LED light.
Light Lens Angle
Check the angle at which the LED bulbs disperses the light. This is an important factor that determines the light coverage area. A bigger angle means more area covered, but less light dispersion strength.
Budget
Consider what you need the lights for. If you’re running a small scale growing operation, most likely you won’t need a dozen of the most expensive products on the market. But still, if you want to achieve good results, you’ll need to make a proper investment.
Here are my best commercial LED grow lights for your indoor garden. These lights have good coverage, high illumination, and all the essential light waves. They increase the growth of your plants. Have a look below.
quantum board grow light
What is a Quantum Board Led Grow Light?
Quantum board grow lights are the next step above chip on a board (COB) LED grow lights. The LEDs are connected to a carefully wired board. The quantum board may be sold as just a circuit board. In these cases, you combine it with a pin heat sink or conventional extruded aluminum heat sink.
The LED bulbs themselves share the same advantages as other LED lights such as a long life expectancy and energy efficiency. Quantum board LEDs are as controllable as other LEDs. For example, a 300 watt system can typically be dimmed down to 120 watts in the early stages of growth. A quantum grow light that matches a 150 watt CFL in light output uses around 80 watts while covering a roughly two foot by two foot growing area.
Quantum grow lights that cover a 6 foot by 6 foot area for vegetation growth may only provide enough light for a 4.5 by 4.5 blooming crop. But it will consume only 350 to 500 watts of power while matching the light output of a rough 1000 watt bulb.
The best quantum board led grow lights are properly sized for the growing area. Know that this may mean setting up several grow lights to get full coverage.
ThinkGrow Model-W Horticulture LED Grow Light
The Model-W is a high performance LED grow light for horticulture cultivation. It is designed for high PPFD cultivation practices. Full spectrum design covers each critical phase of growth from vegetative to flowering. An independent Far Red 730nm channel is designed to target Phytochrome Far Red in photomorphogenic lighting applications. Base on research, introducing far-red light after the lights have been turned off can lengthen the dark period to encourage the flowering process.
*Recommend introducing Far Red light for 15mins after day cycle. Light controller is required.
Outstanding Efficiency at 2.7 μmol/J
Plug and Play for a quick installation
On-board Dimming
Independent Far Red 730nm channel
External Controllability with 256 fixtures per channel
Group Control Capability
gavita pro 1700e gen 2 led grow light
Gavita 1700e LED Grow Light Overview:
The Gavita Pro 1700e LED fixture operates at 645 watts with an output of 1700 µmol s-1 PAR and an impressive efficacy of 2.6 µmol s-1 per watt. The Pro 1700e delivers broad, intense light coverage with its 8 passively cooled LED bars allowing you to use it in low rooms, vertical racks, over benches, or even in tents. This powerful, full-spectrum light source is intended for full-term plant growth from the vegetative stage to the higher-light-requiring bloom and finishing stages. Built with premium Philips drivers, Samsung white LEDs and Osram deep-red LEDs, this fixture uses only the highest-quality components. Power cords and E-Series adapter (for digital controllability via EL1 or EL2 master controller) sold separately.
The Gavita 1700e LED grow light fixture is dimmable to 50% without any loss of efficiency using the Gavita E-Series LED Adapter and Gavita Master Controllers. The Gavita E-Series LED Adapter - 120-277 V (#906151, sold separately) is required for each fixture when using the controller; non-controlled fixtures simply operate at 100%. The Gavita Pro 1700e LED fixture and Gavita E-Series LED Adapter are FCC compliant, UL1598, and IP66 rated for use in wet environments with a maximum ambient operating temperature of 40°C. Sun Grip® light hangers included. Dimensions: 44 in x 44 in x 2.5 in. Weight: 28.4 lbs.
So back to the question. Are LED Grow Lights worth it? Weighing all of the factors, I would say yes, LED grow lights are worth the cost. Grow lights are a means to efficiently grow healthy plants. All you simply need to do is looking for a good mix of features, solid performance reviews and a price that guarantees quality build components. They won't let you down.
