Best LED Grow Lights For Your Indoor Gardening

What to Consider Before Buying An LED Grow Light

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These are crucial features to consider to make the best buying decision:

1. Light Spectrum

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Among many LED lights available now some produce slight color variation which is either dominant or recessive. We require the full-spectral LED. Full-spectrum LED lights incorporate all that’s needed from seedling to flowering with maximum efficiency.

Some of the light spectrum colors include;

• Red Light – It is crucial for the latter stages and the buds to flower.

• Purple light – Used the same as the blue light; however, it’s not as effective as the blue light.

• White light – It is effective for every growing stage. They have all colors and are therefore considered as full spectrum.

• Blue light – Helps in the earliest stages and is the first color your plants can absorb.

Decent LED grow lights should consist of a specific spectrum, whereas one fixture is placed over the position, and plants should be with the same spectrum regardless of how much they are exposed.

2. Size/Coverage Area

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Putting into account how many plants are going to occupy your grow light and if you wish to do so portably requires the size of your grow light to be thought over. 

The evaluated requirement is the zone where the relevant LED lighting can shine, even when the switch is off now. To attain the best performance of the greenhouse unit, the total space of the LED grow light must be less than or equal to the area covered by the plant units.

If any outer part of the plants does fall in the same adequate illuminated area, it promotes an inconsistent growth and development of the plant. Lenses can also be used to change the blazing area of a diode grow light by reducing or increasing its size.

3. Power

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LED grow lights manufacturers use various metrics to calculate the intensity of lights; as it is, this presents a challenging task for the comparison of these lights. Typically, the LED light output is calculated in lumens.

Conversely, the scientists evaluate the light intensity which absorbs photosynthesis by referring to photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) that is measured in μmol/s or photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) which is measured in μmol/m2/s.

The number of photons released from a single diode in a second is expressed per unit of PPF, whereas the PPFD equals the amount of light in m^{2} per second per square meter. Light’s PPFD and PPF should be relative to its effectiveness, thus the greater the PPFD and PPF the better the light should be.

The number of photons released from a single diode in a second is expressed per unit of PPF, whereas the PPFD equals the amount of light in m^{2} per second per square meter. Light’s PPFD and PPF should be relative to its effectiveness, thus the greater the PPFD and PPF the better the light should be.

Bulb wattage should not be the absolute measurement for how powerful an LED is because bulbs nowadays use more efficient LEDs. Do you know the amount of power that light hold? Check how much lighting you consume by calculation the actual power draw in watt.

4. Type of Grow Light

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It is very important to understand the different types of grow lights that are available on the market, which then depend on the plants you have, the amount of natural light you receive or the location of the plants. These types include;

• Light Bulbs-Only one light bulb is used in this product and it is great for leafy and vegetable growth with a broad light spectrum.

• Light Bars- These are just a single line of the LED diode that has a broad spectrum and also adds to the main light source.

• Light Panels- These are the most common and ideal for a full state of growth, such that they give the plant a maximum development since the light hits every part of the plant.

5. Heat Output

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Lighting that is focused on heat release can damage plants. The majority of the LED light bulbs let out small amounts of embracement, but they can produce a lot of heat. One might want to buy a grow light which devises technology to keep the heat flowing systemically so that is it effectively adjusted is necessary. 

6. Reliability

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The purchasing price of some of these LED grow lights could be a substantial investment. Therefore, you should make sure they suit your given years. In order to judge the reliability support the growing light system, check the warranty as well as the reviews from other buyers.

Another aspect to consider is that crafting some grow lights types can take more effort than others when it comes to installation. Moreover, It is also important to bare in mind that there would be some that could even make a little noise that you should be prepared for before purchasing.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs) On LED Grow Lights

I. What type of LED is best for growing plants?

Among various options of the LEDs for growing plants, the full-spectrum LED is the most recommended one. It gives out light waves which are optimal for different phases of plant growth including ones with blue light which deals with vegetative growth and the ones with red light which is responsible for flowering and fruiting. PGFD (Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density) values of a grow light must be high, and its color temperature must fall into (5000K – 6500K) range.

II. What lights do professional growers use?

The very common type of lights used in growing vegetables and flowers are the Metal Halide Higher Pressure (HPS) and High pressure sodium (HPS). Although incandescent and fluorescent are still being used by consumers as they are cost effective, LEDs are being preferred due to their efficiency.

Any light that covers the entire spectrum is likely too be the best pick for plant growth. This is one of the most important impacts of trees because they offer all the sun rays needed for healthy plant growth.

III. What is the best wattage for your LED grow light?

It differs from wattage to wattage to produce individual plants. Alternatively, plants that require a lot of light such as tomatoes typically need around 40 watts per square meter to grow well and with a yield that matches that of conventional farming.

If you have plants that are low light lovers, as in the case of lettuce, which is a kind of leafy plant, you’ll only need about 20-30 watts per square foot.

Further, the power that different type of LED grow lights have will also be the deciding factor on how many plants can be grown under them. An example can be explained with 450-watt LED light in which you can optimize your space to grow only 9 plants.

IV. What is the best lighting for indoor growing?

It is the amount of lighting that is suitable for plants cultivation in house with regard to the factors depends on growth stages. The vegetative stage is when the plants need those cooler blue or white spectrum, and in the flowering stage, it is the red or orange spectrum lighting that is needed.

Usually LED grow lights of the full-range variety are very suitable to growing indoors. They provide an array of color temperatures that correspond to various stages in a plant’s growth. Ideal color temperature for indoor growing ranges of 4000K to 6500K for the vegetative stage while during the flowering stage ranges from 2700K to 3000K.

V. What is the best color light for plant growth?

For effective plant growth, blue and red group of lights should be set in lightings. The blue light seems very topical when vegetables grow the roots and the leaves. Moreover, it helps create healthy stems during the final vegetative stage. Red light is the most important march of the flowering stage as this causes the flowering, fruiting, and the entire growth of plants. The full-spectrum LED grow lights which have both of the light ranges blue and red spectrum can be the best option since they can give the plants both kinds of lighting.

Meanwhile, the color of light that much favors plant growth over the other types of light is red since the light was responsible for the highest reflectance in plants. All plants showcase absorption of both red and blue wavelengths light though the green light is reflected away by them, this means green light is not as advantageous as other two colors for the plants growth.

VI. How long should a plant be under a grow light?

It is the period of a plant that it should be exposed to the grow light which depends on the stage of growth, the type of the plant and degree of the light.

Under most circumstances, light requirements are 12 to 18 hours per day for plants in the vegetative stage and light will have to be 12 hours per day during the flowering stage. Nevertheless some plants could be needing longer or shorter duration of light, this is due to the dependence- a plant has on the duration of light while growing. Therefore, it is necessary to know the light period that plants need while growing.

The level of intensity of the light is also critical; few plants may need as much light and some may not require such intensity as others. The presence of abundant sunlight can inflict harm to the plant by causing stress, or blocking the growth and development of the plant when there is a lack of it. Probably more appropriate to begin with shorter period of light and then slowly increase the duration as the plant adapt and get used to the intensity of the light. Light projection timing and duration are also important factors to consider for the health and development of the plant.