Whatever is the weather outside, keeping your plants safe from too much of everything can be easier nowadays. From herbal plants that you use in the kitchen to other leafy greens and flowering plants, you can now keep them inside. This is thanks to our latest technology today that allows us to provide artificial light for indoor plants. With this guide, you can learn about how LEDs work for growing plants as well as its benefits.
At the same time, it’ll be easier for you to find a top-rated LED grow light that suits your plants’ needs. No need to waste your time searching elsewhere, below are the top products that can keep your plants healthy.
A grow light is artificial light which helps to increase your plant growth. It’s an artificial source of light which replaces the need for sunlight. For example, in the winter the available hours of sunlight may not enough for the plant to grow.
The grow light will help the plants in penetrating enough spectrum for photosynthesis. The spectrum it provides is the same as the sun or a little that need for cultivation. Not all spectra are necessary for every plant and produce fruits/flowers. It depends on the plants needs.
What Are the Benefits of Using LED Grow Lights?
Ever since LED bulbs were introduced in the market, their customer demand continues to increase over time. In fact, the majority of the bulbs and lighting fixtures that are sold on the market today are LEDs. Thus, even nature lovers nowadays who prefer to keep their plants indoors find ways to take advantage of these lights. So, these are the top benefits of having a good LED grow light:
Energy-efficient
This is the number one advantage of LED grow lights to other lightings since LED bulbs consume fewer watts. However, it can produce the same light that High-Density Discharge (HID) bulbs have. Even with fewer bulbs, you can assure that the biggest portions of energy they use are converted into light than heat.
Unlike traditional lightings, LEDs don’t burn anything just to produce light. Thus, it wastes less energy which turns into heat while you can keep your energy bills at bay.
Eco-friendly
As mentioned earlier, LED grow lights don’t contain mercury, gas, filaments, and any other toxic substances like HID lights. Instead, these light bulbs are designed and manufactured with eco-friendly materials that are 100% recyclable. Thus, you don’t have to worry about you or your plants getting harmed after being exposed to its light. To guarantee this, the best LED grow lights usually have a RoHS certification to prove its quality.
Faster harvest cycle
Unlike outdoor plants that rely on the natural sunlight, indoor plants rely on artificial light from LEDs. These LED grow lights can be used for long hours to help your plants grow faster to increase your harvest cycle. Thus, you can regulate the red wavelength light at the right time to boost the growth of your plants.
You can also alter the daylight hours of these bulbs so you can have multiple harvests during one season.
Healthier plants
Other artificial lightings release more UV rays, IR rays, and heat which harm the plants. But with LEDs, everything extra for the plants is reduced like the green and yellow wavelengths. Thus, your plants get just the right amount of these components which help them grow healthier and longer. In fact, you can also regulate the wavelengths of its lights which help your plants in the process of photosynthesis.
Cooler operating temperature
Compared with HID lightings, LED grow lights produce less heat which doesn’t affect much the entire temperature indoors. This is especially true if you have a greenhouse where more LED lights are installed. Thus, you can cut costs for not needing a cooling system to keep your plants healthy.
ECO Farm ECOF LM301B 600W 8 Bars LED Grow Light
Pros:
Patented with a compact design and powerful performance
Packed with the best and the latest technology for boosting plants’ growth indoors
Uses a lot less energy and produce less heat
ETL, RoHS, CE, and FCC Certified
Cons:
Too pricey
Doesn’t allow you to adjust its single spectrum system for growth stages
Can’t be placed too close to the plants
Gavita Pro 1700e Gen2 LED Grow Light
Pros:
Promotes maximum yield using less energy
Provides a complete and customizable dual-light spectrum
Secondary focusing lenses reinforces its finely tuned spectrum
Gavita grow lights is best recommended.
Cons:
The fans can be a little noisy
The light only covers what’s directly underneath it
Best LED Grow Lights – Buyer’s Guide
If you have decided on your LED grow light, here are a few pointers that you should not miss before making the final purchase:
Spacing
This is a first step. Take out your measurement tape as it is better to know accurate measurements than to buy a grow light on an estimated guess. As each light has a specific coverage area it can offer, hence, you need to know what can you fit within the space you have at home. Knowing you space measurements will also help you out in knowing the feedback from reviewers who had the same growth space as you.
Brand / Price
This will be critical as the grow lights offering better quality will generate maximum benefits. If you’re a learner, you’ll probably want to get your feet wet with a low-priced solution. If you’re skilled, you will know that with LED grow lights – good quality means more price. Knowing the product brand and their reliability is equally important. A popular brand with raving reviews is almost always – a safe bet. ECO Farm LED grow light is best in this aspects.
Spectrum
A full spectrum LED grow light will help your plants grow to their maximum nutritional value. Depending on the stage of growth, you will need a red and blue spectrum, as well as infrared and ultraviolet lights. To ensure maximum growth, it is important to have a powerful light with different wavelengths.
The industry’s full spectrum yields are slightly newer, but they are quick to take their place in a grower’s catalog. Full spectrum grow lights run cool and need no extra fans. They save on energy and cost less overtime. Most LED lights have a variety of colors emitted – including the best LED grow lights that have a full range of IV/UR rays.
Electrical Usage
As they use a lot of electricity, it is wise to get a grow light that cuts down on the electricity bills. An average LED grow light operates for around 10 to 12 hours a day. The higher light intensity you choose (1000w, 400w, 300w etc), the lesser electrical usage takes place in the most cost-effective ways.
Light Control
Depending on the stage, you’ll want to ensure that your plants receive the proper amount of lighting (down to the exact hour). It’s extremely important that light cycles are followed to a tee as it can severely alter the growth and potency of your plants.