November 18, 2021
Growing plants indoors tends to be trendy these days. This can benefit you in finance and is suitable for those who want to save. To be better in saving, you can look for the best cheap LED grow lights.
As growing plants indoors may lack natural light, especially in winter, this will cause some drawbacks to your plants. That is why you need the grow lights system to replace the natural light.
There is a variety of grow lights to choose from. But it depends on what your plants need, what you have and which brand and style you like. It is possible to possess a quality product matching with the low cost but still last you for years.
This article contains full detailed reviews of some best budget grow lights for you to look at. Let’s get started now!
When a plant is exposed to light for a greater number of hours each day, its growth rate significantly improves.
For this reason, many gardeners across the globe have started employing special lighting to allow their plants all-day access to the best lighting conditions.
Certain varieties of grow lights can also speed up plant growth and lead to healthier, looking flowers and fruit.
A grow light is also ideal for those gardeners who want to keep their plants indoors.
For example, if you live inside a small apartment, you might not be able to position all your plants in a place that directly catches the sunlight.
So, instead, you can opt to use a grow light to keep your indoor garden thriving. Once you get the hang of using these lights, you can even add new plants and keep on growing your collection.
If you’re keen on installing a grow light within your indoor (or outdoor) garden, you’re in the right place!
LED colors are important because they have different functions for the growth of your plants:
Blue: provides more energy to plants through chlorophyll synthesis, to stimulate germination.
Red: contributes to efficient germination and flowering, and stimulates photosynthesis.
Blue and red combination: both colors contribute to optimal growth and complete impacts on the plants.
It is also important to know that there are many grow lights labeled as ‘full-spectrum’. This simply means that they emit light across a full-color spectrum, including colors other than blue and red.
ECO Farm 660W Commercial Full Spectrum LED Grow Light
Features:
This ECO Farm LED grow light comes with 2160pcs leds. Excellent spectrum mimics the sun spectrum, optimizing the whole stages of indoor growing plants from seed to flowering, to maximize the yields and ensure crop quality. This LED grow light builts in a 0–10V dimming control knob, to satisfy the plant’s growth stages needs. This grow light for indoor plants utilizes an advanced aluminium heat-sink design, No fans ZERO noise, 6 aluminium led bars that offer an excellent heat dissipation to protect plants and expand grow light lifespan. Indoor grow lights utilize a high-low profile design, ideal for vertical grow configurations and greenhouse. Adjust the hanging height to suit the plant growing needs and maximize yields. At 660W, 1782 µmols light output is higher than HPS lights, while using less energy. Each Led dimmable grow light for indoor plants full spectrum is super durable and reusable with 50,000 hours life design, provides 5 years worry-free warranty.
FloraGear FLORA X6 660w Full-Spectrum LED Grow Light
Features:
The FloraGear LED grow light for the serious grower, the FLORA X6™ features OSRAM LEDS and is ideal for flowering & bloom spaces up to 4'x4' or up to 5'x5' vegetation. Engineered for years of trouble-free operation, its full-spectrum light is strong and true. Actual 660W grow light with 2.1umol/J High Energy Efficiency, PPF output reach up 1344umol/s, get 50% greater yield compared with the traditional lights. Plug & play, up to 40% energy saving, high quality and 50000 hours long lifespan can mostly reduce your electricity bills and maintenance fees. The bar structure LED grow light provide you more even and full canopy coverage, make the light more concentrated, make the illumination is more uniform. With 6 passive-cooled bars, no-fan no noise design, give you a quiet cultivation environment and extend plant light lifespan.
It is vital that, when choosing a grow lamp or lightbulb, you select it by lumens. The term “Watts” describes the amount of power the bulb uses. “Lumen” defines the amount of light the bulb gives off.
Remember the light intensity categories from earlier? This is how many lumens each category needs:
High Sun: 7000 lumens per square foot
Part Sun: 5000 lumens per square foot
Low Sun: 2000 lumens per square foot
You probably noticed the description “per square foot.” That’s right… you can’t just go out and purchase a 7000-lumen lightbulb and call it a day. As soon as the lumens leave the bulb, they start diminishing. So, the amount you start off with doesn’t mean that’s the amount your plant is soaking in.
How do you know how many lumens are reaching your plants? If you already have your grow lamp setup, you could invest in a light meter. If you’re trying to determine how many lumens you need before you purchase a light, you can also use this equation:
Lightbulb Lumen Output ÷ Distance in Ft. to Plant² = Light Intensity
And you thought you wouldn’t ever use algebra again! (Just remember to square the distance to your plant first, and you’ll be fine.)
Choose warm white light bulbs with high brightness
Actually, the high-brightness bulbs commonly available on the market can be used as a primary small grow light, especially those with a color temperature around 3000 Kelvin, which is relatively beneficial to plant growth. The disadvantage is that these kinds of bulbs do not have a full spectrum, and their functions are not complete compared to professional grow lights. But for those who do not have any experience and find professional grow lighting fixtures too expensive, this will be a great choice, both affordable and quite convenient.
Choose LED grow light bulbs
LED grow light bulbs or fluorescent grow light bulbs? The answer is that LEDs are a better choice. First of all, they are energy efficient. Although LED light bulbs are much more expensive to buy than fluorescent light bulbs, they use only half the power and can last five times as long. What you should know is that plants usually need at least 14 to 18 hours of light a day, so you can save a tons of money by using LEDs. What’s more, They also release less heat, and mercury-free LEDs do not break like glass fluorescent lights, so there are also fewer safety hazards.
Choose grow lights with full-spectrum
When deciding to buy grow lights for your plants, always remember to choose a light with full spectrum. Full-spectrum lights can simulate sunlight to the maximum extent and cover all stages of growth, which is best for indoor growing. However, if your budget is not enough, at least choose grow lights with blue and red light. Blue light can promote plants to produce more chlorophyll, allowing plants to grow better and faster. Red light is essential for flowering varieties. When plants mature and begin to bloom, red light help them prolong the flowering period. It is important to note that if plants use the same light color too much, they may grow a little deformed.
If you want crops that grow year-round, having a greenhouse with proper lighting is essential regardless of exterior conditions. There’s a lot to think about when it comes to putting together the best greenhouse for your plants, but with the information we’ve provided, we’re confident you’ll make the right choice every time.
October 20, 2023