July 01, 2022
Can an LED really do all of those things?
Yes!
The main reason that LED grow lights weren’t as popular until recently was mainly due to quality and cost. There is no shortage of cheap LED lights, and there’s just as many that are very expensive.
So which LED grow lights really give the most bang for your buck? Which lights are worth the cost while still delivering a higher standard of quality compared to HPS and CMH lighting?
Here are the top best LED grow lights that you should consider trying in 2022.
Different LED Grow lights emit different wavelengths depending upon their spectrum pattern. These different light wavelengths stimulate different stages of plant growth, and thus while choosing the correct grow light, you must check its spectrum according to the sort of stimulation you want. For example, LED that is perfect for vegetation might not be as effective with flower development.
But Full Spectrum LED Grow Light caters the plant stimulation at different stages according to your need, and thus you can use it for all. Full-spectrum grows light is an adjustable LED light that emits lights of different wavelengths similar to the Sun. In other words, Full Spectrum Light emits all wavelengths of light that are emitted from the sun.
Many plants not only require red or blue light but all the colors of visible light (even in a limited amount) for proper growth. For such plants, Full-Spectrum light is the best suitable option. For example, the plant requires different lights of different wavelengths at its various growth stages, and thus it is advisable to use full-spectrum light for its healthy growth.
ECO Farm ECOZ 510W Samsung 301H Chips LED Grow Light With Separately UV+IR Control
Features:
The ECO Farm grow light is Built with the best parts, Top Bing Samsung LM301H & Osam Chip and brand driver for higher efficacy and longer lifespan; to ensure high-efficiency PPE 2.75umol/J, better heat dissipation, and long service life. Compared with old plant lights, the average PPFD is increased by 30%, and the yield and quality are increased by 50%. With 6 LED growth lights, each rod is covered with high-grade glue, waterproof, and easy to clean, not easy to be filled with dust. This plant growth light also uses a special dimmer, which can precisely adjust the brightness. 0–10 levels are optional. This means that you can see clear brightness levels and record while adjusting. No need to worry about differences. Full-Cycle Sunlike Spectrum, close to natural sunlight. The spectrum applies to the entire stage of indoor planting. This ECO Farm LED grow light has 3 channels control, freely adjust the tube according to different growth stages; VEG dimmer control white light 5000K, a Bloom The dimmer controls white light + red light (3000K+660nm+730nm), and a UV dimmer that controls UV 395nm. it is a fanless and zero-noise design, which is very quiet.
Viparspectra KS5000 500W LED Grow Light
Features:
VIPARSPECTRA LED Grow Light uses market-leading Samsung LM301H diodes (3.10 μmol/J) and Osram 660nm diodes, more energy-efficient LEDs that increase crop yields and save operating costs. High-end components give the KS5000 incredible performance. The KS series is designed for individual or commercial growers who want to optimize their growing space for maximum crop yield while producing the highest quality crops. The KS5000 Dimmable Grow Light with Daisy Chain allows you to connect up to 100 KS5000 grow lights to your commercial grow, horizontal and vertical farming, greenhouse grow, pipe grow, hydroponics, 4x4 grow tent. A built-in dimmer allows you to dial in the perfect PPFD for your plants at all growth stages. The KS5000 features a detachable power supply that can be remotely mounted on the side of a rack or on an adjacent wall to dissipate heat from your grow space.
When you are growing plants, grow lights are one of the most critical elements of your entire indoor setup. They play an important role because the light that comes from them acts as a replacement to the natural light of the sun. However, this light, unlike the natural sunlight, can be controlled and manipulated based on your needs. This is why it is essential for you to make sure that your grow light remains in top condition and lasts you for a long time. Having a good performing grow light gives you a direct benefit when growing plants.
Here are some tips that you can follow to ensure that your grow light remains well-maintained for a long-term period.
Avoid Excessive Daisy Chaining
One of the biggest mistakes that people often tend to make while using grow lights is that they go overboard with daisy chaining, especially when using them in a larger setup. Generally speaking, it is not advised to daisy chain more than 3 grow lights together. For the fourth one, we recommend using a separate, dedicated, plug point instead of having it connected to the other three lights. Sometimes, daisy-chaining can cause an overload on the power source and can even lead to short circuits or fire-related damage, which are dangerous situations!
Ensure Proper Temperatures
Another thing that needs to be kept in mind is the temperature of the area that you are growing in. If you are growing in a hot place, we recommend you to make use of grow lights that emit very little heat (check out some 2022-build fanless LED grow lights for that). Besides the lights heating up, make sure you are using sufficient cooling mechanisms to keep the grow area cool because heat can often damage the lights and cause the circuits to melt — a damage that can take a long time to fix. If not treated in time, this can even result in damaging your plants as heat is bad for your plants as well. We recommend using air conditioning to ensure lower temperatures.
Keep Them Protected From Water
Just like you would with any other electronic item, make sure that your grow lights remain protected from water too. Water and electric devices don’t go together and water can be extremely damaging to them. Given that plants need a lot of water to grow, and nutrients are also provided to plants along with the water, you will need to be extra careful that you don’t accidentally spill over any water on them. You can find a number of waterproof grow lights in the markets, which are considerably safer to use vs regular grow lights that don’t have any such security measure.
Keep Them Away From Dust
Dust is often the biggest enemy of most electronic items. The problem that dust causes is that it does not allow the heat to escape and can often damage (the often delicate) internal mechanics of the grow light. Dust traps heat inside the light and heat leads to a damage in the circuits. To ensure that your grow lights are remaining safe from dust, try cleaning them up with a brush from time to time, or just make sure you are using them in a dust-free environment. This is usually something that isn’t that big of a problem when you use grow tents, but if you are using lights outdoors, or in a grow room with open ventilation, you might have to watch out for dust. Make sure you’re cleaning your lights from time to time to avoid any dust-related damage.
Don’t Move Them Around Too Much
Grow lights, especially the modern-day panel-based variants, aren’t the most durable ones. You have to move them around very carefully to ensure that they do not bump into something or accidentally fall down. This is a general practice that applies to pretty much any piece of electronic item that you are working with, try not to bang it around too hard and it will work just fine.
Set UpSurge Protection
A fluctuating electric current can also damage grow lights, just like it does to most other electronic items. A surge in the voltage can lead to circuits being fried out which will lead to the grow light malfunctioning. Sometimes these surges can even cause fire-related accidents which you might want to keep an eye out for. Make sure you are taking sufficient measures to enforce a good quality surge protection while using grow lights.
Make Sure You Hang Them Correctly
Grow lights, when used inside a grow tent, are hung from the top. Depending on the different phases of growth, you might need to raise them or lower them too. This is something that has to be done in a very precise and careful manner. If you don’t hang your lights correctly, the first impact will be on the plants that you are growing as some portions will have light come to them from a closer distance while others will have it come from farther away. The bigger threat is that a poorly balanced light can topple over and fall any day — and can get damaged due to the impact of the fall. Hence, make sure you’re hanging your grow lights in the right way.
Investing in LED grow lights is a smart decision to make, especially if you see yourself taking on indoor gardening for a long time.
If well taken care of, the LED grow lights can last you more than five (5) years before they start showing signs of wear and tear.
While the cost might be a bit steep upfront, the returns you get from this investment pay for itself in no time.
October 20, 2023