Spider Farmer SF4000 Quantum Board LED Grow Light VS Bloom Plus BP 4000 Full Spectrum LED Grow Light
In the past years, traditional indoor operations depends on HPS lamps to supplement sunlight. However, the traditional lamp are low efficiency makes them unsuitable as a single source of illumination.
Because of traditional lamps’ high electric power requirements. There are many other types of grow lights for indoor growth, but light emitting diodes (LEDs) are revolutionizing controlled growth technology.
Advances in LED lighting technology have increased its efficiency at converting electricity into light and are becoming increasingly profitable for indoor farm plants.
LED lights have powerful functions and sufficient cost-effectiveness. They have become popular supplementary light sources in greenhouse plant lighting, and can also become the only light source for greenhouses or indoor farms.
LED Grow Lights fixture have the advantage of being adjustable, allowing you to customize exciting plant light recipes by adjusting settings such as light intensity, duration, wavelength (color), and lighting time.
Therefore, the modern farmers can use the new environment to meet the needs for their different plants. In addition, the growers can alter plant physiology by adjusting the brightness of the light (the wavelength range is particularly important) to delay flowering, increase biomass, accelerate photosynthesis, and many other interesting plant signaling responses.
How do LEDs Compare to Other Grow Lights?
LED lights for plants are often compared to other grow light options like MH/HPS and CFL. Here are the similarities and differences you need to know about:
LED VS. MH/HPS
Many growers with an indoor setup tend to combine LED grow lights with MH/HPS lights. The general opinion is that the latter option produces ‘pretty’ buds while the former increases density.
Nevertheless, if you prefer to have one or the other, your choice will depend on your individual needs. If you are looking for an option with low upfront costs, HPS lights are the way to go. MH/HPS lights are also highly standardized, with most models following the same rules. This is unlike LED lights which have a very high variability degree and require that you read the manufacturer’s manual before use.
That said, an LED grow light is the best option if you are looking for an efficient, power-saving light option that is expensive at first but saves you money over time.
LED VS. CFL
When compared to CFL lights, LED light for plants options come out on top. They produce higher yields than their counterparts for the same amount of electricity — a benefit made possible by the fact that LED lights produce more light than CFLs for the same amount of electricity. Additionally, you don’t need to adjust your LED grow light, as is the case with CFL lights.
In terms of heat, LED lights produce less heat and come with cooling features like built-in fans and heatsinks. These options ensure that the heat is pushed away from your plants so they can grow at optimum temperatures. CFLs, on the other hand, emit a lot of heat for the same electricity amount.
That said, you may want to go with CFLs if the height of your grow space is relatively low. This is because CFL lights can be placed closer to plants than LEDs.
Spider Farmer SF4000 Quantum Board LED Grow Light
Features:
Spider Farmer LED grow light has high energy efficiency with 2.7 umol/J, only consuming 456 watt, Veg footprint is 6 x 6 ft, Flowering footprint is 5 x 5 ft. Currently one of the most efficent LED’S on the market-LM301B Diodes. Evenly placed to give you better light distribution, creating an even canopy. Get up to 50% higher yields with less energy, compared with other red/blue lights. No Fan, means ZERO Noise. Large solid aluminium heat sink, high quality protective covers for cables, waterproof LED, high safety performance MEAN WELL Driver. 50% longer lifespan compared with other brand lights. Allowing you to grow with confidence. The spectrum is composed of Blue, White, Red and IR (660–665nm,3000K,5000K and IR 760nm) composition, provide everything plants desire in the natural sunlight, turn your seeds into your own supply, produce beautiful high yielding plants. Easy to see the true colour of your plants.
Bloom Plus BP 4000 Full Spectrum LED Grow Light
Features:
This Bloom Plus LED grow light uses the latest high-yield LED technology — 1292 Samsung 2835 diodes. Therefore, the BP4000 LED grow light achieves a high energy efficiency of 2.7 umol/J and improves the light transmittance. LED grow lights consume only 400W of power, operating 50% less than other 800W HID/Blurple/HPS lights, while helping to achieve 50% higher yield harvesting. Full-spectrum LED grow lights provide everything your plants need in light at all stages. Powerful blue light makes plants grow faster, while infrared light is especially useful when it comes to blooming, it can speed up bloom time, increase yields, and fill up space with flowers for amazing harvests. Not only does this reduce the number of shoots, it also increases yields while saving energy and costs.
Factors to Consider
The Power Needs Of Your Grow Lights
Once you have your lights set up, you need to make sure there is a reliable power supply. It has to be suitable for the wattage of your lights. Lights with higher wattage will deliver more powerful output. This, however, can be hard to gauge with precision, since different manufacturers will have different outputs from their lights. As a rough guideline, we could estimate — in terms of light hitting the plant — around 15,000–30,000 lumens per square metre is needed at a minimum during the vegetative phase. During the flowering stage, the rough figure to follow is 30,000–50,000 per square metre.
Grow Light Intensity
The intensity of the light itself will increase your yield. This is provided the amount of light available to your plants is optimal. This requires even distribution of the light, as well as an appropriate distance from the plants. The above calculations presumed a distance of 7–10cm from the plant.
It is possible to calculate the distribution of lumens, and therefore, how far they need to travel for best results. The Inverse Square Law states that the intensity of light changes in inverse proportion to the square distance. In other words, the further light travels, the less intense it becomes. Consider that the next time you feel the distant sun’s heat on your face. We advise using a few low-wattage bulbs rather than risking too much intensity from a high-wattage bulb. You will have multiple light sources for your plant that can be more easily adjusted for optimal light penetration.
Distance And Position Of Lights
The distance and placing of lights will be especially important to consider when assembling your grow setup. Some growers prefer to arrange plants in tiered rows around a central light source. Others have vertical towers constructed around a central light source. Ideally, lighting from above gives you the best option for exposing light to as much of the plant as possible. You don’t want it too close to the plant and risk burning. You also don’t want the lights to be so far away that plants don’t reach their full potential.
Finding the sweet spot will depend on calculating the light’s intensity. This may require contacting the manufacturer for precise specifications. For example, LEDs can be hard to gauge. As ballpark figures, LED bulbs of 1W should be at least 30cm from the plant; 3W or 5W bulbs should be 45 centimetres away; high-wattage bulbs of 300W or more need 75cm. This is only a rough guideline however. Again, consult the manufacturer with any doubts.
Spacing Of Indoor Plants
When cultivating multiple plants together, you will need to make efficient use of space. Once again, it’s all about balance. If you pack your plants too tightly together, you restrict airflow and run the risk of mould and other diseases. Furthermore, the amount of light exposure each plant receives will be cut down significantly due to crowding. Unless growing in a sea of green (SOG) setup, plants should generally not be touching or forced to compete for space. This will culminate in uneven results and fewer banger buds to boot.
If you can, ensure that the light hits the plant from top to bottom, as well as side to side. This way, the entire perimeter of the plant is exposed to adequate light. This allows for a much better chance of achieving optimal light penetration. If your plants continue to grow towards each other and start touching, prune and tie as necessary. Your yield may even be more successful with fewer, larger plants.
Conclusion
Overall, when deciding on the right lights, growers need to establish their key objectives. For those who want greater environmental control or need to introduce new spectra and light intensities to optimize plant attributes, LEDs should be the first option.
That said, cost is often top of mind for growers and HIDs can sometimes win out here. Just remember to factor in all long-term expenses including the upfront price, utility fees, and replacement costs when calculating expenditures.
