November 01, 2022
Experienced growers know that the success or failure of your cultivation relies on three major factors: Soil, water, and light. No matter what other variables you’re going to tweak, you must get these three elements dialed in if you want to enjoy an abundant harvest.
For the overall cost of your grow, though, choosing the right light can make it all seem worth the time and effort… Or break your wallet and your overall yields. While LED grow lights may not have been a great option even 5 years ago, advances in LED technology have made them our hands-down favorite style of light for consistent, low-maintenance indoor grows!
The only problem with LED grow lights for growing plants? There’s a lot of imitators on the market, trying to sell bargain-bin lights at a premium price. That’s why today, in this review, we’re going to be presenting a comprehensive guide to choosing the right LED grow light for your indoor grow.
With every product taken from a well-vetted source, we’re presenting only the best of the best products from all three styles of LED grow lights. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!
Simply put, a grow light is actually an electric light used to help plants grow. Originally, plants would grow naturally due to the Earth’s sun. Photosynthesis requires sunlight. Photosynthesis isn’t just a random word you hear in high school science class — it’s the process plants use to convert light, water, and oxygen into carbohydrates (their source of energy).
Grow lights are usually different from your regular lights; they usually try to mimic sunlight, or they try to provide the ideal light spectrum for certain plants. Some people use different temperatures when growing certain plants to help create the best environment for them.
Mimicking the sun isn’t always a priority, because with a custom grow light setup, you can create an environment that’s better than what’s found in nature.
For example, if your plants can benefit from a lot of sunlight — and a typical day doesn’t provide that — then with grow lights, you can create the most ideal environment for your plants.
So who would find out about using grow lights? various people.
Right now, growing bulbs for houseplants is increasingly used in agriculture. This allows farmers to grow large numbers of plants in a more controlled environment, most of the time free of the specific pests and other hassles they might encounter when growing plants outdoors. Many people find growing plants indoors modern and futuristic appealing, especially due to the benefits of placing them in a controlled and monitored environment free from potentially harmful weather conditions.
While grow bulbs will obviously be highly popular with farmers, many who live in highly urban areas may find it helpful to use grow lights to grow plants indoors. Think of someone who might live in a relatively small apartment in New York City. Basically no backyard for them to grow any plants. Thankfully, many people get the most out of grow lights by keeping their plants inside their cupboards, for example.
ECO Farm ECOT 120W Dimmable Samsung LM301H Quantum board LED Grow Light with UV&IR
Features:
ECO Farm led grow lights are suitable for all growth stages, with excellent full spectrum-white, blue, red and IR (3000K, 5000K, 660nm and IR 760nm and 395nm UV), especially 660nm red and infrared lights are very useful in bloom, It can increase the growth rate of plants and make the flowers bigger and more vivid. The full-spectrum LED grow light has a 30% higher yield than HPS or other SMD LEDs or fuzzy lights. Lower operating costs and higher output-Using today’s latest high-yield LED technology-Samsung LM301H diode, high energy efficiency of 2.8 umol/J. The PPFD value in the central area provides strong light output and uniform canopy penetration, resulting in higher output.
Features:
This LED grow light uses Samsung LM301H diodes, which are very durable. High energy efficiency of 2.75 μmol/J, lower cost and higher efficiency, consuming only 100W. More efficient than traditional HID lamps. Dimmable ballasts can adapt to the growing needs of plants at different times. The VS1000 Full Spectrum LED provides the best spectral coverage — more power for your flowers and maximum PAR output at all distances, plus super bright light your plants will love. The VS1000 eliminates the need for a grow light fan thanks to the unique exterior design of the power supply and vents. No fan means much lower noise.
Features:
Noise-free grow light solutions are designed to keep your plants healthy as they would in natural sunlight. This is because LEDs emit full spectrum light, a combination of 3500K, 660nm and 7500K white light. Thanks to the latest SMD technology, the efficiency of the grow lights has been increased. With smart technology, light can penetrate deeper and promote overall plant growth. You can use dimmers to reduce operating costs and adjust the performance of light fixtures. It can adjust the light intensity from 0% to 100% in an instant. Built-in 300 SMD LED chips to ensure a service life of 50,000 to 100,000 hours, without worrying about any untimely expenditures during its life cycle.
— — Color variations of the LED grow lights are directly connected to the intended purpose.
Adding other colors to the spectrum, such as green, far-red, and deep blue aids this process by giving plants more information about their environment and overall resulting in higher quality plants (quicker growth, more secondary metabolite accumulation, etc). A spectrum that contains all colors is called a full spectrum and mostly resembles sunlight. If it has high proportions of green, the light will appear white to human eyes, and while not a crucial factor for plant growth, it does make the workaround of these lights easier and makes a visual inspection of the plants possible.
— — LED lighting systems can be configured to provide optimum photosynthetic photon flux density.
Photosynthetic flux density (PPFD) refers to the total amount of light that actually arrives at a plant surface. Higher PPFD levels generally translate into better plant quality and higher indoor crop yields. Because LED lighting systems operate at lower physical temperatures than traditional indoor lighting, LED fixtures can be placed closer to plant surfaces to generate those higher PPFD levels.
— — LED lighting produces larger plants and better crop yields.
Indoor cultivation that utilizes LED lighting is superior to crop production that relies on older artificial lighting sources, and in some ways, it may produce more bountiful harvests than outdoor cultivation which is subject to inconsistent amounts of sunshine and variations in weather patterns.
— — LED lighting is durable.
LED grow light system will generate high-quality light for more than 50,000 hours of use. LED lights are resistant to vibrations, shock, and impact from external objects. Their durability makes them ideal for exposure to weather, wind, and rain. They are even strong enough to be a good choice when there is a concern of vandalism, traffic-related impact, or on construction sites
Grow lights are a good investment unless you know your indoor plants only need very low light, or are sure to get enough natural light from windows. Obviously, there are enough options to suit every space, budget, garden and style. So, choose the light that works best for you and sparkle a little love in your indoor garden.