So you’re growing a bunch of plants from seed this year, and you need to invest in a grow light setup. Before you sell your firstborn to pay the full bill, here are some of the best seedling grow lights I’ve found, depending on your budget and the space you have.
I’m going to break it all down for you in this post and give you my recommendations.
Can you grow indoors with too much light?
Yes. Just like humans with sunburn, your plants may burn or bleach if you use too much light.
More wattage can mean more light output, but also more heat output, which can cause plants to burn. If the output of your grow lights is higher than 1300 µmol, your plants enter what is known as photoinhibition, where they start spending more energy removing excess light than growing to their full potential. As a result, you’re left with wilted brown leaves and dying plants.
Some growers counteract this by providing plants with more nutrients and introducing carbon dioxide into their growing space. This is an expensive way to grow indoors. Not only are you introducing the cost of CO2 and added nutrients, but a 1300 µmol grow light requires almost twice as much energy as an 800 µmol grow light. You’ll also need an additional cooling system to remove the extra heat to keep your grow room from overheating. At the end of the day, you’re spending a lot of money just to generate 15% more!
ECO Farm SP-400 Samsung Foldable Dimmable Full Spectrum LED Grow Light
Features:
ECO Farm LED grow light is equipped with 1088 high-efficiency Samsung LM281B LEDs. It has a market lighting efficiency of 2.8μmol/J and an output of 2.5g per watt. The average PPFD is increased by 30%, and the actual power is 420 watts. Proven high-yield full-spectrum (lm281b LEDs (3000k+5000k) + RED 660nm + IR 730nm + UV 395nm), with enhanced deep red 660nm. Born for big buds, the plant responds quickly from seed to flowering, which speeds up the flowering time and increases the yield. The relaxed dimming design meets the needs of different growth stages of indoor plants. No fan, no noise. The aluminum light bar can better dissipate heat and keep cool, and at the same time spread the light evenly. Save you a lot of ventilation and exhaust costs. The most powerful daisy chain-up to 100 lights can be connected, the controller can be used, especially suitable for homes, planting tents, planting rooms, greenhouses, gardens, and hydroponics.
Kind LED X420 Grow Light For Indoor Plants
Features:
This Kind LED grow light combines great innovation with a new shape optimized for home growers. The full-spectrum diodes used by the White LED Company were originally designed for home and office use. Kind’s Targeted Full Spectrum is specifically designed for plants to maximize harvest weight and plant quality. You can have both ultraviolet and infrared rays, which are essential to increase flower development and increase the production of secondary metabolites, thereby increasing potency and terpenes. The external drive mount of the New X series can also reduce the light height by 60% (more growth space) and reduce the heat output by 25%.
Spectrum King LowPro Veg 420 Watt LED Grow Light
Features:
The Spectrum King LED Grow Light is designed for commercial and large growers who do vertical farming on the shelf. The LowPro Veg 420 Watt Grow Light makes it easier than ever to grow plants on a shelf close to the plant. This incredible light produces great coverage with only 6 inches to 3 feet of clearance from your plants. With its low-profile profile and easy installation, we’ve made it super easy to grow plants on shelves close to them. Add manual dimmers for finer control or larger installations Get our remote power system and program your light schedules, levels, group sections together…
How Many Grow Lights Do You Need?
Before you set out to buy grow lights, be sure to check how much space is available in your designated grow room. The difference between a spare closet and a large basement grow room can affect your choice of the right grow lights.
If you’re growing on a small surface, it’s unlikely you’ll need more than a lamp or two. Larger spaces obviously require multiple lights of greater capacity. Choose equipment that matches the available floor surface. If you use a lamp that is too hot or produces too much light, you run the risk of scorching your plants.
In general, we can add that growing for higher yields requires grow lights of greater wattage. You can choose multiple low-wattage lights, but you’ll likely benefit more from fewer lights and higher output.
You’ll often see grow rooms with walls covered in silver foil. This is a smart way to increase lighting efficiency. The foil reflects light so that it hits the leaves from different angles. No matter which grow lights you choose, these tips are always worth considering.
What is the best wattage for LED grow lights?
Don’t let manufacturers fool you when they say their products have “high power” wattage. Wattage is not the best indicator of power. The best indoor grow lights use PAR, PPF, and PPFD to measure how light intensity is measured. That said, you can determine the optimal wattage by measuring your growing space and then multiplying each square foot by 32. In other words, 32W/sq.ft.
Conclusion
Indoor gardening is slowly gaining popularity, and so is the equipment needed for it. Previously, you could only grow plants and fruit in your background that suited your surroundings. But now, technological advances have brought a lot of devices that can help you grow all kinds of plants even if you don’t have enough light around you.
One such device is an LED grow light, which allows you to build your own growing platform with plenty of light. To avoid confusion due to the number of different options and their different attributes, we have listed the best options for you above.