If you’re testing your gardening skills with plants for the first time, you may be wondering about the best LED grow lights. After all, having a good light source is the first step to successful indoor harvesting.
The question is: what makes the best grow lights better than other grow lights? Between the technical acronyms and the plethora of options to choose from, it can be tricky to buy LED grow lights with confidence (especially when you’re shopping for other grow products like grow tents). Don’t worry — we’ve rounded up all the best LED grow lights for indoor plants and picked the best ones just for you.
What are Full Spectrum Grow Lights?
Full-spectrum grow lights are designed to mimic the sun’s spectrum, from ultraviolet (UV) to visible to infrared. That’s the term manufacturers use, but full spectrum doesn’t tell the full story of what kind of light plants actually need.
For photosynthesis, plants only need light in the 400–700nm PAR (visible light) spectral range. Broad-spectrum white light gives a more realistic representation of sunlight, while full-spectrum boosts infrared light. All in all, maximizing the type of light you harvest will greatly affect the quality of your buds, trichomes and terpene expression.
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.
ECO Farm ECO D700 700W Samsung LM281B Chip LED Grow Light
Features:
This ECO Farm LED grow light features the highest output white chips and Osram chips, with a high energy efficiency of 2.6 umol/J, PPF 1820 µmol/s, LED grow lights provide plants with powerful and high-quality light to maximize yield . The vegetable footprint is 5 x 5 feet and the flowering footprint is 4 x 4 feet. This grow light has an excellent full spectrum (3000K, 5000K, 660nm, 730nm IR, 395nm UV) and is ideal for all growth stages (germination, cloning or cuttings, mothering, vegetative and flowering applications) for higher yields . The dimming knob can adjust the light intensity at will. Designed with daisy chain function, up to 100 lights can be connected. Multi-light connections with uniform dimming are especially beneficial for large-scale indoor and commercial cultivation.
TotalGrow MH Lumyre 720W LED Grow Light
Features:
The TotalGrow LED grow light bars in a slim profile with a built-in power supply that evenly distributes the ideal light intensity across your growing area to meet your growing goals. Superior, customizable full spectrum supports efficient, high-quality growth of any life stage and crop variety. This plug-and-play solution with direct daisy chaining is easy to implement, has low upfront and ongoing costs, and sustainably produces high-quality crops. 720W power, 2.6 μmol/J, meet the light intensity required by your plants. The high-efficiency and low-power LED configuration with 6 LED strips reduces the temperature of the LEDs, with no fans or moving parts, significantly reducing the number of possible points of failure compared to other grow lights. It works out of the box, reducing installation costs.
Features:
Kind LED grow light uses top-of-the-line Osram and Phillips diodes to produce targeted full-spectrum light as well as UV and IR to enhance your plants during flowering. The KIND X750 uses the full spectrum white LED diodes used by top LED companies. Kind’s Targeted Full Spectrum is designed for plants to maximize harvest weight and plant quality. Our spectrum is the result of hundreds of thousands of hours of field testing in the Northern California medicinal plant industry. With 750 watts of power and a 4′ x 4′ footprint, the X750 is powerful enough for commercial growers while still being compact enough for single planting.
Choosing the Right Grow Lights for You
When choosing the best grow lights for houseplants, there are several different factors to consider.
What you want from your grow lights depends on a few things. This includes what you grow, how much space you have, and how energy efficient you want your lights to be.
Watts
Wattage affects the brightness of the lamp. The higher the number, the brighter the light. Higher wattages don’t necessarily provide the best grow light for houseplants.
If your lights are fixed in place, you may need a higher wattage. Wattage is less important if your grow lights are adjustable. This is because you can move the light closer to compensate for the brightness.
LED v Incandescent
The best indoor grow lights are LED. This is because LED lights stay cooler when left on for long periods of time compared to incandescent lights.
Grow lights should stay on for about 12 hours a day.
Heat is how incandescent light bulbs produce light. Therefore, they will be very warm after sitting for several hours. This can have a negative effect on your plants when placed too close together.
Grow lights as part of an indoor gardening system.
Size
Grow lights come in many different sizes, ranging from 6 inches to 36 inches wide. To pick the best light for you, consider how many seedling trays you will be using. Or, consider how many potted plants you want to provide lighting.
If you are using a seed starting rack, choose lights that are the same width as the rack. This will allow you to utilize the entire trellis without any seedlings getting more/less light than others.
Spectrum
Grow lights are special because they contain a spectrum of light that ordinary light bulbs don’t. Full-spectrum light is designed to provide the same benefits as being in sunlight.
The sun doesn’t just emit white light. It actually emits the full electromagnetic spectrum. It consists of all colors between ultraviolet and infrared.
This is why many grow lights appear red and blue.
Full-spectrum lights are the best grow lights if you want to provide your houseplants with good energy.
Hanging v. Freestanding
Most grow lights are secured to overhead racks with cords and carabiners. However, you can also find freestanding grow lights.
Freestanding lights work well if you’re growing on a tabletop or top shelf. Pendant lights are best for those using shelving or a miniature greenhouse.
Conclusion
If I were buying a new LED grow light today, I would not buy a shop light. Spend a bit more and get a much better light.
What is new in 2023? Prices will continue to fall and the efficiency of LED chips will continue to improve which means the hydro cost for running them will drop. I expect to see some new designs that continue to spread the light out to give a more even coverage.
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