Blog

If you want to invest in supplemental lighting for your grow room or want to get better lighting upgrades. In the long run, LEDs will be well worth the better investment.

Why choose LED grow lights

LED grow lights have gradually become the trend of indoor growing. It is becoming more and more popular among growers. Its high efficiency, energy saving, and long lifespan are all reasons why growers choose LEDs. Compared with HID grow lights, LED grow lights cost fewer electricity bills, helping growers save a lot of money. LED grow lights are more environmentally friendly than traditional grow lights, and LED grow lights can be fully recycled, making them an environmentally friendly alternative to HID lights. HIDs contain a fair amount of mercury, which is very harmful to the environment - especially when burning. On the other hand, LED grow lights do not contain these harmful substances, which means that neither the air around you nor your lights will be damaged.

Easy installation is another feature. The "all-in-one" design of the LED grow light makes it easier to install. Most LED grow lights are plug and play, no need to install ballasts, hanging reflectors, etc.

While buying LED grow lights may seem like an expensive investment at first, buying the right LED grow lights will save you a lot of money in the long run. And they're less harsh on the environment and less on energy bills—they also give your houseplants all the light they need for healthy growth.

What factors need to be considered?

Spectrum

Spectrum will be one of the factors you want to consider. Even though LED grow lights are advertised as full spectrum, you have to look carefully at the ratio of red to blue light in the spectrum. As shown in the figure below, both of their spectra are full spectrum, but the difference is that there is more blue light in Figure 1, and more red light in Figure 2.

Tips: The effect of blue light on plants is directly related to the production of chlorophyll. Plants that receive a lot of blue light will have strong, healthy stems and leaves.

The red light is responsible for making the plant bloom and bear fruit. It is also essential for early seed germination, root growth, and bulb development in plants.

So if you're looking for ways to boost weight and bloom/fruiting, a higher ratio of red is better, and if you're growing leafy vegetables or need stronger plant stems, a higher ratio of blue will be better.

A tunable spectrum is a plus. Some LED lights allow growers to freely switch between the two ratios of the spectrum. For example, the BESTVA DC series has two cultivation modes to help plants grow at various stages. Use the veg switch during the vegetable stage. When it comes time to flower, turn on the bloom switch, and turn on your veg switch as well. In addition, some merchants will also add ultraviolet and far-red light. When you choose the LEDs, it's important to make sure the light you choose provides the wavelengths you need.

PPFD

PPFD is a unit for measuring the intensity of grow lights. PPFD is an indication of how many photons fall on the plant and refers to the amount of light absorbed by the plant. Different models of LED lights have different PPFD. Different wattage LED lamps in the same series also have different PPFD values. Different plants have different light needs, and you can choose your ideal PPFD based on the type of plant you are growing.

Coverage area

If you plan to grow plants at home, then you probably don't need a ton of LED grow lights. However, in the case of a large greenhouse, you need several or more units. You need to know the surface area in order to calculate how much light should be provided.

If the surface area is large, consider getting several units so that each plant receives plenty of light. The ones that are under the light won't have problems with photosynthesis because they get enough light. However, those plants that are kept away from lights may have difficulty growing healthily.

Most businesses will provide an effective coverage area of plant lights, you can refer to these data when purchasing plant lights. Also, read this article for your reference: What Size LED Grow Lights You Need to Buy.

Shapes of LED grow lights

With the advancement of LED technology, the shape of LED lights is no longer a single bulb.

LED bulbs: Small and lightweight, these bulbs are more suitable for lighting up seedlings. But when you have multiple seedbeds, it can be difficult for this type of bulb to provide an even, adequate amount of light to the seedlings.

LED Panels: For commercial producers and hobbyist growers, LED panels are by far the more popular type of LED grow light. The LED panel uses a combination of many LED chips. Full Spectrum LED panels are specially designed for plant growth and flowering, ideal for vertical farming and on-shelf cannabis cultivation.

LED bars: LED bars were originally designed as supplementary lights for mixed light planting, greenhouse cultivation, and seedling propagation. It has single and multiple combinations. The light bar can be suspended by the hanging rope. It can also be fixed on the shelf and cannot be moved. 

Extra features

Growers can also consider other features of LED grow lights when choosing plant lights. These extra features may bring great convenience to your planting.

The dimming function means that the brightness of the light can be adjusted, and the light intensity can be adjusted from 0% to 100%, which can perfectly meet the different needs of plants in different growth stages. Makes it easier for growers to achieve high yields without using a lot of electricity.

The Wi-Fi control feature allows growers to operate remotely from a mobile phone. All you need to do is connect to Wi-Fi, download the mobile app, and you can turn the lights on or off on your phone, adjust the brightness of the lights, set the duration of the lights, and set a schedule based on the photoperiod of plants/crops, etc..

Some LED grow lights also have a daisy-chain function. In the case of commercial planting, daisy-chaining provides increased flexibility and make planting easier. This means that growers can daisy-chain the units together, using the controller for group control of multiple lights. This is a game changer for medium and large scale growers with multiple rooms who want complete control of their lights.

Final thoughts

Many growers are discouraged by the high upfront costs associated with LED lights. But considering the later cost, LED is still a worthwhile investment. So if you're planning to buy LED grow lights, be sure to consider the tips above to find the best one for your plants.