7 Great Tips for Selecting the Best Grow Lights
Pro Tips for Indoor Growing with LED Lighting
Indoor cultivation of any type of crop requires management of many more variables than traditional outdoor cultivation. This is great for professional growers because of the finely tuned control mechanisms, but it comes with its share of challenges to get the specs just right. Indoor growing with LED lighting gives cultivators a strong tool to manage some of the more important variables for better plant growth and crop yields, including heat, light intensity, and spectrum specification.
Choose the type of light you need
There are several types of Led grow lights that emit different kinds of light for different stages of the growth process. The blue light, or the cool light, is good for the plants as it encourages bushy growth, while the red light is located at the opposite end of the light spectrum and is great for the blooming stage because it releases a hormone response that creates blooms. The reddish or orange light created by some Led grow lights usually produce heat, but some lights can also create a full spectrum of light without emitting any heat.
Adjustable Output Spectrum
If you are an experienced plant grower, then you know how important the varying intensities of light prove to be. LED lights are dimmable ones. A good quality grow light should give you the possibility of adjusting the intensity of light to the user or grower. This way it will be easy for you to bring about seasonal changes in light emission. What this does is provide to the plants a more natural environment of growth. Let us take you through an example. Blue light is significant of the summer sun while the redder shades indicate the fall! Both of these are required for the growth of the plants.
The LED Chip
You always want to look for chips that are at least 3W, any less than that won’t give your plants enough consistent light coverage. This means each chip needs to be 3W, not 3 lights of 1W LEDS, so look out for that when reading the description. The 3W chip offers the best quality in whites, blues and reds.
The Output
This is also important; you want to read product descriptions for total output. How many units does the lamp claim to have? This can be 300W, 400, 600 or even 1000. Always check for the output and look for at least 300W.
Low Heat Output
LED grow lights with low heat output provide the best value in two essential ways:
Since lights that generate little heat prevent the environment from becoming too hot, the grow space requires less cooling than spaces where high heat output LED lights are in use.
High heat output LED lights tend to fade and burnout more quickly than cooler LED lights that reduce both replacement costs and the time spent installing the new lights.
Manufacturer’s backup data
You’ll need to read the fine print to make sure the information provided is relevant to your grow room scenario so you can make an informed decision. This includes factors like installation height, tray area and grouping (light overlap). You’ll want to make sure you’re speaking the same language as the data sheet authors. For example, when you want to understand the power consumption, look for input power, not LED power or bulb wattage.
Apollo Horticulture HPS and MH Wing Reflector Kit
Apollo Horticulture stands behind their products that are efficient, affordable, and provide fast results. This particular grow light system is versatile and is offered in the sizes and powers needed for everything smaller home grows need for a great yield in production. The ballast system is also protected under a 2-year warranty should anything fail during its use.
This system is shipped complete with bulbs that work together to cover the ranges of blue, red, and orange light spectrums for seedlings to production plant stages. It also includes a timer, digital dimmer, and a complete reflector hanging system to place your lights exactly where you need them. These HID lights use one MS bulb, and one HPS bulb for energy efficiency and quality light coverage to ensure all your plants are receiving sufficient energy for growth and production. These types of lights do produce heat, and so proper placement is a must to protect against fire hazards, as well as too high of ambient temperatures for your plant health.
ECO FARM CREE COB LED Grow Light
This Eco Farm grow light uses the latest LED tech with a full spectrum emitter and double sets of UV and IR wavelengths. It’s economical and has a unique LED configuration.
Twin panels in the grow light use the latest COB technology which gives off less heat for their high intensity. The full spectrum core shines in a round footprint of up to three feet in diameter.
As the middle-sized power unit of this COB led grow light, it produces excellent light in the circle it illuminates. You’ll get exceptional results if a single large thriving plant is your goal.
Indoor cultivation of any type of crop requires management of many more variables than traditional outdoor cultivation. This is great for professional growers because of the finely tuned control mechanisms, but it comes with its share of challenges to get the specs just right. Indoor growing with LED lighting gives cultivators a strong tool to manage some of the more important variables for better plant growth and crop yields, including heat, light intensity, and spectrum specification.
Choose the type of light you need
There are several types of Led grow lights that emit different kinds of light for different stages of the growth process. The blue light, or the cool light, is good for the plants as it encourages bushy growth, while the red light is located at the opposite end of the light spectrum and is great for the blooming stage because it releases a hormone response that creates blooms. The reddish or orange light created by some Led grow lights usually produce heat, but some lights can also create a full spectrum of light without emitting any heat.
Adjustable Output Spectrum
If you are an experienced plant grower, then you know how important the varying intensities of light prove to be. LED lights are dimmable ones. A good quality grow light should give you the possibility of adjusting the intensity of light to the user or grower. This way it will be easy for you to bring about seasonal changes in light emission. What this does is provide to the plants a more natural environment of growth. Let us take you through an example. Blue light is significant of the summer sun while the redder shades indicate the fall! Both of these are required for the growth of the plants.
The LED Chip
You always want to look for chips that are at least 3W, any less than that won’t give your plants enough consistent light coverage. This means each chip needs to be 3W, not 3 lights of 1W LEDS, so look out for that when reading the description. The 3W chip offers the best quality in whites, blues and reds.
The Output
This is also important; you want to read product descriptions for total output. How many units does the lamp claim to have? This can be 300W, 400, 600 or even 1000. Always check for the output and look for at least 300W.
Low Heat Output
LED grow lights with low heat output provide the best value in two essential ways:
Since lights that generate little heat prevent the environment from becoming too hot, the grow space requires less cooling than spaces where high heat output LED lights are in use.
High heat output LED lights tend to fade and burnout more quickly than cooler LED lights that reduce both replacement costs and the time spent installing the new lights.
Manufacturer’s backup data
You’ll need to read the fine print to make sure the information provided is relevant to your grow room scenario so you can make an informed decision. This includes factors like installation height, tray area and grouping (light overlap). You’ll want to make sure you’re speaking the same language as the data sheet authors. For example, when you want to understand the power consumption, look for input power, not LED power or bulb wattage.
Consider the PAR
Photosynthetically Active Radiation or PAR is the light that is beneficial to the plants. It is the alternative to sunlight that plants use so they can photosynthesize. Full spectrum LED grow lights can have different PAR values depending on the manufacturer. With that said, a higher PAR value does not necessarily mean the bulb is better.
The PAR should be evenly distributed among the plants, which is the reason why you need to know the surface area of your garden because those that are directly under the light will receive more PAR while those further away won’t. The best LED grow lights you should consider are those that can evenly distribute PAR.
Apollo Horticulture HPS and MH Wing Reflector Kit
Apollo Horticulture stands behind their products that are efficient, affordable, and provide fast results. This particular grow light system is versatile and is offered in the sizes and powers needed for everything smaller home grows need for a great yield in production. The ballast system is also protected under a 2-year warranty should anything fail during its use.
This system is shipped complete with bulbs that work together to cover the ranges of blue, red, and orange light spectrums for seedlings to production plant stages. It also includes a timer, digital dimmer, and a complete reflector hanging system to place your lights exactly where you need them. These HID lights use one MS bulb, and one HPS bulb for energy efficiency and quality light coverage to ensure all your plants are receiving sufficient energy for growth and production. These types of lights do produce heat, and so proper placement is a must to protect against fire hazards, as well as too high of ambient temperatures for your plant health.
ECO FARM CREE COB LED Grow Light
This Eco Farm grow light uses the latest LED tech with a full spectrum emitter and double sets of UV and IR wavelengths. It’s economical and has a unique LED configuration.
Twin panels in the grow light use the latest COB technology which gives off less heat for their high intensity. The full spectrum core shines in a round footprint of up to three feet in diameter.
As the middle-sized power unit of this COB led grow light, it produces excellent light in the circle it illuminates. You’ll get exceptional results if a single large thriving plant is your goal.
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