Compare LED grow lights and choose the right one
Like many new technologies, the range in prices and quality of LED grow lights is wide, and that can make choosing your best option challenging.
How can you choose among all the LED grow lights and get the right one for you and your plants?
What are LED Grow Lights For?
LED grow lights are a relatively new horticultural introduction, although NASA has been studying them for decades. Are LED lights better than traditional grow lights? That depends upon the crop on which they are used, as well as economic and energy expenditure factors. Just like fluorescent and incandescent bulbs, LED bulbs produce light that is needed by plants. Most plants need light waves of red and blue. The chemicals that control plant growth respond to both colors differently.
Types of LED grow lights
By now, you might have an idea of what brand of LED grow lights would be best for your crop and how many watts are required for your grow space. Now, you will discover the different LED unit options available to you.
If you are growing plants from seedling to flower you will want to purchase a full cycle LED light. However, you may only need lights for vegging or blooming.
Lights designed for high-light plants and vegetable growth/flowering have many different options including single-channel lights (on or off); 2 channel lights that have a veg and bloom mode; and programmable lights, such as California Lightworks, Kind LED, Mars Hydro, and Viparspectra that allow you to set light schedules, customize spectrums, and alter intensities.
The programmable lights are by far the most advanced LED grow lights that will make for an almost effortless grow. It is safe to say that the LED grow light industry is moving in the direction of fully automated panels.
Advertised LED Chip Wattage
Most growth studies suggests that the best wattage for an LED chip is 3 watts. 1-watt chips give off the least amount of heat, are the most efficient, and are the most stable and long lasting. However, some people claim most 1-watt chip lights may not pack the power required to penetrate deep into the plant canopy. Growers and LED companies state that 3-watt LED chips possess the perfect balance between cost, size, and heat generation (or lack-there-of). In addition to the 1-watt and 3-watt chips, are 5-watt chips and higher. These are the most intense, but are least efficient and might not last as long as 1-watt chips. Overall, chip wattage does not matter too much.
Final Thoughts
There are many different types of indoor grow lights, each catering to a different type of gardener or horticulturist. Despite this wide range of choices, LED lights seem to be the most energy-efficient and cost-effective, making them perfect for growers looking to live a more sustainable existence. Commerical LED grow lights show the world that it is possible to grow plants indoors while saving energy and money.
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