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The Ultimate Guide to the Best LED Grow Lights for Indoor Plants

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hydroponics led grow lights ECO Farm

LED grow lights are the best things for indoor gardeners. You don’t have space to grow plants, you want freshly grown vegetables all year, you want summer vegetables in winter or you want some fun, LED grow lights can do all these things. This is a technology of the future for gardeners. LED grow lights have so many advantages on other kinds of horticulture grow lights.

Why Choose LED Plant Lights?

There are many different kinds of grow light fixtures including High-Intensity Discharge or HID grow lights, Metal Halide, ceramic metal halide (CMH), High-Pressure Sodium (HPS), and good old everyday fluorescent lights. All of these types of lights to grow plants have their supporters and applications. However, as the best all-around indoor plant grow lights, my preference is for LED (Light Emitting Diodes) plant lights.

There are a number of reasons I prefer growing with LED lights:

  • LEDs are energy efficient grow lights and last for up to 50,000 hours. If you’re using them on a 12-hour timer this is equal to 11 years. Some people argue LEDs are expensive and, to be fair, they have a higher upfront cost than their HPS counterparts. Over time, however, they are cheap grow lights to run long-term thanks to their reduced power consumption.
  • They can be plugged into a regular socket and usually don’t require a separate ballast so they are easier to use in small spaces.
  • LED plant grow lights produce less heat than HPS grow lights and can be placed closer to your plants without risking damage. Producing less heat also means you expend less energy maintaining the correct temperature in your grow room.
  • LEDs can be customized to emit specific wavelengths of light (for example you can have red LED grow lights but studies show adding green and blue LED grow lights will help plants perform better. With LEDs you can adjust the colour balance to suit the specific plant type.)
  • LED full spectrum grow lights are the best grow lights for cannabis. (I’ll discuss why LEDs are the best lights for growing cannabis in full detail in their own section below.)
  • LEDs don’t contain harmful mercury so they don’t need to be disposed of in a particular way. This, in addition to their energy efficiency, makes LED grow lights the best choice for the environment.

Considerations for Choosing LED Growing Lights

Before you go out and buy grow lights there are some things you need to consider. The best grow lights for your neighbour may not work well for you.

Budget – The first thing to ask yourself is ‘What is my budget?’ While you can buy reasonably cheap led lights these days, it’s always recommended to buy the best you can afford. Don’t be tempted to buy the cheapest lights you can find. As with most things, you get what you pay for when it comes to cheap LED grow lights. That said, if you are on a tight budget, there are affordable grow lights that perform well. You can find our top 5 picks in their own section below.
Space – Plant LED lights come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Obviously, it’s important to measure the surface area you want to cover with your lighting system. Don’t forget to measure the height you have available as well.
Plant Varieties – What are you going to grow? The LEDs you chose for general vegetable grow lights will not necessarily be the same as the best pot growing lights.

Growing Style – How are you going to grow your crops? Are you looking for the best hydroponic grow lights? Do you want the best grow lights for seedlings or flowering plants? Are you looking for the best LED for cannabis grown in the sea of green (SOG) style? The answers to your questions will result in different grow light options.

Best LED Grow Lights Comparison Guide

ECO Farm ECO Blue 120/240W LM301H Quantum Board

Upgraded ECO Blue series growing lights have a dimming knob. A single light can be adjusted the light intensity at liberty. Excellent full spectrum- 3000K/3500K diodes providing more reddish light. The 660nm red light is especially useful during bloom, where it speeds up flowering time and boost yields. Turn your seeds into your own supply. And the light looks fairly natural, so it's good for accurately monitoring plant health. No Fan Noise Free. High Safety performance mean wekk driver, Fair Waterproofing. Update aluminum board is thick and sturdy, doesn't put out a tremendous amount of heat, high-quality protective covers for cables; User-Friendly Packaging. Quality components mean the light lasts longer, but they also save you money.

Horticulture Lighting Group HLG-550 V2 Quantum Board LED Grow Light .High efficiency white light quantum boards;Full-spectrum White and 660nm Red;Reliable passive-cooled design;Better canopy light penetration with diffused light;Dimmable power supply included;Auto sensing power supply works on both 120VAC and 240VAC. Horticulture lighting group's HL G550 V2 indoor LED lamp is designed to replace a single ended 100w HID. Each lamp uses 4 of our custom designed high efficiency white light quantum boards made by Samsung. 500 watts with 1162 highest output Samsung LM201B LED . Comes in either 300K (flowering and full cycle) or 400K(veg only) spectrum.

SpecGrade’s powerful yet versatile Verta is perfect for both flowering and vegging (with a 0-10V dimmer) in indoor applications. Its modular design allows the you to change out the circuit boards should you choose to switch the spectrum or increase the efficacy as technology evolves. The proprietary thermal management system radiates less heat onto the plants while at the same time delivering unprecedented light levels and uniformity. The finely-tuned A1 ‘Entire Life Cycle Spectrum’ has proven at universities and various grow environments to improve the trichromes and taste while cutting operational costs and shortening grow cycles.

PHOTOBIO•T can be applied indoors or greenhouse as a direct 600W HID alternative or retrofit. Patented PHOTO•PRO Photon Regulating Optics ensure the most efficient delivery of plant biologically active radiation (PBAR) to the plant canopy. PHOTO•LOC Light Output Control allows precise control over the photons that are delivered to the plant canopy when used in conjunction with a 0–10V controller. Light energy between 500–599nm penetrates deeper into the plant canopy promoting photomorphogenic responses. High color rendering “white” light aids to rapidly identify potential threats to your crop. Ideal for both flowering and vegetative production.

Conclusion

When it comes to what brand of light you’ll ultimately decide to invest in, no one can make that decision for you.

The best thing you can do would be to research as much as possible.
Make sure you understand the environment you intend to grow in and what that environment will require.
Sizes, watts, the number of lamps – these things all depend on how many square feet you’re trying to cover.
What other gear you’ll need will also depend on what your light is already capable of providing for you.

Thorough research and comparison are the best tools you have. In the long term, it is definitely smart to look for a solution that is among the best led grow light for the money

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