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In today’s post we will learn how to choose the best LED grow light for you plants – whether for growing ornamental plants or for growing vegetables and flowering plants completely indoors.
There are so many plant grow lights available in the market and choosing the best one can be a really tough job! So, Then How do you choose the right LED grow light to grow plants indoors?
Choosing LED Grow Lights: 5 Essential Factors
There are many important factors to consider while choosing LED lights. Let’s split this into 5 sections, and please follow this video till the end. I’ll try to keep it concise and simple without bothering you with too much physics.
The Purpose of Buying a Plant Grow Light
A grow light or plant light is an artificial light source designed to stimulate plant growth by emitting a light spectrum similar to that of the sun. Grow lights are used for horticulture, indoor gardening, plant propagation from cuttings, seed germination, indoor food production (especially in zones with inadequate sunlight), indoor hydroponic gardening, and growing aquatic plants.
Check at Amazon
These are some of the cheaper options available online on Amazon. Most of these are low-cost products without any warranty or proper specifications. If you want to grow indoor plants that need minimal light, you can use these options, but be aware of the risks as there is no warranty and the longevity of the lights is uncertain. Prices range from $5 for a 5-watt bulb to $30 for certain models. However, the light intensity and quality of photons they emit are often too low, and you may require multiple lights placed close to the plants, which can be impractical.
The best option is to invest in a high-quality, reliable grow light like the TS-1000 from Mar-Hydro Company. It’s a reputable company with 9 years in the LED grow light business, offering a range of products including grow lights and tents. The TS-1000 setup costs around $200, which includes a powerful 150-watt light and a large, well-designed grow tent. You can check their website mars-hydro.com for more details.
Light Intensity
This is the most important factor to consider. Light intensity refers to the amount of light a bulb emits. To determine this, check the manufacturer’s recommended footprint to know the area in square feet covered by the light. For example, the TS-1000 model covers a 3 x 3 feet area in bloom stage and a 4 x 4 feet area in the vegetative stage, with a distance of about 18 inches and 24 inches from the source, respectively. For more detailed information, refer to the PPF, PAR chart, and PPE values provided by the manufacturer.
A few more tips: The light is most intense at the center of the light source and less intense at the edges. Seedlings and young plants require cooler light intensities compared to vegetative and blooming plants. You can achieve this by either increasing the distance of seedlings and young plants from the light source or placing them at the peripheral areas.
Color Spectrum
Ensure you select the correct spectrum based on the growth stage of your plant, such as the vegetative stage, blooming stage, or full growth cycle from seedling to harvest. There are two types of spectra for LED lights: Targeted and Broad Spectrum. A higher blue spectrum is better for the vegetative stage, while a higher red spectrum is better for flowering. Some fixtures offer tunable spectra, allowing adjustments like red-only or blue-only settings.
The Mars-Hydro TS-1000 is a broad-spectrum LED light that works effectively from the seedling stage to harvest. You only need to adjust the distance using the ratchet mechanism provided. This model features multi-color LEDs and a dimmer screw to fine-tune the light intensity according to your needs.
Wattage
Wattage refers to the electrical power measured in watts. It does not determine the intensity or quality of light but provides a general idea of how powerful your LED grow light is. The model number, such as TS-1000, does not indicate the actual wattage. For example, the Mars-Hydro light is about 150 watts. Generally, 30 to 50 watts are required per square foot of coverage. For the vegetative stage or indoor plants, about 30 watts or less per square foot is sufficient, while flowering plants typically require about 50 watts per square foot.
Warranty
Most LED lights from reputable companies have a high lifespan of at least 50,000 hours and are unlikely to have problems. However, choose a company that offers a warranty of at least 1 year. Mars-Hydro offers a 3-year extensive warranty on every grow light they sell, which is a great advantage.
You can use the discount code GARDENTIPS to avail a discount on their website mars-hydro.com.
