Growing weed has been revolutionized by the evolution of LED lights. Whether you’re a professional grower or an avid, dedicated aficionado, these growing lights can create the perfect environmental growing conditions with very little effort.
No matter how innovative they are, choosing the wrong kind of LED lights can do irreparable damage to your plants and destroy your entire yield. Before buying a lighting system, make sure you’ve done your homework and researched the type of set you will need. There are some specific points you will want to be clear on when you get ready to make your purchase. Make sure you have covered all points in order to avoid serious problems down the line.
Do some research into the various brands to find the best led grow lights in 2021. Read customer reviews and ratings. Ask for recommendations from like-minded friends. Remember that when it comes to LED lights you get what you pay for, so be prepared to spend a decent amount of money on a good, reputable product.
Compare Different LED Light Brands Before Purchasing
Choose a brand and type that are constructed of good quality, sturdy materials. A good set of grow lights can last for as long as 10 years and will maintain their effectiveness the whole time. Customer information has indicated that the highest quality lights are manufactured in the United States.
Since your LED lights will be in use for at least 10 hours a day, every day, keep in mind that your utility bill will go up. Check out the wattage of the light set you choose. Just because they’re available up to several thousand Watts doesn’t mean that you necessarily need to purchase something that strong. In most instances, a 300-Watt set is all you will need.
One of the main considerations when it comes to purchasing grow lights is the heat output. Depending on the size of your growing area and how close the lights will be to the plant, you will want to choose the safest, lowest, and most effective heat output.
In the event that you do your research, but you still end up purchasing the wrong set of lights, make sure you know the return and exchange policy for the product you’re purchasing. This will also come in handy should you discover that your light set doesn’t work as well as it was supposed to.
How Do LED Lights Work When Growing Cannabis
Modern LED lights have made great strides in the cultivation of weed. They are far more effective then grow light systems that were popular just a few years ago. Today’s systems feature full-spectrum lighting, also known as wideband spectrum. This means that they are not limited to emitting only blue and red lighting as was most commonly seen in most “traditional” grow light systems dash the kind that gave off the bluish-purple hue that was often called “blurple”. New LED light systems incorporate green light into the purple and blue spectrum, which has been proven to improve and accelerate plant growth. The full spectrum lighting is also less stressful on the eyes.
During the plant’s flowering and budding stage, the spectrum colors red, far red, and infrared are instrumental in the health and development of the plant and its components. The manufacturers of modern LED light systems have created unique lenses that concentrate the light’s rays directly onto the plant. This results in deeper penetration and greater yield.
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Types of LED Lights
Traditional Panel Lights
Traditional Panel LED lights feature compact lamps and diodes of low to medium wattage. Panel lights are still the most popular style of grow lights. This is because experts agree that they combine the best features from the other types of grow light systems.
Spider LED Lights
The Spider type of LED lights are quite a bit like Quantum Boards. They also feature single diodes that are small in size and dispersed while being held on arm-like features of the system rather than being placed on a solid board-type formation. This type of grow light tends to be pricey, but those who use this system say that it is the best type of grow light system available.
Quantum Board LED lights were first developed by the Horticulture Lighting Group. The term is now commonly used to describe any LED light of this type. Quantum Board lights usually feature low wattage diodes that are dispersed on a board-type design. This type of light system is quickly gaining popularity.
COB Grow Type Lights
COB, or Chip On Board, light systems feature large LED bulbs. Each of these bulbs is extremely bright, emitting intense rays. This is due to the fact that each one contains several LED chips concentrated in a compact space. They give off more intense lighting than other kinds of LED lights. Each COB requires a large amount of electricity to work period rather than utilizing dozens of smaller size diodes. This kind of LED light system features a few large size COB’s . Each one of these contains powerful lenses that focus the light directly onto the plant, making intensive penetration possible, expediting growth and expanding volume.
The Top LED Grow Systems For Weed as Ranked in 2021 are as follows:
Professional’s Choice
King Plus 1200 Watt LED Light: Features full spectrum for indoor or greenhouse use. Highly effective cooling system, free hanging hook design.
Best 300 Watt Choice
VIPARSPECTRA UL Certified 300 Watt LED Light: Features daisy chain design. Full spectrum for indoor plant growing. Quiet, high speed cooling fans.
Exceptionally Powerful Choice
BESTVA DC Series 2000 Watt LED Light: Full spectrum grow lamp, designed for greenhouse and indoor hydroponic growing with a powerful cooling system.
Best Choice For The Money
ROLEADRO Grow Light: Full spectrum GalaxyHydro series plant light for indoor, greenhouse, hydroponic growing.
Best All-Around Choice
Mars Hydro TSW 2000 Watt LED Light: Full spectrum grow lamps for indoor, hydroponic, greenhouse growing. Features Ir to assist in fast bloom. Features dimming capabilities and silent cooling fan.
What is The Most Frequently Used LED Light When Growing Marijuana
Traditional Panel Lights
Traditional Panel LED lights feature compact lamps and diodes of low to medium wattage. Panel lights are still the most popular style of grow lights. This is because experts agree that they combine the best features from the other types of grow light systems.
Spider LED Lights
The Spider type of LED lights are quite a bit like Quantum Boards. They also feature single diodes that are small in size and dispersed while being held on arm-like features of the system rather than being placed on a solid board-type formation. This type of grow light tends to be pricey, but those who use this system say that it is the best type of grow light system available.
Quantum Board LED lights were first developed by the Horticulture Lighting Group. The term is now commonly used to describe any LED light of this type. Quantum Board lights usually feature low wattage diodes that are dispersed on a board-type design. This type of light system is quickly gaining popularity.
COB Grow Type Lights
COB, or Chip On Board, light systems feature large LED bulbs. Each of these bulbs is extremely bright, emitting intense rays. This is due to the fact that each one contains several LED chips concentrated in a compact space. They give off more intense lighting than other kinds of LED lights. Each COB requires a large amount of electricity to work period rather than utilizing dozens of smaller size diodes. This kind of LED light system features a few large size COB’s . Each one of these contains powerful lenses that focus the light directly onto the plant, making intensive penetration possible, expediting growth and expanding volume.
What Makes A Good LED Light
LED lights must be used correctly to get the best results. Knowing what you are doing and what to expect form the type of light system you are using will have them paying you back when the time comes. Many feature built-in cooling systems that make it possible to hang lights directly above the plants with no worries about ducting, fans, or ballasts. They save on the electricity bill and there are no worries about issues with heat.
Plants that are grown using good-quality LED light systems are popular for resulting in sticky, potent, “aromatic” buds.
Compact Fluorescent Grow Lights (CFL Lights)
The most frequently used grow light traditionally used to grow marijuana has been the CFL. CFL light systems are trusted among growers of all kinds. They were used for generations. Due to this they were the choice over LED lights despite the fact that LED lights have long been known to be the more efficient technology. LED lights are proven to deliver superior growing results. CFLs need to be adjusted on a daily basis; in comparison, LED lights are virtually maintenance-free.
LED lights don’t give off the excessive amount of heat that CFLs do. They feature modern cooling systems like fans or heatsinks, and this makes it easier to maintain the grow area at a temperature that is just right, for both the plant and the cultivator.
Even so, there are some instances where choosing CFL lights makes sense. One of these instances is when your indoor growing area is of a smaller size. This is because in order to be effective LED lights must be be kept at a greater distance from the plants than CFL lights. As a rule of thumb, LED lights need to ideally be twelve to eighteen inches above the plant canopy, and CFL lights need to be placed only a few inches away.
The hotter your grow area, the more air that needs to be circulated throughout the room, and the more attention that must be given to the temperature almost constantly. This indicates that LED lights are safer overall the environment. With so much consideration being given to the environment and ecological concerns, global warming, and the future of our planet, it is very easy to understand why growers of all levels would be happy to choose the effective and more environmentally-friendly of the two choices.
Final Thoughts
This is where LED lights are the clear winner. The substantial decrease in CO2 emanations indicates that the earth will benefit from such responsible choices. LED lights don’t require special disposal like other types of lighting frameworks do.