First off, if you have never grown under any type of lighting this article will serve as a guide to
understanding what you could grow with some quality LED Grow Lights.
We might explore and talk about PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density) or DLI (Daily Light integral) PAR PPF and a bunch of other acronyms to confuse you. We’ve selected an article on light science that can explain it much better than we. can.
Off the bat LED lights are far more efficient and last longer than traditional indoor/greenhouse systems. This means that the amount of energy consumed is far less than that of its predecessor the HPS or CMH.
LED means Light emitting diode, These diodes emit light for a much longer lifespan than traditional HPS bulbs.
These traditional HPS/CMH systems were invented a long time ago and haven’t really been updated for efficiency since 1986, Sure the bulbs have changed for various applications and spectrums or sizes etc but they still chew up your electricity a lot more than the newer more recent LED grow light systems. Not all LEDs will be good for growing plants, some LEDS are less efficient than others. It’s good to stick with a reputable brand, for example, Osram, Samsung or Phillips. These companies are the leaders in LED technology.
Next up we talk Spectrums. LED Lights provide a full spectrum of visible light. Meaning we can almost simulate the same light that we experience when we are outside. The spectrum is basically a range of colours ranging from Blue to Green to Red allowing the plant to photosynthesize. On either side of the blue and red we have Ultraviolet light and Infrared light respectively. LED lighting allows you to grow all year round with a full spectrum of light promoting healthier plants and bigger yields.
Another great advantage of using LED lights is that the LED grow system does not give off a lot of heat (BTU). Thus makes it much easier to control your climate indoors. It doesn’t take alot to cool a driver in a tent, a small fan pointed directly at it will keep your light cool no problem. The aluminium heat sinks that come attached to your array of LED Diodes dissipate the heat passively. Traditional HPS growers complain a lot about the heat during summer and sometimes even winter (down in South Africa)
Finally as we have already touched on LEDs lifespan is about 50.000 hrs. If you make the right choice in buying the correct grow system this can keep you growing no problem for at least 4-6 years depending on how you use the light but 6 years if you use the light on a 12/12 schedule. Compare that to the older systems and you are saving tons of cash.
Either way you look at it LEDs come out on top every time. Energy consumption, Coverage, colour, durability and longevity. It’s just the right choice for the day and age we live in today. The technology is advancing very quickly and are becoming even more efficient. If you are looking to grow all year round indoors or in a greenhouse, LED Grow lights are what you need to be looking at.
Love Your Grow.
☝️💡⚡