Top 12 Full Spectrum Indoor Grow Lights Of 2024
Brandon Forder May 8, 2024 11:41 PM
Attempting to replicate sunlight's effect on plants grown inside is typically the most difficult challenge. It's too hot to use sodium, fluorescent, or high-intensity discharge (HID) bulbs because they consume a lot of energy.
Compared to older LEDs, newer models are superior in both of these areas. The best LED grow lights can improve your hydroponics/aquaponics system by checking out our review list and purchase advice.
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Last update on 2024-05-08 / Affiliate links / Images, Product Titles, and Product Highlights from Amazon Product Advertising API
What are you growing?
Different types of plants require different amounts of light. In general, full-spectrum light is required for photosynthesis to take place.
However, it appears that blue and red lights are still the most important even for this purpose.
Plants that originate from areas with a lot of sunlight, such as the Mediterranean, will require more light intensity than those that originate from areas with a lot of rain.
In order to grow lettuce and herbs, you'll need 25 watts per square foot of light, although tomatoes, which require 50 watts or more, can thrive in low light.
This is only a rough estimate. Each kind has its own set of requirements.
What type of LEDs do you need?
Full spectrum lighting and separate veg and bloom lights are available.
A plant's entire life cycle can be lit adequately with full spectrum lights, which are all-around products.
However, in some cases, a more narrow emphasis could be the better choice. For example, you may have different growing and flowering sections in your system.
You can use a vegging LED light for growth and a blooming LED light for flowering in these situations.
Programmable settings are already standard on many high-quality full spectrum lamps. Depending on the maturity of your plant, you can choose between veg or blooming light settings with these.
Size
Consider the number of plants you intend to cultivate before choosing on a grow light size. A lighter and more portable light may be preferable if it will be moved from one location to another, however if it will remain in one location, its portability is less of an issue. To make sure it's safe and doesn't become tangled up in drapes or furniture, think about where you're going to put it.
Type
Grow lights come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including panels, overhead fixtures, and even those that screw into a conventional light fixture. Determine what kind of plants you have and where they are positioned to help narrow down your options. Hanging lights tend to be larger, whereas desktop lights are more compact and may be moved about more easily. The planter with a built-in light is a great option if you're looking for an all-in-one solution.
Wattage
Even though wattage isn't as critical as you may think for grow lights, it's still something to keep in mind. PPFD, or photosynthetic photon flux density, is the more relevant metric, as it estimates the specific light production of a lamp. 2
Wattage is a valuable technique to find the correct fixture for your plants because it is difficult to figure out. As a general rule, 32 watts per square foot is all that is needed for most indoor plants (particularly herbs).
Adjustability
When it comes to growing plants, the majority of people choose for full-spectrum lights. Serious indoor gardeners, on the other hand, may prefer lights that can be dimmed and changed to a variety of hues to better match the growth stage. You may adjust your lighting to suit the needs of different plants and seasons by using a variety of colors.
Power
You may get an idea of how powerful LED lights are by checking their wattage, but it doesn't tell you everything you need to know about their power. Incandescent lamps use more energy, but they don't produce as much heat as LEDs. Lumens (abbreviated "lm") are used to express brightness. One of the advantages of LED lights is that they don't burn leaves as much as fluorescent bulbs did before LEDs were invented. Internal cooling systems are common in bigger spread-style LEDs as well as LEDs with reflective aluminum surfaces designed to improve efficiency.
Connectivity
Many grow lights may be linked together in the same way as Christmas lights, allowing you to cover a larger area without needing numerous outlets. Two to six grow lights, on average, have a maximum number of lights that can be connected securely.
What exactly is full spectrum LED grow light and why is it important?
To begin, familiarize yourself with the color wavelengths of light. It's the range of colors we perceive or don't notice in the light. 380-740 nanometers is the range of visible light that our eyes can detect. The chlorophyll in the leaves of plants also takes advantage of these wavelengths; it utilises these light sources to produce food. The only exception is when the green light is flashing. This is why plants have green leaves: chlorophyll only reflects green and does not absorb it. In this post, you may learn more about these topics.
Plants, on the whole, are particularly sensitive to the colors blue and red. Plant growth necessitates the presence of these two key wavelengths. During the vegetative phase, plants require blue light, whereas during the flowering stage, they require red light.
Understanding this, many LED grow light manufacturers have made it possible to provide the light hues plants require with their LED lights.. Different color wavelengths can be generated using the programmability of many current LED grow lights. There are a wide range of light ratios that can be set at different phases of growth for plants.
Full-spectrum LED grow lights are those that emit light with a broad spectrum of color wavelengths.
So light intensity (or the power of light output) and light color are two of the most essential factors that affect plant growth (color wavelengths).
For light strength, you can choose a bright light, but for light colors, you should choose one with a wide range of color wavelengths (or full spectrum).
Because of this, I'm going to go over all the full-spectrum LED grow lights on the market and help you choose the best one for your needs.
How long should grow lights be on for?
Plants' needs, your location, the time of year, and your location all factor into how long your grow lamp should be running for best results. Generally speaking, if your plants get some natural light, they don't need as much artificial light as a plant that doesn't.
Do you have to use LED lights?
Although certain fluorescent and incandescent bulbs can work, grow lights are most typically recommended to use LEDs. In order for plants to grow indoors, it is essential that the bulbs provide full-spectrum illumination and emit waves of red and blue light.
All of the Led product reviews are here for your reading pleasure.
This list is far from exhaustive. However, we've done our best to select the best and most proven LED lights for growing. We're confident that, no matter what you decide, your indoor garden will be a huge success.
Happy growing!
