Indoor gardening has many practical applications. This type of gardening can be performed inside a house, nursery, or an outdoor setting inside of a greenery enclosure. These are the most popular types of indoor gardening and benefit greatly from the use of high quality grow lights. In this discussion, we talk about indoor gardening and the perks of this very popular past time. You’ll also find reviews of the best LED grow lights currently on the market.
6 Best LED Grow Lights
Peruse our list of the best grow lights reviews. This should help you get a good idea of what to look for and what you would expect to pay.
1. Mars Reflector LED Grow Light Full Spectrum
Mars Hydro offers a full line of grow lights. This particular model features a unique reflector panel which helps focus more light where your plants need it equating to more bang for your electricity buck. The IR 730nm spec is great for the flower stage! It is backed by ETL,CE/RoHS certification and the parts inside are UL certified.
Other notable features is the growth/bloom switches, high intensity Epistar 5W LED chips, 2 year manufacturer warranty, and the included hanging kits. Mars Hydro was founded in 2009 and has five warehouses and repair centers located in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia. As such, they ship locally and usually get things out the door within 24 business hours.
2. Advanced Platinum Series P300 300w 12-Band LED Grow Light
The Advanced Platinum Series P300 by PlatinumLED Grow Lights can truly handle any plant type conceivable. This light features an 12 band spectrum, 60 degree primary lens, 90 degree secondary lens, and a commendable 4.5′ x 8′ coverage area. You’ll be hard press to find anything that out matches this bad boy on a per dollar basis. This model is 300 watts but they also offer 240W, 450W, 600W, and 900W variations.
Rows of 3W LED lamps are the source of its power. These lights, with the effective dual lens configuration, your ensured the greatest amount of light for every watt invested. Another cool little feature is the ability to switch between VEG/Flower lighting presets. This is nice for beginners, letting them jump into growing without learning about multiple bands.
Have no fear, your growing area will not turn into a swirling inferno. This grow light has aluminum coated heat sinks and a cooling system. These fans are fairly quiet and get the job done.
3. G8LED 450 Watt LED Grow Light
The G8LED Grow Light is another all in one for vegetable and flower growing. If you have a sizable grow area, this light may be the one for you. It is capable of giving intense lighting that infiltrates plant canopy from up to 60 inches away.
The greater sibling of the G8LED 450W LED grow light, this item offers a huge 450W of power, making it suitable for grow rooms of 12 square feet or more.
What’s more, this is backed by G8LED’s excellent customer service. You get a two year warranty and the lights are serviced in the USA if anything goes amiss.
You get a solid 8-Band wavelength ratio in addition to the IR (real infrared) and UV (ultraviolet) light. The cooling system is so good that G8LED promises they will still be cool enough to touch after 24 hours of heavy use.
4. Galaxyhydro LED 300W 9 Band Grow Light
The Galaxyhydro LED grow light is one of the most popular on the market. Galaxyhydro has been in the lighting game since 2008, and they’ve got LED products down pretty well.
This particular light comes with a 2 year warranty and 30 day full money back guarentee. The 9 band, 300 watt configuration (100 3 watt Epileds) is great for beginners or those without a huge growing square footage. Combined, that makes for 7,000 lumens of light intensity.
The light is governed by 2 cooling fans and a safety mechanism protects your other LEDs from not working if one is to go out.
5. Apollo Horticulture GL-Series LED Grow Lights
Apollo Horticulture offers a number of LED grow lights for growers of all experience levels, including the UFO shaped light featured above.
They offer larger sized wattages such as their 1200W unit in a rectangular shaped configuration if you’re looking to set up a full fledge warehouse. They’ve also got 75, 135, 180, 300, 400, 600, and 700 watt configurations. If you choose to go with Apollo, you will easily be able to customize the lights to your space by daisy chaining a few together.
Built in fans, two year warranties, rated for 50,000 hours of use, and stainless steel hanging kits are staples of each of Apollo’s lights.
6. California Lightworks Solarstorm 440-Watt LED with UVB
Did your state just legalize marijuana? Are you looking to go big in this new business? Unleash the Solarstorm!
These are some of the best lights in the business, and you can buy a 8 pack for a cool $6,500. If you just go for one, you’re getting 88 premium quality 5 watt led emitter diodes hence the 440 watts.
These lights incorporate high photo-synthetic photon flux tech (PPF) which helps penetrate the canopy of your plants for robust yield results.
Furthermore, California Light Works uses top grade materials only, such as the jewel quality glass optics for the 90 degree lens.
Without a doubt, these 5 options are the best LED grow lights and among the most popular options on the market. Before hitting that buy button we encourage you to check out some of our informational sections below, particularly the ‘what to look for’ section.
What to Look for Before Buying LED Grow Lights
Here are some of the most important features to keep your eye on when shopping for the best grow lights for your set up.
- Lumens/Watts. Your total wattage required will depend on your grow space square footage. Incandescents are traditionally measured in watts, but the brightness of LEDs is determined a little differently. Lumens is the real measure of brightness provided by light bulbs and is the number to keep an eye on when shopping for LED bulbs.
- High Power Cooling System. High power LED lights need cooling, just like high power computer components. Whether they incorporate metal pad or a heat sink and a fan, keeping your fixtures cool is integral.
- Adjustable Output Spectrum (Color). This allows you to adjust the light output spectrum according to your plants needs. Furthermore, you can match the colors to the flowering season allowing you to simulate seasonal light changes. Your plant will think its growing in its natural habitat.
- MCPCB. A metal core printed circuit board will help keep things running smoothly at even extremely high levels of power usage. MCPCB is a space grade technology that is safe to operate at high temperatures.
- Type. There are many options: 2 channel lights, full cycle lights, and programmable lights. Programmable lights are by far the most advanced which let you customize spectrums, alter light intensity, and set lighting schedules. Programmable lights puts the growing process on autopilot and eliminates a lot of headaches.
What is Indoor Gardening?
Indoor gardening can simply be defined as growing more than one plant within a home or other indoor facility. Many gardeners have at least a couple huge pots, sometimes set in a warm zone inside of their home.
The area picked will be dependent on the sort of plants that are being grown. For example, growing plants in pots is a good strategy for specific sorts of plants such as cherry tomatoes, that don’t grow too large.
We all realize that plants require crucial supplements so as to grow. These include sustenance, water, and daylight. While nourishment and water supplies are abundant, sunlight is a limited natural resource. Of course, this is why a grow light system is such an attractive proposition. Being able to control the light equates to consistent and fast growth in your plants. The process of photosynthesis in plants is essentially put on steroids.
One of the best indoor lighting frameworks employed for growing indoor plants in our time are LED grow lights.
For more information about how to start your own indoor garden, check out Popular Mechanic’s how to article.
Why LED is the Perfect Tech for Growing
Why are LED grow lights so important to the growing process? The best lights for indoor gardening have many worthwhile applications. These are easily seen as an investment rather than an impulse buy. Below is an outline of the role that grow lights play in the growing process.
Grow lights transmit rays of light, containing electromagnetic range and UV beams. These resources are ideal for the process of photosynthesis or in the layman’s terms, plant growth.
Plants are grown in water with mineral supplements dissolved in it. Plants that require light for their growth is a procedure known as photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a technique, performed by plants (furthermore by other different creatures and microscopic organisms), in which they convert light energy into substance energy to grow and repair themselves. This light energy combined with water and nutrition from soil, creates the fuel that critical for healthy plant growth.
This is where some of the best indoor grow lights can ignite the growth process. The top indoor grow lights facilitate speedier growth of plants and vegetables. The right system gives a color temperature to the plants which adds an exceptional growth boost. LED innovation gives a superior coverage, better efficiency, and faster results.
LED lights enhance growth by supporting plants with limitless red and blue diodes. The organic matter in plants, herbs and vegetables soak up all these delicious rays with joy. Furthermore, this process is completed without damaging the plant or altering the composition.
Contrasted to a conventional agriculture framework, this light gives you the ability to support your plants even without relying on a temperamental sun. Some even argue LED grown plants yield fresher and more delectable produce (or other special treats).
Once in a while, LED lighting systems have special custom settings, allowing you to optimize the light for your specific plant assortment.
In winter, most plants have a hard time, or don’t grow as they ought to, in light of the fact (no pun intended) that they don’t get adequate light from the sun. Under such circumstances, and numerous others, your yields are put to a quick halt. Grow lights stand as a utility which can keep your plants alive and growing through all seasons. Who doesn’t want fresh, prefect green lettuce for their salads year around?
The Main Benefits of Buying the Quality Grow Lights
Other than beautiful scenery and charming smells, indoor patio nurseries can likewise output a wonderful assortment of goodies to enhance your diet and share with others.
Adding life and magnificence to a room through plant life has been said to add solace and warmth to the inhabitants of the home. Indoor plants are also coveted for their ability to provide better air quality in a home or office.
Here are the top benefits of incorporating LED grow lights in your next indoor gardening project:
- Lifespan. Some of the best LED grow lights have a rated life of up to 50,000 hours. LEDs do not have filaments, metal fatigue, oxidation, or evaporation of electrical components that are common causes of failure in incandescent bulbs and CFLs.
- Eco-friendly. No dangerous gasses making these type of grow lights eco-friendly.
- Versatile. LED grow lights are available in different hues that can be matched to each plant’s unique needs. They emanate just the right light that is required by the plant for their growth. Higher yields can be created and significant costs savings can be had.
- Efficient. Consume less electric power and require 1/5 the energy of a comparable incandescent bulb. This can really make a difference on the ol’ power bill in the long run.
- Design. Best LED grow lights can be configured in smaller sizes or according to your specific setup. They also can be modified according to the specific needs of the vegetation.
- CRI. The best LED bulbs score 90 and above on the Color Rendering Index. On a scale from 1 to 100, this means your getting the highest quality light for your money.
- Performance. The directional light of the best LED grow lights are perfect for setting up the right temperature climate for your plants.
Choosing Best Indoor Grow Lights: 4 Easy Steps
There are different sorts of grow lights that take into account the necessities of different sorts of plants that you have at home. Finding the privilege grow light is an extreme procedure. The accompanying focuses would tell you the things to consider while purchasing best indoor grow lights for your plants.
Step 1: Calculate the Area’s Dimensions
Select the zone you wish to put your grow lights carefully. Take out your handy measuring tape to be sure you can make the most of your space. Obviously, only measure the square footage of the space you plan to have the plants, because you will have the lights above them, not the entire area. Along these ‘territory’ lines you can then select the best LED light fixtures. This simple formula will give you a ball park of what you are going to need:
Square feet = Width x Depth
Required Wattage = Watts x Square Feet
Step 2: Choose the Best Grow Lights for Your Plant Types
Research which type of plant(s) you want to grow and their specific lighting needs. For example, if you wish to grow a high plant like tomatoes, than you will require around 40 watts LED bulbs for optimal growth. If you are going to have herbs and lettuce, you can utilize a grow light of 25 – 30 watts. Determining your desire plants is always a good idea before dropping money on lights. In any case, these days, fancy light systems have settings so you can change them on the go, for example, from 400 to 1000 watts.
Step 3: Select Your Grow Light’s Fixtures
Most plant specialists lean toward utilizing the metal halide apparatuses to advance vegetable growth. For the blossoming plants; they favor HPS or High Weight Sodium. Experts claim that using the right light for the job can improve yields upwards of 20%.
If you want tomatoes, the plant will have heaps of blooms. Consequently, settling on a 400 HPS grow light would be the right choice.
Step 4: Select the Reflector Type
When you choose to have a grow light for your plants, ensure that you pick the right sort of reflector. This is key while wanting to set up grow drove lights as it aides in uniform coverage over the entire growing territory. Level reflectors are extremely effective as they improve the light by 40% when compared to vertical reflectors.
Likewise you can purchase spines that have air cooling attributes and safety glass to zest up the look.
Following these four steps will help you to choose the right LED grow light. You will now be able to turn your full attention to the fun part, watching your plants blossom and bear the fruits of your labor.