If you’re testing your green thumb for the first time with cannabis, you’re probably wondering about the best LED grow lights. After all, having a quality light source is the first step to a successful indoor harvest.
The problem is: what makes an LED grow light better than the rest? Between the techy acronyms and the sheer number of options to choose from, buying an LED grow light with confidence is no easy task.
Different types of LED grow lights
To simplify your search, there are three types of LED grow lights to know about:
Spread: Spread-style grow lights are panels dotted with small diodes over a large surface area. You get the advantage of targeting many plants, higher output, and a built-in cooling system. Subcategories include quantum board or spider-style.
Traditional Panel: For small spaces, traditional panels come in a compact size and generally include full-spectrum lighting. They’re a “hybrid” style between the spread and COB style.
COB style: Short for “chip on board,” COB style offers powerful lighting from a single source. It targets the plants directly underneath the grow light, emitting a full-spectrum frequency.
LED Grow Lights For Indoor Marijuana
How to choose the right LED grow light for you
As you shop online, you’ll need a basic understanding of what to look for in an LED grow light:
Spectrum: LED grow lights mimic natural light, but unless they’re full-spectrum white LED lights, they don’t always feature every color on the electromagnetic spectrum. If you’re growing cannabis plants from seed to flower, you should look for a combination of blue, purple, red, and infrared (IV) diodes.
Heat output: To avoid leaf burn, the best LED grow lights feature cooling systems such as heat sinks or fans that also help the system from overheating. Optimal LED grow light temperature is between 80-84° F.
Footprint Map: The footprint map refers to how much grow space the light covers at various heights. This is measured in feet and generally falls anywhere from 2’✕2’ to 4’✕4’.
Power: Contrary to popular belief, higher wattage isn’t the best way to assess how much power an LED light draws. LEDs are designed to be cost-efficient, therefore higher wattage may put more of a strain on your wallet. The true measurement of power comes down to how much light a plant absorbs, listed as a 400-700nm PAR rating. PAR stands for photosynthetically active radiation. In other words, it’s the amount of visible light the plant uses for photosynthesis.
Light intensity: The standard for measuring light intensity is micromole per joule. On a product listing, you’ll see this written as umol/j or PPF (photosynthetic photon flux). The best LED grow lights have high PPFs because they produce more photons of light every second. Look for lights with 1.5 umol/j and up.
grow lights for indoor
In addition to PPF, you may see a measurement of μmol/m2/s, or PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density). It sounds technical, but all you need to know is that PPFD measures the number of photons hitting a plant surface per second. You’ll need to gauge PPF and PPFD on the footprint map to understand how intense the light will be at various heights.
Voltage: Often overlooked by home growers, make sure your power outlets can handle the voltage range of an LED grow light, especially if it includes the daisy-chain function. This allows you to connect multiple lights across wide spaces but draws more wall power.
Warranty/Lifespan: Since LED grow lights are a financial investment, having a warranty gives you peace of mind and ensures you’ll be able to return and replace faulty parts. Additionally, it’s better to go for products with a higher lifespan (more hours).
Best LED Grow Lights For Indoor Marijuana Plants
If you’re testing your green thumb for the first time with cannabis, you’re probably wondering about the best LED grow lights. After all, having a quality light source is the first step to a successful indoor harvest.
The problem is: what makes an LED grow light better than the rest? Between the techy acronyms and the sheer number of options to choose from, buying an LED grow light with confidence is no easy task.
Different types of LED grow lights
To simplify your search, there are three types of LED grow lights to know about:
How to choose the right LED grow light for you
As you shop online, you’ll need a basic understanding of what to look for in an LED grow light:
Spectrum: LED grow lights mimic natural light, but unless they’re full-spectrum white LED lights, they don’t always feature every color on the electromagnetic spectrum. If you’re growing cannabis plants from seed to flower, you should look for a combination of blue, purple, red, and infrared (IV) diodes.
Heat output: To avoid leaf burn, the best LED grow lights feature cooling systems such as heat sinks or fans that also help the system from overheating. Optimal LED grow light temperature is between 80-84° F.
Footprint Map: The footprint map refers to how much grow space the light covers at various heights. This is measured in feet and generally falls anywhere from 2’✕2’ to 4’✕4’.
Power: Contrary to popular belief, higher wattage isn’t the best way to assess how much power an LED light draws. LEDs are designed to be cost-efficient, therefore higher wattage may put more of a strain on your wallet. The true measurement of power comes down to how much light a plant absorbs, listed as a 400-700nm PAR rating. PAR stands for photosynthetically active radiation. In other words, it’s the amount of visible light the plant uses for photosynthesis.
Light intensity: The standard for measuring light intensity is micromole per joule. On a product listing, you’ll see this written as umol/j or PPF (photosynthetic photon flux). The best LED grow lights have high PPFs because they produce more photons of light every second. Look for lights with 1.5 umol/j and up.
In addition to PPF, you may see a measurement of μmol/m2/s, or PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density). It sounds technical, but all you need to know is that PPFD measures the number of photons hitting a plant surface per second. You’ll need to gauge PPF and PPFD on the footprint map to understand how intense the light will be at various heights.
Voltage: Often overlooked by home growers, make sure your power outlets can handle the voltage range of an LED grow light, especially if it includes the daisy-chain function. This allows you to connect multiple lights across wide spaces but draws more wall power.
Warranty/Lifespan: Since LED grow lights are a financial investment, having a warranty gives you peace of mind and ensures you’ll be able to return and replace faulty parts. Additionally, it’s better to go for products with a higher lifespan (more hours).