The Best LED Grow Light Systems

LED lights are also called light emitting diodes. These lights systems came out on the market a few years ago for use in the indoor plant growing industry. There are several things to consider while choosing the best type of led grow lights such as the brand, light output and the quality of the components.

Advantages

Before LED grow lights came out, the main options available to indoor growers included high-pressure sodium (HPS) grow lights and fluorescent lights used during propagation. Unfortunately, high-pressure sodium bulbs use an extraordinary amount of electricity because they produce a large amount of heat. LED lights produce virtually no heat so the plants no longer need large cooling systems to combat the heat produced by HPS bulbs.

Wattage

Consider the number of LED lights used to compose the bulb. Many standard brands costing about $100 use 225 lights per panel, with each bulb ranging from 0.05 watts to 0.09 watts. While this may be enough light for one plant under three inches tall, it is not enough for larger plants or operations. Consider that you would need at least 15 of these lights to produce the same amount of light as one higher wattage LED light system. The best LED light grow systems use a minimum of one watt per bulb.

Beam Angle

The beam angle of the light system refers to the amount of space underneath the light that is illuminated with the correct amount of wavelength for the plants to thrive. For instance, a beam angle of 90 degrees has a larger angle below it than a 60-degree beam angle. The greater the beam angle is the larger amount of area light spread out to the plants. Most new light systems use 60 or 90-degree angles. This angle reduction helps large plants to thrive by producing concentrated beam of light. This requires the grower to install light panels every couple of feet based the number of plants grown.