FloraGear FLORA X4s 240w Full-Spectrum LED Grow Light VS Advance Spectrum 240W Sun Series Model E 4-Bar Full Spectrum LED Grow Light

 With so many indoor grow light options, especially in the LED market, it has become really confusing to figure out which grow light to buy.

And when it comes to buying a full spectrum LED grow light, not all LEDs are built the same way. You need to pay attention to both the quality and quantity of light a fixture produces if you want to understand the real power that LED grow lights can deliver to your canopy.

In this article, I’ll help you figure out how to buy the best full spectrum LED grow light for your money. By the time you’re done reading this article, you should feel confident enough to make your own choices.​

Why start an indoor garden?

The concept of indoor gardening is pretty straightforward — it’s the act of growing produce inside your home, either due to a lack of outdoor space, cold temperatures that prevent certain products from growing, or the desire to pick fresh food from the comfort of your kitchen. Not only can gardening be a relaxing and often rewarding hobby, but it can also provide you with the freshest produce all year — no supermarket runs for each meal. Indoor gardens also give you total control over a plant’s growth and its environment, for better or worse.

“Very little nutrients are lost from harvest to consumption in the indoor garden,” said Julie Bawden-Davis, a master gardener behind the site Healthy Houseplants and author of “Indoor Gardening the Organic Way.” “Plus, there is nothing quite so exciting as seeing seeds start to sprout in your indoor garden and then watching them grow into plants and produce edible fruits and veggies.”

Many types of products can be grown indoors, from fruits and vegetables like cherry tomatoes, peppers, and microgreens to fresh herbs like thyme, parsley, and rosemary. Experts told us the key factor is lighting; it can be difficult getting enough sunlight for plants to grow indoors — even if they have enough soil, many plants grow thin and weak without enough light, if they even grow at all.

“Other factors, such as proper watering or fertilizing, can be more easily learned and manipulated, but without the correct amount and type of light, plants won’t thrive,” said Bawden-Davis, adding that most indoor gardening kits come with built-in full-spectrum LED lights that simulate daylight and lead to plant growth.

An indoor garden does have its limitations, of course. Experts told us cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli, and cabbage, which typically thrive in colder temperatures, don’t usually grow well indoors. Larger vegetables that need a lot of room to grow, such as pumpkins and watermelon, are also difficult to grow indoors.

What Color LED Grow Light Do I Need?

If you’ve noticed your yields are always below average, it might be the color of the lights you’ve been using. Different color lights have different effects on the plants they’re lighting. Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish or what stage your plants are currently in, you’ll need a specific color of LED grow light.

Blue Light
Blue lights with a Kelvin color temperature from 5000K to 6500K or wavelength in the 400–500 nanometer range are best for the vegetative stage of the grow cycle and for starting seeds indoors. This color range light is responsible for leaf growth and stimulates the production of secondary pigments in the leaves that can enhance the plant’s color and fragrance. Be careful when using blue light LEDs though because too much blue light may stunt the growth of certain species. These lights are particularly good for lettuce and other crops where a short, dense growth is desired.

Green Light
Green lights are commonly used during a plant’s dark cycle because it doesn’t trigger photosynthesis or photoperiod hormones. This means it does not disrupt the plant’s “night” cycle while allowing you to navigate the grow room to water, check timers, and spray nutrients or bug repellant. These are particularly useful if your crop requires short periods of daylight with long nights.

Red Light
Red lights from 2000K to 3000K and 640–680 nanometers are most important in the flowering stage. This range of light promotes stem growth and overall plant height because red light signals that there are no other plants above it so it can grow unimpeded. They also encourage fruit and chlorophyll production, so they can be used to extend the light cycle of long-day plants and vice-versa for short-day plants.

FloraGear FLORA X4s 240w Full-Spectrum LED Grow Light

Features:

FloraGear LED Grow Light is perfect as a standalone light for small tents or as an ‘entourage’ lamp within a larger HPS or CMH grow. Made for the serious grower, and featuring OSRAM LEDS, the FLORA X4s is the ideal system for veg and flowering/bloom spaces up to 3'x3'. Designed and made for rugged reliability, its 240w of full-spectrum LED light provides steady input required for plants to reach full genetic potential during both vegetative and bloom stages. Can be part of up to 100-light system using an RJ14 hardwired network. Engineered to operate in damp spaces: a clear lens shield protects from moisture.

Advance Spectrum 240W Sun Series Model E 4-Bar Full Spectrum LED Grow Light

Features:

Advanced Spectrum LED Grow Light comes with a full spectrum design closer to natural light. Plant exposure to the grow light bar boosts the terpene level. It ensures better and complete plant growth — from seedling to harvest. This high-performance LED grow light works well with plants grown in water and soil. The plug-and-play system is easy to implement with minimal cost. All die-casting aluminum bodies offer great heat dissipation for the long life span of the light. It ensures that the system stays cool and consumers get high output. The grow light comes with a manual dimmer that helps you manually set the right spectrum for the plants at different growing stages. It offers you complete control over the output. This highly efficient LED grow light offers more than 50% energy savings.

Major Factors to Consider

Now that you understand the science behind full spectrum LEDs, here are the most important factors you need to consider when you are deciding which to buy.

Cost

Right now, full-spectrum LED grow lights are expensive. The costs of setting up a system that depends on these lights can be more expensive than standard HPS or HID setups.

However, you will save a lot of money in the long run due to the efficiency of LEDs vs. HID lighting. For example, the average lifespan of an HPS bulb is around 10,000 hours. Compare this to a 50,000-hour lifespan for LEDs and you can see the cost savings you’ll accumulate over time.

You can run a full spectrum LED setup for 15 YEARS before you need to consider replacing it. So, in short: if you can afford the initial setup cost, you’ll thank yourself in the long run.

Size

Most HID or CFL lighting setups are bulky and cumbersome. This isn’t necessarily bad, but if you’re trying to grow in a smaller space it can make it difficult. Full-spectrum fixtures are relatively small and don’t require ballasts or reflectors, freeing up space in your grow tent or grow room.

Heat​

Light and heat are forever intertwined. The temperature of your grow room is a vital variable, and grow lights are one of the biggest contributors to rising temps. It’s why grow room ventilation is so important.

Full-spectrum LED lights don’t really have this problem though. Some growers actually have to heat their rooms artificially during colder months due to how low the heat output is from this type of lighting. That means that if you’re growing in a warmer climate, you won’t have to worry about overheating your grow room.

Conclusion

Different houseplants have different lighting needs, but in general, are adapted to less intense light than plants that normally grow outdoors. For houseplants that thrive in lower light conditions, regular room lighting and natural light through windows may be enough. LED grow lights can provide light to plants that need more.