Mars Hydro FC 4800 480W LED Grow Light VS Spider Farmer SE5000 480W Full Spectrum LED Grow Light

 When you become a plant parent, you stock up on the essentials: a watering can, pruning snips, a hand trowel, and perhaps a mister or extra potting soil. But a little-known accessory can actually extend the life of your plants tenfold and help them thrive indoors if they need extra bright light, or if you have them in a spot where the lighting isn’t so great.

Meet the humble grow light. This under-utilized gadget allows you to create the perfect lighting conditions for your plant babies — it’s perfect for those that lack a lot of natural light, or for those dark and windowless rooms. By employing a specific photosynthetic light that is scientifically proven to support plant health, our grow lights can help your plants thrive in any lighting environment.

Simply put, grow lights use a specific spectrum of light that mimics the light of the sun. Plant cells absorb the light, convert it into energy, and store it as sugar — a process known as photosynthesis. The plant then uses this energy to grow and give off oxygen. Our grow lights contain LED bulbs, which are the best option for both your plants and the environment — they’re extremely energy-efficient, enhance photosynthesis, and last five times longer than fluorescent bulbs. These grow lights also give off a pleasant white light instead of harsh fluorescent lighting, which makes it perfect for any room in your home.

How to tell if your plant is begging for more light

There are a few telltale signs your plant is itching to soak up more light:

Your plant becomes “leggy” with long, spindly stems and fewer leaves
New leaves emerge smaller than others
Growth slows significantly or stops altogether
The color becomes dull or the variegation patterns fade
The soil seems to take forever to dry out
The first clue is a definite sign of low light, and if you notice a combination of symptoms 2–5, it’s time to move your plant to a brighter spot or think about adding a grow light.

To get started, simply find a spot you’d like to set up your grow light or add it to an existing green corner. Be sure to install your lights directly above your plants to mimic the sun — this will also ensure that your plants grow straight up. LED bulbs give off less heat than fluorescent and incandescent lights, so you can hang your grow lights as close to six inches from your sun-loving plants. The farther away the grow light is from the plant, the lower the intensity of light will be. You can keep a variety of different plants under one grow light, placing the sun-loving ones more directly underneath, with the shade-lovers around the sides of the glow.

Always keep a close eye on your plants for the first couple of weeks under a grow light. Adjust the distance between the light and plants if they’re getting too much light.

How can I tell if my plant is getting too much direct light?

Here are a few signs your grow light is placed too close to your plant:

The leaves develop pale or bleached patches
The leaves wilt or curl up, despite the soil having moisture
The soil is drying out more quickly than you can water it

Mars Hydro FC 4800 480W LED Grow Light

Features:

MARS HYDRO LED Grow Light features 2016 Samsung LM301B and Osram 660nm diodes with an incredible efficiency of 2.85 µmol/J Maximum yield of 2.5g per watt, 30% higher average PPFD, higher yield and quality compared to older lights 50%! High yielding full cycle growth of 3x3 feet using only 480W of perfect light. It’s perfect for commercial LED grow lights, the FC4800 dimmable grow light with daisy chain allows you to connect up to 30 Mars grow lights to your commercial grow, horizontal and vertical farming, greenhouse growing, pipe grow, and Hydroponics. Great for Mars Hydro 4x4grow tents that grow throughout the cycle. This LED grow light has a high-intensity spectrum with enhanced red colour (3200–4200K, 4800–5000k, 650–665nm), perfect for vegetable blooms, adapting to every stage of the plant cycle. The dimmer knob is ideal for growers to adjust the light intensity for different growth stages.

Spider Farmer SE5000 480W Full Spectrum LED Grow Light

Features:

This Spider Farmer LED grow light features a uniquely designed 6 extended LED strips that provide more even canopy coverage, especially on the outer edges of the growing area. With 1680 SAMSUNG LM301B diodes, the SE5000 Led Grow Light consumes 480 watts at 1333 umol/s, achieving an impressive PPE of 2.75 umol/J, covering a high yield full-cycle growth of 4'x4'. The full spectrum (380–410nm, 660–665nm, 730nm, 3200–4200K, 4800–5000K) is ideal for vegetable flowering to suit every stage of the plant cycle. The dimmer knob is ideal for growers to adjust the light intensity for different growth stages. The daisy chain feature allows you to connect up to 30 spider farm grow lights — dimming multiple lights at the same time.

How Much Lightning is Needed?

The output of wattage will vary dependent on the light source.

However, to give a visual picture of a rough estimate, typically you need a minimum of 30 watts per square foot. But 50 watts each square foot is optimal.

Now, calculate the lighting needed for the area you grow.

Let’s say if you light up a growing space of 8 square feet, you need at least 30 x 8 = 240 watts for the area. The optimal light power is 50 x 8 = 400 watts.

Different types of light will produce different wattages. So, a CFL that gives off 400 watts may be equal to 200 watts HPS lights. Room set up, growing style, reflector, surrounding environment may also affect the lighting needed.

Be sure to observe plants’ growth and adjust the light power respectively.

Factors to Consider When Buying the Best LED Grow Lights

Power
Different manufacturers use different metrics to measure the lights’ power; thus, it can be tricky to compare the LED lights. However, the brightness of LED lights is mostly measured in lumens. Scientists usually use photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) to measure the intensity of the LED lights. Measured in μmol/m2/s or photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) usually measured in μmol/second.

Photosynthetic photon flux shows the number of photons produced per second. Conversely, the photosynthetic photon flux density shows the light density dispersed per square meter per second. The higher the PPFD and PPF, the more effective your LED lights will be. However, it is vital to know that the bulb wattage doesn’t necessarily mean that it has a Powerful LED. To know how powerful your light is, check its actual power consumption or actual power draw, usually measured in watts.

Full-spectrum light
Some LED lights usually reproduce only several color frequencies. Since we are trying to imitate the natural sunlight, which comes in all colors, we require a full spectrum of LED lights. A full-spectrum LED usually emits all the colors needed for every stage of the growing process. Some of the full light spectrum colors include;

Blue light- This spectrum color is the first color a plant can absorb and is usually helpful in the earliest stages.
Purple light– Used the same as in the vegetative state; but, it is not as effective as the blue light for photosynthesis.
Red Light– It is vital for the latter stages and helps the buds to flower.
White light- This spectrum light is effective for every growing stage and can be used alone. These LED grow lights have all colors so, they are considered as full spectrum.
When shopping for a LED light for your indoor garden, ensure that the best LED grow lights have a full spectrum lighting so that if you have four plants under one light, they will have access to the same spectrum.

The heat output of the LED light
Using a LED grow light that produces a lot of heat can end up damaging your plants. Most LED lights on the market usually give off very little relative; however, some may emit a lot of heat. It is important to look for a LED light with a built-in cooling system to ensure that the temperatures are regulated. Some of these lights have fans, while others have aluminum for cooling.

Size of the LED lights
When buying a LED grow light, think about the number of plants you are planning to plant and if a portable one will be much more effective. You also need to think about the amount of space that the light will occupy.

Furthermore, consider the area that the LED light can illuminate at once. For maximum results, the surface area of the garden must be smaller than or equivalent to the coverage area of your LED grow light. If some parts of your plants are outside the area covered by the light, it might cause non-uniform growth. Besides, you can decide to install lenses to either increase or decrease the illuminated area of your LED grow light.

The reliability of the LED grow lights
Having invested in a LED grow light, you need to that it is reliable and last you for a long time. To be in the limelight about the reliability of a grow light, check the warranty and reviews from buyers. Also, look for lights that come with additional features.

Conclusion

All of the grow lights in our lineup are suitable for supplementing natural and ambient light to enhance plant growth and health. For those looking for the benefit of added illumination without investing a lot, the Full Spectrum LED Grow light is among the best options. It offers ample light and can be used in an existing lamp or fixture to save money.