ECO Farm ECOZ 250W Samsung 301H Chips LED Grow Light VS Jungle LED G2 240W Grow Light

 Sunlight is a great source for plants. Since you are growing plants indoors, you don’t have the accessibility of providing natural lights. That’s why you need to set up grow lights/ artificial lights.

Are grow lights necessary for indoor plants?

Yes, grow lights are essential for indoor plants to ensure their maximum growth. Every day you need to provide around 14 to 18 hours of lights. But they don’t need 24 hours lighting. Keep them out of lights for at least 6 hours every day.

The advantages and disadvantages of using LED lights

While LEDs sure sound amazing at first, this does not necessarily mean that they are the right light choice for you and your indoor plants grow setup. Let’s go over some of the major pros and cons that come with using LED lights.

Advantages
First and foremost, the energy savings are enormous. If you compare using an LED light for the same purposes as you would an HID light, using the LED light will save you about 40% of the energy consumption. They also last a lot longer. You can expect between 50,000 and 60,000 hours of working use of an LED light, compared to between 2,000 and 3,000 hours with an HID light. This is because LED lights don’t have a filament to burn.

LED lights take up less space, emit light faster, and are more durable and shock-resistant than HID lights. They also have a much lower heat output, therefore lowering the need to keep your grow room cool. This reduces the risk of fire significantly. HID lights will become very hot, but good LED lights feel cool when you touch them, even after running for several hours.

LED lights focus using the lenses, which means there is less of a need for reflectors like HID lights, which disperse the light without focusing and, therefore, need an external means of focusing. HID lights need approximately 100 to 150 Watts of more power than LED lights since there is power management built into the LED lights. HID lamps require external ballasts and, therefore, add extra watts of consumption.

LED lights turn instantly on and off, unlike HID lamps, which need to warm up before being fully lit. LED lights can even be dimmed quite easily. Classified as “Class 1 LED product,” LEDs are considered a safer lighting option. This is because they don’t have mercury like some other lights, such as compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs).

The efficiency of LEDs is particularly noticeable when compared to CFLs. You can expect to save about 50% of your energy bill when you choose an LED over a CFL.

Disadvantages
When using LED lights, precise power (current) management is necessary. Additionally, LED lights have higher upfront costs. That being said, they are less expensive over longer periods of time. LED lights particularly need more specific current and heat management than do HID lights, when they are powerful lights to be used to light entire large areas.

ECO Farm ECOZ 250W Samsung 301H Chips LED Grow Light With Separately UV+IR Control

Features:

The ECO Farm grow light is built with the best parts, Top Bing Samsung LM301H & Osam Chip and brand driver for higher efficacy and longer lifespan; and 4 high-efficiency aluminum rods to ensure high-efficiency PPE 2.75umol/J, better heat dissipation, and long service life. Compared with old plant lights, the average PPFD is increased by 30%, and the yield and quality are increased by 50%. At the same time, it also has a full-cycle sunlike spectrum with the proven results, optimized for rapid growth and complete plant development; close to natural sunlight. The spectrum applies to the entire stage of indoor planting. This ECO Farm LED grow light has 3 channels control: Adjustable knob, IR switch, and UV switch. UV and IR can be controlled separately. Freely adjust the lamps according to different growing stages; VEG dimmer to control white light 5000K, one Bloom dimmer to control white light +red light ( 3000K+660nm+730nm), and UV dimmer to control UV 395nm.

Jungle LED G2 240W Grow Light

Features:

An ideal and efficient tool for any hydroponic home grow, the Jungle LED grow light was designed to be efficient and easy-to-install right out of the box. With a variety of power cord length options, whether you are looking to mount the LED driver on the side of a rack or on the fixture itself, Jungle G2/240W comes with simple snap-lock connectors that make reconnecting cables quick and swift. The Jungle LED system retains an IP65 wet-location rating along with its corrosion resistance build will accommodate installation in your grow space with minimal limitations.

What to consider when choosing your grow light?

When growing plants, there are really only two options you should consider for the life of the plant: LED and HPS. Unfortunately, fluorescent bulbs simply do not produce enough energy to grow flowers efficiently, so they are off the table for plants, except during the seedling stage. That said, if you plan to grow low-light plants or low-light tropical plants (think orchids), fluorescents are perfect.

Regarding plants, what type of grow light is best for your grow? There is no right answer. You will find a lot of discussion online touting either LED or HPS systems and indeed both work incredibly well for growing indoors. You need to consider your own situation: are you growing in a garage in the New England winter? You’ll probably need sources of heat so HPS may work better (be sure to add a space heater, too). Are you conscious about your electric bill? LEDs are a better bet. Consider your goals, your budget, and your environment and go from there.

How much room do you have?
LED lights need to hang at least 14 to 24 inches above the plants you grow, it is important to consider the vertical space. However, fluorescent lights only need to hang around 3 inches above the plants. HPS bulbs need to be at least 24 inches above your canopy or you’ll risk burn.

What plants are you growing?
Of course, you should start here when choosing a light. If you are planning to grow fruiting plants like tomatoes, fluorescent bulbs probably won’t cut it. If you are growing orchids, LEDs and HPS bulbs could easily kill them.

Grow Light Placement Tips
Always hang your lamps directly above your plants. You want to mimic sunlight as best you can and optimal sunlight is when the sun is highest in the sky. This way, you’ll give your plants the most access to that electric energy.
Experiment with distances between the light and your plant. Through observation and testing, you’ll find the right height for your situation.
Different plants have different characteristics — be sure to do research about your specific plant and find the right light level for it. We also recommend doing your research when choosing a strain of plants, since strains also have minor differences in preference.

Conclusion

LEDs have overtaken HPS and other HIDs as the best grow light for nearly all home growers. Although there are some situations where LECs or HPS are a great choice (for example in a cold space where the heat of the lights is a positive thing, or if you’re making concentrates and want to use special bulbs to increase trichome production and terpene levels/smells), generally most home growers will be happiest with LEDs.