Best Value LED Grow Light for a 4 x 4 Grow Tent in 2022

 When growing indoor plants, you want to make sure you have the best LED grow lights for the job. A 4×4 grow tent is a great option for those looking to grow their own plants. This is a good size for those who are just starting out and want to keep it small, but it’s also large enough to produce a good yield. To make sure you get the most out of your 4×4 grow tent, you need to make sure you have good LED grow lights.

There are so many different products on the market that it can be difficult to know which one is right for you. That’s why we’ve assembled a top-of-the-line LED grow light for our 4×4 grow tent.

Why you can’t use cheap grow lights in a 4×4 space

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when choosing a grow light for a 4×4 space is picking one that isn’t designed for 4×4 feet. The LED grow lights for this size space can be pricey, but buying a cheap grow light for 4×4 feet will be pricier in terms of the laughable yield you get.

So if you’re on a tight budget (under $200), you’d be better off choosing a 600 watt HPS grow light instead of an inexpensive LED model that underperforms.

When you look at the light intensity and coverage area from cheap $100 grow lights, its not enough for anywhere near 4×4 feet. So stick with a proper LED model or an HPS if you’re on a budget.

ECO Farm YS SERIES 700W LED Grow Light

Features:

This ECO Farm LED grow light provides high energy efficiency at 2.7umol/J.The best solution to get more and better quality fruits. The light intensity can be changed by dimmer knob according to the different growth stages of plants. If in a grow tent, over 90% of reflected light can be absorbed by plants. Adequate and sun-like light can prevent the growth of plants from spindly and moulding. The best lighting solution for indoor hydroponics and soil cultivation. The actual power is 700w. Increasing the heat dissipation area by utilized a special surface treatment of the aluminum heat sink. Saving up to 50% energy and 30% cooler than than other grow lamp. Low energy consuming fast heat dissipation. No fan. IP65 Waterproof and mute. This dimmable LED grow light so that you can adjust the brightness without frequently changing the position of the light. 1–23 hour timer for hassle-free light cycling control.

Lumii Black 720W LED Grow Light

Features:

This 720W rated Lumii LED grow light is an excellent choice for stimulating your space to flourish. To power the lamp, you will need the LUMii Black 600W digital ballast sold separately. This is the same ballast used for the LUMii Black HPS kit. These lights are lightweight and easy to install, and with the LUMii cord ratchet, you can adjust the fixtures’ height according to the canopy’s height. Just plug in, adjust the height, choose your output settings, and relax.

HEO 1700Pro 700 Watt LED Grow Light

Features:

The HEO 1700Pro 700 Watt LED Grow Light is an excellent light for any and all phases of a plant growing lifecycle, whether you’re using it in a tent for your personal indoor garden or chained together in a large commercial operation. The 1700 Pro’s 8 powerful lighting bars focus their intense light evenly across your plant canopy for healthy, potent, high-yielding plants. The HEO 1700Pro 700 Watt LED Grow Light delivers full-spectrum light to a 4'x 4'area for flowering and a 5'x 5'area for veg. The high efficacy of 2.4 µmol/j and up to 630–700 wattage power consumption make this a productive and affordable indoor grow lighting solution. 

Buying Guide For Selecting The Best LED Grow Lights

You will need a lighting system that can deliver the necessary amount of light for your plants. Here are the key points to follow when selecting the best LED grow lights for plants and how well LED grow lights work for growing indoor plants in a 4×4 tent.

Don’t focus on the wattage, go for high par and ppfd levels.

Understanding PPF and PPFD

As explained earlier, wattage is only system input. Whereas, PAR and PPFD levels focus on system output.

Let me introduce DLI (mol/m2/d). The DLI measures the total amount of light a plant gets every day.

For instance:

1.5 μmol/j x light output of 500W = PPF of 750 μmol/s

1.0 μmol/j x light output of 700W = PPF of 700 μmol/s

Based on the example above, the second model has a bigger wattage, but is 50 μmol/s shorter. As you can see, the wattage doesn’t define the power draw, it merely refers to the diode wattage.

It is convincing to go for a 20W LED light, but it doesn’t automatically mean it can deliver more light than a 5W LED light.

Hence, always go for high PAR and PPFD values. These values determine the actual light that gets distributed across the canopy.

Actual Power Draw
Rated power describes the LED light’s constant power. The higher the actual power draw, the higher PAR output a lighting system emits to your plants.

Core Coverage
You must compare the core coverage area of various plant lights. When the light reaches the leaves of plants, the PAR in the core coverage area can meet the normal growth of plants.

During the germination or seedling stages, you can place the LED grow light higher to produce a larger coverage area.

When the plants are entering vegetative or flowering phases, you can hang the lighting system lower since plants need more light at this period. Consequently, the cover area becomes smaller.

Plant Density: Consider The Number Of Plants You Are Growing
Plant Density

Normally, a 4×4 tent can grow about four to eight medium-sized plants. A 4×4 grow space can also house about 20 small containers that are about three to five inches in diameter.

However, you have to modify the plant density depending on the growth stage. The number of lights would depend on PAR and PPFD values.

Cost And Warranty
LED lights are more expensive than normal light bulbs. On the bright side, they have longer lifespans compared to other types.

Bulbs tend to burn the lights filament and short circuit due to frequent on and off switching. On the other hand, LED grow lights are built to withstand the constant on and off mechanism.

Conclusion

If you’re just getting started growing indoors, you’ll likely need a few more items in addition to your grow tent. The growing environment is crucial to the quality of your crop. You can run through my checklist here to make sure you have everything!