How to Use LED Grow Lights for Indoor Gardening in 2023

 LED grow lights are becoming increasingly popular with indoor gardeners due to their high energy efficiency, long lifespan, and customizable light spectrum. However, just like any other type of grow light, using LED grow lights requires some knowledge and expertise. In this article, we review how to use LED grow lights to ensure you get the most out of your indoor garden.

Types of LED Grow Lights

All light sources can be classified as sodium vapor, halogen, fluorescent and LED. Using incandescent bulbs is theoretically possible — but due to their short lifespan and inefficiency, they have been abandoned in favor of more modern options. LED Grow Light DRL, long service time, provides desired range, is sensitive to voltage fluctuations, takes a long time to turn on (up to 15–20 minutes), and only drops in brightness after 2000 hours.

You can buy sodium discharge lamps for the backlight, which have the advantages of high efficiency, a lifespan of up to 20,000 hours, and a suitable spectrum. However, this source requires a special ballast, which adds to the cost of the system. The high price is also the main reason for not using metal halide lamps, which are also very suitable for dimming.

When choosing LED grow lights, you should decide which one is better by comparing the two types of Led grow lights — fluorescent and LED. The advantage of the first type is that the space is evenly illuminated and there is no need to install a large number of lamps. The disadvantages of fluorescent lamps are the special coating that increases the price and the presence of dangerous mercury vapor inside.

The LED light source should be selected because of its low power consumption and a lifespan of more than 50,000 hours. Plus — since there is no filament, there is minimal heat generation and high durability. The LED light source is harmless to human eyes, creating the closest natural light conditions for plant growth

ECO Farm 480W LM301B Classic Quantum Board

Features:

The full spectrum of this ECO Farm LED grow light optimized and complete plant development for all growth stages from seed to flower. Full-spectrum White and 660nm Red and 730nm Far Red and UV 395nm promote the vegetative growth of your plants. Added Plant Red 660nm LEDs and 730nm IR could speed up the flowering and fruiting stage and promote plants to produce higher yields. Larger heat dissipation area. Faster heat conduction performance. ECO Farm 480 Watts LED plant grow light ensures the plant growth get free of risk on overheating in the planting area. The flexible modular lighting system could maximizes the grow space for higher crop yields and better quality. You’ve got more Plug and Play for more simple setups. LED plant grow lights’ high photo efficiency and delivers uniform canopy penetration to maximum yields

VIVOSUN VS4000 LED Grow Light

Features:

This VIVOSUN LED grow light adopts the latest LED grow light technology, with Samsung LM301H diode and brand driver, the energy efficiency is as high as 2.9μmol/J; extremely high output but only consumes 400W of power, making it more efficient than traditional HID lights and Other grow lights are more efficient. This LED grow light has a dimming knob and ballast, so it can be adapted to different plant growth stages by adjusting its output from 40% to 100%; super for both beginners and professional growers convenient. These Samsung VS4000 LEDs provide the best full-spectrum coverage and power plants need at all growth stages, with maximum PAR output at various distances, supporting efficient photosynthesis in indoor plants.

AC Infinity IONBOARD S44 400W Full Spectrum LED Grow Light

Features:

This full spectrum LED grow light is designed with algorithmically positioned Samsung LM301B diodes to maximize plant yield. Features proprietary drivers for dimming, daisy chaining, and interfacing with our smart controllers. Built on a fanless one-piece aluminum plate for heat dissipation and longer diode life. All components are sealed to IP-65 standards for optimum performance even in high temperature and humidity growth environments. Includes a pair of metal rod hangers and rope hangers. This LED grow unit is specially designed for grow tents with internal reflective mylar lining for growing a variety of plants, fruits and vegetables.

What Makes the Best LED Grow Light?

Below are the features you should expect to find in high-quality LED illumination for growing plants.

1. Color Spectrum for Plants
Why do plants grown outdoors do well? That’s because the sunlight contains full-spectrum colors the plants need for growth and development. This means that you should look for a model with such capabilities. Full-spectrum LEDs provide all the important hues and colors for different stages of plant growth. The most important colors are:

Blue light. This enables the plants to thrive during their early stages. They are able to absorb it during their vegetative stage.
Purple light. The purple color is also necessary for the vegetative stage. However, it is not very effective for photosynthesis like blue illumination.
Red light. Plants need this color in their later stages of development. It also helps buds to flower.
White light. You can use the white color alone since it has all the color spectrums required by plants in all their development stages.

2. Light Intensity
The light intensity of LED grow lights is determined by Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR). The PAR is usually the type or amount of illumination that LED grow lights produce. In this way you can regulate the photosynthetic features of sunlight that plants need.

3. Grow Light Power Consumption
The good news is that these types of lights are very cost-effective. You need little power to run them. However, their power consumption differs from one model to the other which means that some consume a lot of electricity. A model that produces bright light without consuming a lot of electricity can be a great choice.

The amount of power the unit consumes is determined in watts. In other words, models with high wattage are likely to consume more power. However, models with low wattage may not provide the required level of brightness. A model with at least 1000W will be a great option.

Even if brighter illumination may help your plants to produce better yields, sometimes it may be very dangerous and may cause your plants to dry due to too much heat. Therefore, you need to determine the best amount of illumination that is suitable for your plants.

To do this, measure the size of the area you would want the light to project. This area is known as the footprint. LED lights can only cover a limited area or footprint.

How to Use Grow Lights for Indoor Gardening

Turn the grow lights on for 12–16 hours daily and turn them off each night. Plants need a resting period of darkness, so it’s important to turn the lights off for at least eight hours each day.

Check the product recommendations to see how far the tops of your plants should be from the light. The recommended distance can vary depending on the strength of the grow lights. Generally speaking, the higher the wattage, the farther your plants should be from the light.

A good rule of thumb is to keep the light at least six inches above plants. Adjust the height of the light as the plants grow to keep them a healthy distance apart.

Conclusion

No matter what you choose, you can’t go wrong with these grow lights for indoor gardening. With plenty of light, your houseplants will be happy and healthy.