Growing vegetables indoors may not be viable, or rather, it would be difficult to have a bountiful indoor garden without adequate light. Moreover, the natural light that plants need may not be enough, especially during the winter or in chillier climates. While some houseplants can survive in low light conditions, it’s essential to consider those that require more than the light from your windows. Using the best LED grow lights allows you to grow any plant in your indoor garden successfully.
LED grow lights are essential to any home gardener since they are eco-friendly and energy-efficient and can produce full-spectrum light. They are effective in imitating sunlight to give your plants the light that they require to grow.
There are numerous LED lights on the market, and you may confuse these LED lights with standard LED bulbs. To help you find the right LED for your indoor garden, we have a list of the best LED grow lights that will perfectly match your needs and additional information crucial when buying these LED lights.
1. MARS HYDRO TS 1000W LED Grow Hydroponic Growing Light (3x3ft)
If you are looking for the best LED grow lights powerful enough to handle a large plantation unit, you found one, the MARS HYDRO TS 1000W LED Grow Lights. This heavy-duty LED grows light has white SMD LEDs that offer the highest lumen output assuring high yield on plants compared to other models. Furthermore, it gives a power capacity of 1000 watts.
The MARS HYDRO TS 1000W LED Grow Light has a total of 343 LEDs, which only consume 150 watts of power, more than 5o percent less consumption of power. It has a high output PPFD of 743 μmol/m2/s at a distance of 18 inches, producing a full spectrum of white light, which boosts plant growth at each stage. It doesn’t have a fan; however, it regulates temperature internally, meaning it is not noisy.
Furthermore, it has a coverage area of 3 x 3 ft. Due to the full illumination from these grow lights, most of the energy is absorbed by the plants.
Pros
- Runs quietly
- Offers a wide coverage
- Assures high yield
- Temperature is regulated internally
Cons
- Has fewer control functions
2. GE BR30 9-Watt LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants.
If you are looking for the best LED grow light that offers quality lighting, we recommend the GE BR30 LED Grow Light. This full-spectrum bulb provides high-quality lighting to boost your indoor gardens. It utilizes an innovative LED technology that emits warm and soft illumination, unlike LED grow lights that emit harsh lighting.
The GE BR30 LED light can last for over 25,000 hours, about five years, using only 9 watts of energy. It is ideal for growing all types of plants, including cucumbers, herbs, tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, and other vegetables or flowers in your home. Furthermore, it uses an ideal ratio of blue light to red light to allow photosynthesis, among other processes.
This LED light has a high output Photosynthesis Photon Flux of 16μmol/second. It also offers a pleasing atmosphere required for the success of the crops.
Pros
- Simple and easy to install
- Offers low energy consumption
- Ideal for newbies
- Recommended for flowering and fruit production
Cons
- It might hinder growth for plants that require intense lights.
3. VIPARSPECTRA Plant Grow Light UL Certified 600W
The Viparspectra Ultra Light Certified LED Light comes with a dual-chip design and offers a full spectrum LED grow light, including the infrared lights, and provides the dimming function. It features aluminum cooling heat sinks and a fan for heat control purposes.
This LED light also features a dimmer knob that allows you to adjust the brightness settings depending on the plant’s growth stage. It delivers a power capacity of up to 600 watts.
Additionally, the Viparspectra Ultra Light Certified LED Light has a daisy function that allows you to connect to different lights and increase the coverage area, 3″x3″ vegetable coverage, and 2.5″x2.5″ for a flowering. It comes with a 2-year warranty.
Pros
- Has an effective cooling system, the aluminum heat sinks
- Comes with an adjustable light intensity
- You can connect multiple lights
- Easy to use and install
Cons
- The diodes burn out easily.
4. SPIDER FARMER (2×4 ft Coverage) SF-2000 LED Grow Light
We bet on the SPIDER FARMER SF-2000 2×4 LED Grow Light for the best LED grow lights, resulting in a high-quality yield. This lighting provides and delivers a 2 x 4 feet flowering coverage area. It comes with a power capacity of 200 watts, which offers a good value for your money. Furthermore, it features a dimming knob that allows you to adjust light intensity, making it ideal for most indoor plants and veggies.
The LEDs used in these lighting panels are manufactured by a popular and reputable brand, Samsung. It provides about 50 percent less power consumption than the other LED grow lights. Additionally, the SPIDER FARMER SF-2000 2×4 LED Grow Light has a 3-year warranty.
Pros
- Energy-efficient model
- Assures high-quality yields
- Comes with an adjustable light intensity
- Great for growing and vegetative stage, i.e., from seedling stage to the flowering stage up to fruiting
Cons
- The lights parts break easily.
5. EZORKAS 80W Dimmable Levels Grow Light
If you are looking for the best LED grow lights that come with amazing features, count on the Ezorkas 80W Dimmable Levels Grow Light. This LED grows light with an automatic timer function that you can easily set at different times of the day up to 3-time intervals. It also comes with360 degrees rotatable arms, which allow you to adjust the distance from the light to the plants and regulate the brightness. Additionally, the LED light has nine dimmable levels, three spectrum modes, three switch modes, and nine intensities levels for various stages of the flourishing process.
The Ezorkas 9 Dimmable Levels Grow Light produces red and blue light, positively affecting crop quality. The package comes with a strong clip and a USB connector so you can connect it easily to a power outlet. It is also energy-efficient and has 48 LED chips, enough to grow different plants, including cannabis plants, tomatoes, succulents, green chilies, etc.
Pros
- It is USB powered
- Easy to use LED light
- Comes at an affordable price
- Comes with adjustable light intensities
Cons
- Offer poor customer service.
Factors to Consider When Buying the Best LED Grow Lights
1. The type of the LED lights
The type of the LED light you decide to choose will depend on the amount of natural sunlight, the plants you have, and the location of the plants. These are some of the types to consider;
- Light Panels– These lights are the most popular and ideal for a full state of growth.
- Lightbar- These lights come in a single row of LEDs with different spectrums, and they function as a complementing light to the main light source.
- Light Bulbs-It comes with a single light bulb and is ideal for growing small leafy greens with the full spectrum LED.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
Frequently Asked Questions on the Best LED Grow Lights
1. What types of LED light are best for indoor growers?
The best LED grow light depends on an individual since the grower’s needs are different. Nonetheless, if you have a large indoor garden or plants that need more light, it would be best to consider a LED panel because it can illuminate a wide area. Conversely, ff you have a smaller indoor garden, you can consider a light bulb because they are more affordable.
2. What is the right wattage for LED grow lights?
The wattage needed to grow plants varies from one type of plant to another. For instance, plants that need high amounts of light, such as tomatoes, require about 40 watts per square foot for them to grow. Conversely, plants that require low light, such as lettuce, might only need around 20 t0 30 watts per square foot. Furthermore, the wattage of different LED lights will determine the number of plants used under them. For instance, for a 450 watts LED grow light, the maximum number of plants grown under the light is nine.
