If you want to grow plants indoors, the most effective method is to use grow lights. Plants require varying quantities of light to thrive. Especially in some parts of Canada with long winters, plants struggle to grow because they can't photosynthesize. There are various grow light options available, including plasma, fluorescent, HID (high-intensity discharge), and LED. Among the grow light options, LED grow lights are worthy of your attention, and here's why:
Plant growing in any climate
Plants can be grown in any season with the help of LED grow lights. Plants can be grown indoors all year round, regardless of the weather outside. You can regulate how much light and shade your plants receive. This is important because plants require a specific amount of darkness in order to thrive. LED grow lights help ensure that your plants receive the proper quantity of light and darkness. Grow lights can also help your plants grow faster. Plants cultivated under grow lights have a quicker harvest cycle than plants grown under natural light. This is due to the fact that LED grow lights deliver the optimum amount of light for plant growth.
Full-Spectrum Lighting
One of the significant benefits of using LED grow lights has been the wavelength or spectrum of light produced by LED grow lights. The sun radiates a wide spectrum of wavelengths (also known as light colours) of light to plants in nature. Distinct light wavelengths have different effects on plant growth. The "light spectrum" is defined as the combination of wavelengths produced by a light source.
Thanks to advancements in LED technology, full-spectrum LED grow lights are exactly tailored for each stage of plant growth. Unlike HID lights, which produce a single fixed spectrum, LEDs come in a variety of wavelengths and may be combined and matched to create a spectrum of light ideal for plant growth. For example, more blue light during the vegetative stage of growth has been proven to make plants stockier, whereas more red light during blooming may be advantageous to stimulate growth (stretch) and flowering. Because HIDs can only produce one spectrum of light, you can only modify the spectrum of your light using LEDs. This results in increased yields because light is given to the plant in a more usable form for photosynthesis.
Lower Energy Consumption
When compared to plasma, fluorescent, or HID lights, LED grow lights use significantly less energy to generate the same quantity of light. For growers with limited access to electricity, this can mean having more lights at your facility without exceeding your building's energy constraints or sacrificing light intensity.
Produced Less Heat
LED grow lights generate significantly less heat than other light sources due to their energy efficiency. When functioning, HPS and CMH fixtures generate a lot of heat, which, in addition to making them less efficient, creates a variety of challenges and restrictions for indoor growers. To maintain an optimal temperature for your growing environment, excess heat must be evacuated from the grow room in numerous places, particularly in warmer climates. This necessitates the installation and operation of costly AC (air conditioning) systems in your grow room. These systems use a significant amount of energy to lower the temperature of your grow environment, which increases your grow's operational costs. Because LED grow lights generate far less heat, AC systems will not have to work as hard to maintain an ideal temperature in your grow room, cutting your costs.
Can be set closer to plants
A further advantage of LED grow lights that produce less heat is that they can be placed closer to your plants' canopy. Because of the tremendous amount of heat produced by HPS and CMH grow lights, they can burn plants if put too close to the canopy. This signifies that you should leave a greater distance between them and your canopy. LED grow lights can be put as low as a foot above the plants, which provides several advantages. For starters, it enables vertical growth on racks. Multi-level grow operations allow growers to grow more plants in less space than was previously necessary. Multi-level growing can boost a cultivator's yield while lowering their expenses in settings where space is restricted or real estate is expensive.
Furthermore, positioning your grow lights closer to the canopy enhances the amount of light reaching your plants. Light is absorbed by air molecules. As a result, the higher your fixture is above your plants’ canopy, the less light will reach your plants. In some grow setups, light leakage is also an issue. Lights set higher above the canopy produce a wider beam of light. This can result in light being wasted because it travels beyond the canopy and does not reach any plants. By placing your lights closer to the canopy, you can lessen this effect and focus light on the desired locations.
A Longer Lifespan
Another significant advantage of LED chip technology is its long life span. LED grow lights can be used for up to ten years (12 hours on - 12 hours off) on average before requiring to be changed. Rayon LED grow lights can operate for 50,000 hours before reducing their light output.
In comparison, the lamps in HPS grow lights are often replaced after only 12 months of normal use and can cost more than $100. Even with their lower upfront cost, HPS grow lights can become more expensive than LED grow lights in just a few years once the cost of purchasing new lamps is factored in. LEDs are the more cost-effective lighting solution, when you consider the additional savings provided by being more energy-efficient and less demanding on cooling systems.
LED grow lights took some time to gain popularity, but growers eventually started to appreciate their choice of LED grow lights. LED grow lights help growers lower their electricity bill and provide all the light indoor plants require to thrive.