Do LED Grow Lights Work for Indoor Marijuana Plants?
LED grow lights function seamlessly when you use them properly. This means hanging the light at the appropriate height level, using the right wattage output for your plants, and allowing your light to rest after using it for 18 hours. Since LEDs are the new generation grow light, traditional marijuana growers may still be suspicious if LED grow lights work.
What are LED Grow Lights?
Light Emitting Diodes or LED grow lights are electrical devices that produce a spectrum of energy-efficient light that increases plant growth. The spectrum of light that they radiate replicate the light from the sun. It also has specific light spectrums that can support fast plant growth in each life cycle of cannabis. They can be utilized as the main source of light for plants or as a supplement. This is the light fixture that helps growers put up an indoor gardening setup.
LED Grow Lights Spectrum
LED grow lights utilize two kinds of semiconductor materials to produce their light spectrum. To create their light spectrum, they pass light energy along semiconductor chips, compared to other grow lights that utilize mercury, filament, lead, or gas to produce light. With this, LEDs are adaptable, energy-efficient, resilient, and environment-friendly.
Factors to Consider When Choosing an LED Grow Light
When shopping for LED grow lights, here are a few things that you should keep in mind:
- Size of the Growing Space – the size of the growing space determines the number and size of grow lights you should purchase. For instance, 32 watts of power is advisable for each square foot if you are planting high-light dependent plants like cannabis.
- Heat Output – the heat output is vital because it can directly impact the plant and it also plays a significant role in the resiliency of the grow light. Normally, grow lights are placed close to the plants, so a massive heat output will likely damage the plant. Grow lights with low heat output are great since they don’t have any negative impact on the plant, even if they are mounted at a close distance. Furthermore, low heat output grow lights have a longer lifespan since they don’t easily burn out.
- Wavelength – LED grow lights expel different wavelengths that support plant growth for each stage. Before choosing to grow light packages, you should take into consideration the stimulation that your plants need. Different wavelengths stimulate different aspects of plant growth specifically during flowering and vegetation.
When purchasing LED grow lights, you have a lot of options to choose from – you can opt for a full spectrum or adjustable LED grow light. Full-spectrum produces a range of wavelengths that is similar to the ones produced by the sun. With this feature, they are beneficial in all stages of plant growth. Aside from this, even if you are growing indoors, you can mimic the natural sunlight in an outdoor setting for your plants. On the other hand, adjustable LED grow lights can be altered to produce different wavelengths that will support plant growth for a specific stage. This allows growers to adjust the light output and wavelengths according to the needs of the plant at any given stage.
Advantages of LED Grow Lights
- Energy Savings. LED grow lights can use up to 60% less energy compared to other light setups even if they generate the same amount of light. Aside from being energy-efficient, they also produce less heat. LED grow lights cost slightly more than traditional lights, but their efficiency and durability are factors that make them cost-effective. On top of that, the capacity of LEDs to support high-quality harvest all year round is enough reason to invest in them.
- Healthier Plants. Traditional light sources produce high levels of IR rays, UV rays, and heat which is the main culprit why plants become dry and burn out. LED grow lights don’t emit any of these harmful elements, therefore plants under such light setup thrive and flourish better. Apart from this, LEDs are also adjustable which helps growers manipulate the wavelength in a way that plants receive sufficient light spectrum at any angle. This will improve the general health of the plants
- Hastened Harvesting Cycles. With an indoor setup, plants will have different growing seasons since they are not exposed to environmental cues. When using LED grow lights, growers can give different light wavelengths to stimulate different growth stages for 24 hours every day. This assists growers to manipulate the season and behavior of their crops. For instance, when LEDs are used during the auto-flowering stage, the flowering times of the plant will heighten. This leads to multiple harvests in one season.
- Alternative lighting mechanisms burn gas, filaments, and other elements to create light. The amount of heat they emit decreases their durability over time. LED grow lights are different, they have low heat output which increases their lifespan. They can last for more than 50,000 hours. They are cost-efficient to growers since they take years before they needed to be replaced.
Conclusion
Growing cannabis has been a popular hobby among recreational and medical marijuana users. When starting in the field of indoor growing, the proper light fixture is essential since it stimulates faster cannabis growth. Durable and energy-efficient lamps such as LED grow lights are the best option for novice and expert growers. They support each stage of plant growth and they last for a long period.
