LED Grow Light Advantages For Indoor Cannabis Growing

Why Use LED Grow Light For Cannabis Growing Indoors  

In the last decade LED technology has advanced significantly and is now available as an alternative to incandescent bulbs and compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) bulbs for various lighting needs. Numerous studies and field test have resulted in several practical uses for LEDs.

Among the many uses of LEDs is their ability to grow plants indoors without the need for any sunlight. LEDs offer many advantages when it comes to growing various plants indoors, especially for the cannabis indoor grow

1) Low consumption

LEDs consume a fraction of the electricity, as much as 70% less. LEDs are what is known as “luminous efficient”, meaning they use electricity very efficiently to produce light. In a lab setting LED light was shown to have an efficiency of anywhere from 150+ lumens per watt, with top end CREE lights obtaining 254 lumens per watt. Comparatively, a standard HPS lamp will have an efficiency of 100 lumens per watt. What this means today is that some of the high end LED systems can save a grower 50% on electricity bills compared to the use of an HPS system both good for your wallet, and the planet.

2) Near zero heat signature.  

LED grow lights give off less than 10% of the heat that a high intensity discharge bulb such as high-pressure sodium (HPS) or metal halide (MH) bulbs do.As a result LED lights can be placed 30 - 45cm above the cannabis plants, helping prevent stretch. Comparatively, HID lights have to be 60 - 90cm above the plants to prevent them from causing heat stress. Another advantage of this is that because LEDs produce very little heat, there is obviously no need to invest in an extensive cooling system. Particularly in large grows, where often tens of thousands of watts are heating the building, the difference in the utility bill will make a compelling argument.

3)Colour spectrums

LED grow light diodes have a blend of only the wavelengths that are needed in the correct ratios necessary for cannabis photosynthesis. These wavelengths are mainly the reds, oranges and blues in the 580-630nm and 420-470nm ranges. LED grow lights have gone through several iterations and the most effective grow lights now include white ,ultraviolet and infrared diodes as well. The best LED grow lights come from companies that have tested various blends of diodes and formulated optimal diode ratios that best mimic the photosynthetic action radiation necessary for plant growth.

 What puts LED above HID/HPS lights is that these LEDs are able to produce the maximum peak spectral output of a specific colour, something a HID light cannot obtain. This means that high quality LEDs output a much better quality of light than an equivalent HID - allowing cannabis plants under an LED light set to the right spectrum will be able to perform photosynthesis more ideally than cannabis plants placed under a HID/HPS bulb.

4) Lifespan

LED lights last about 100 times as long as light bulbs and 6-7 times as long as compact fluorescent lights.Unlike HPS/HID , growers dont need to change the bulbs again , again and again, it saves time and money.

LED grow lights have truly come of age and indoor growers are finally able to take advantage of this technology to grow green and grow more efficiently than they have ever been able to before.