Finding the right option for your desired output and budget is imperative in a highly competitive market. That’s why an increasing number of growers are turning to light-emitting diode (LED) lighting as their new hero when building facilities and optimizing existing grow rooms.
With the right LED grow lights, plants receive the light they need with less reliance on traditional high-intensity discharge (HID) and incandescent bulbs known for their high heat and energy consumption. Hydroponic Led Grow Light
LED lights come in three distinct types: standard, chip-on-board (COB), and spread.
Standard or purple LEDs were among the first of this technology to be applied to indoor growing. However, improvements have been made with COB and spread-style lights for better light output, efficiency, and control.
As an older technology, these lights often are available from international manufacturers with a lower starting price, allowing budget-conscious growers to get in on the trend.
COBs come in multi-chip packages, greatly increasing the lumen output per square inch. When compared with a standard LED, COBs offer better light density through the use of multiple diodes, allowing them to produce intense white light similar to the natural output of the sun.
Some COBs are comparable to HID light output but with far better efficiency. With fewer components than other types of LED lights, COBs have fewer areas to fail, which increases their reliability. COB lights do have a drawback in their fixed spectrum, typically formulated by a custom blend of phosphor used to coat the lights.
Much like COB systems, spread-style lights are considered highly efficient, which is essential for long-term energy savings, but they also cost more on day one.
Deciding between spread LED and COB is difficult, given the wide variety of potential light arrangements and spectra, so growers should be careful to compare the two in an apples-to-apples manner.
As with other forms of cannabis grow lights, there are some LED lighting pros and cons to weigh before making a decision. Here are some of the main things to consider.
If you’ve weighed the pros and cons and decided to move forward with LED lighting for your cannabis plant grow, you’re ready to start looking at different brand options to narrow your search. One area to consider when making a significant investment in equipment is the product’s warranty. Limited warranties for LED lights typically range from 90 days to 5 years, but not all manufacturers are crystal clear about their terms and conditions online.
These eight lighting providers, presented in no particular order, offer something for almost every type of grower and desired crop output.
Revolution Micro serves large-scale cultivators with programmable high-output light fixtures designed for energy efficiency. With a programmable spectrum, growers can fine-tune a cultivar’s physical and chemical development by changing the red-to-blue ratio at different stages of growth. Revolution Micro also makes five different LED rack solutions designed specifically for flowering, veg state, mother rooms, and clones.
The Avici 1500W is a fully programmable, dual-bar LED system with an efficacy of 3.8 µmol/J and an expected lifespan of more than 150,000 hours. Cultivators easily can adjust lighting settings for clone, veg, flower, and finishing with the external controller that’s sold separately. The Avici 1500W’s operating temperature is on the higher side at 131°F with an Osram OSLON LED array, but the limited lifetime warranty helps alleviate any overheating concerns.
Agrify’s controlled-micro-environment vertical farming units (VFUs) were engineered to deliver consistent results with maximum yield — pushing back against the biggest concern when moving to LEDs.
The Model R1 is a 4×4-foot rack with an adjustable spectrum, IP65 waterproofing, and 630 watts (63 watts per bar) of power with an expected lifetime of more than 54,000 hours. Agrify offers financing and can help cultivators apply for state-specific rebate programs for a better return on investment.
Gavita, based in the Netherlands, manufactures lighting for both retail and cultivation environments. In addition to producing an assortment of reflectors, lamps, and master controllers, Gavita offers six core LED products available in three fixtures or form factors.
The Gavita Pro RS 2400e LED delivers a broad white light with an enhanced blue spectrum engineered to intensify ter