Buying an LED grow light for your hydroponically grown plants can be confusing. There are a number of LED grow light suppliers out there and there are many factors to consider before spending your hard earned money.
PAR, LUX and Lumens
The mistake many people make when buying hydroponic LED grow lights is to buy a LED grow light with a low PAR rate. PAR stands for Photosynthetically Active Radiation, and designates the spectral range (wave band) of solar radiation from 400 to 700 nanometers(nms) that photosynthetic organisms are able to use in the process of photosynthesis”1 .
Since the Photosynthetically active radiation range occurs within the visible spectrum it is common for the brightness of the light to be measured in lumens or LUX (LUX and lumens are interchangeable). Generally speaking you want an LED light with high lumens but a comparatively low wattage. The light should not get hot as this indicates that the light is not emitting energy targeted at the Photosynthetically active radiation range. Too much heat will result in waste, significantly higher energy cost and a shorter lifetime for the LEDs.The light should be bright enough that it is difficult to look directly at it without squinting.
Nanometers, Spectra Ratios and Watts
The reason LED grow lights have not been commonplace until recently is because it was difficult to find LED lights powerful enough to sustain good growth and within the right wavelength.
The wavelength should be between 400 and 700 nms. When purchasing an LED light this information is sometimes made available and is usually stated in nanometers (nms). Outside of this range and the light will produce wasted energy not used by the plants. Bulbs that get too warm are an indication that they are not emitting energy at the correct wavelengths. This leads to inefficiency and a shorter LED life.
A combination of red and blue wavelengths of light are best for a plants life cycle. Red LED grow lights will be the most important during the flowering stage and blue LED grow lights will be the most important during the vegetative growth. However both red and blue LED grow lights will be important for all growth stages. You should buy a red and blue LED grow light as these will contain both wavelengths – ideal for all stages of plant growth. You can buy red and blue led grow lights on eBay but be aware of low quality and DIY models that are next to useless.
Full spectrum LED grow lights defeat the point of using LED grow lights as they will significantly increase energy costs and are not necessary.
You should aim for a LED light that emits light at 60 to 90 degree angles so that light emitted is not wasted due to a wide dispersion.
Some of the best LED grow lights for sale commercially are the Penetrator LED Grow Lights. They set the standard for grow lights as the Penetrator brand uses cutting edge technology. They claim to produce 3.7x more grams per watt than the competition in independent tests.
The technical specifications for their 126W Penetrator LED Grow Light model which would cover an area of 18” x 30” (46cm x 76cm) is the following:
- Number of LEDs: 126 LEDs each producing 1W
- Gen3 Spectrum: 440nm, 470nm, 525nm, 640nm, 660nm, 740nm
- Spectra Ratios: 75% Red, 10% Blue, 15% Green
- Lens Angle: Intense 60 Degree Lens
- Dimensions: 19″ x 12.5″ x 3.5
- Replaces 250W HID while using 65% less power
- Price: $475.00
You can buy LED grow lights in various wattages. The most common being 90 watt, 200 watt, 300 watt and 600 watt.
Some other popular brands include the following:
- Supernova led grow lights
- Cree LED grow lights
- Advanced LED grow lights
- Illuminator LED grow lights
Guarantee
You should try to ensure a money back guarantee should the LED grow light fail within the first few months.
- Photosynthetically active radiation, Wikipedia [↩]
