LED grow lights are on top of the world. When it comes to farming indoors, LED lighting technology has been soaring in popularity. If it hasn’t overtaken traditional lighting systems yet, it will do so very soon. LED lights are the technology of the future and they have a number of huge advantages over other types of horticultural lighting.
That said, they also have several disadvantages.
But those disadvantages are rapidly disappearing, as manufacturers are making their lights more efficient and cheaper. Before long, there will be nothing that HID lighting (or other forms of lighting) can do better. So I still want to say that LED grow light is the best grow lights for indoor plants.
Compared to HID lights, LEDs are relative newcomers to the grower’s toolbox. Like every other kind of technology, a lot of early LEDs simply weren’t that effective. Many of them were too dim to provide plants with the sufficient amount of light they needed, which pushed early adopters to stick with other types of lighting. However, today’s LED systems have seen a rapid evolution, and they’re now better optimized than ever for growing.
Advantages Of LED Grow Lights
Are there substantial advantages to using an LED system as opposed to HID lighting for your indoor grow?
Actually, yes!
LED grow lights have become popular with growers for good reason — they offer many benefits that other lighting systems don’t. Advantages of choosing LED lights for growing plants indoors include:
Efficiency
Temperature
Lifespan
The spectrum of light they provide
Their size
Greater Efficiency
Nearly every grower who recommends using LEDs for growing plants will talk about the efficiency of such a lighting system. LEDs are in fact way more efficient than HID lights, which translates to lower utility costs for you.
Cooler Temperature
LEDs run significantly cooler than HID bulbs. HID systems can become extremely hot, putting crops at risk of heat damage, and can even become fire hazards when they’re used in small spaces. (Learn more about the importance of moderate grow-room temperature here.)
Longer Lifespan
LEDs offer more than just improved efficiency and cooler temperatures. You’ll also get more grow hours out of your LEDs — a lot more. LED grow lights typically last for 50,000 hours or more, whereas HID bulbs generally last 10,000 to 18,000 hours, depending on the specific type of bulb. When it comes to longevity, there’s really no competition.
The Full Spectrum
A major advantage of using LED grow lights is the huge spectrum of energy they provide. When you choose LED, you don’t have to worry about switching out lights as your crops mature through their growth cycle. Even better — you can actually install a system that’s tailored specifically to the type of crop you grow.
Less Bulk
Are you growing in close quarters? If so, that’s another reason to go with LEDs, which have the distinct advantage of being able to fit into smaller, tighter grow areas. This advantage goes hand in hand with the cooler temperature of LEDs — not only can you create a more compact grow room, but your crops can grow fairly close to the lights without the risk of heat burn.
Keep in mind that heat burn isn’t the same as light burn — being too close to any type of light bulb puts your crops at risk of suffering from light burn. Reduce the chance of your crops facing light burn by keeping them within the ideal distance from your LEDs — 12 to 18 inches.
State Rebates
Another perk of choosing the LED route is that you could end up saving a good amount of money. Both the federal government and local municipalities issue rebates on LED lighting systems as a way to incentivize growers to invest in energy-efficient models.
As LED technology advances and becomes the more commonly preferred option for growing, there is more talk about the high efficiency and long life of LED grow lights. In addition to saving on energy costs over HPS grow light (generally a savings of more than 50%), efficient LEDs help growers secure their operation against the hazards of a continuously changing climate. As environmental concerns grow within society and government, we’ll begin to see more and more regulations for energy use. Energy efficient LED lighting puts your greenhouse operation one step ahead.
But as lovely as that all sounds, every grower still needs to know:
What is the biggest advantage of LED grow lights for the plants themselves?
You know that the single most important goal for your supplemental lighting setup must be creating an excellent product. It’s not enough to save energy if you’re not making the best choice for the health and potency of your plants.
Fortunately, the latest advancements in LED technology ensure you can do both . . . especially because LED lighting offers your plants one massive advantage that other lighting options do not:
LED lights create the most natural conditions for your plants.
That’s why you have a greenhouse operation to begin with, right? You know the more your plants can access actual sunlight, the more they thrive. The only downside is that you can’t control the sun. You can’t shoo away the clouds or force longer days.
But if you have spectrum variable LED grow lights, you can essentially recreate season-specific, sun-mimicking PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) every single day. I trust that full spectrum LED grow light is best for plants growth.
Final thoughts
LED grow lights are almost certainly the future of the horticultural industry. Even today, the pros far outweigh the cons, with the higher cost being the only serious drawback. And that drawback is vanishing fast as prices drop. The best LED plant lights work so well, they easily outdo any other type of horticultural lighting on the market today