What are the different types of led grow lights?
Why Choose LED Plant Lights?
There are many different kinds of grow light fixtures including High-Intensity Discharge or HID grow lights, Metal Halide, ceramic metal halide (CMH), High-Pressure Sodium (HPS), and good old everyday fluorescent lights. All of these types of lights to grow plants have their supporters and applications. However, as the best all-around indoor plant grow lights, my preference is for LED (Light Emitting Diodes) plant lights.
There are a number of reasons I prefer growing with LED lights:
LEDs are energy efficient grow lights and last for up to 50,000 hours. If you’re using them on a 12-hour timer this is equal to 11 years. Some people argue LEDs are expensive and, to be fair, they have a higher upfront cost than their HPS counterparts. Over time, however, they are cheap grow lights to run long-term thanks to their reduced power consumption.
They can be plugged into a regular socket and usually don’t require a separate ballast so they are easier to use in small spaces.
LED plant grow lights produce less heat than HPS grow lights and can be placed closer to your plants without risking damage. Producing less heat also means you expend less energy maintaining the correct temperature in your grow room.
LEDs can be customized to emit specific wavelengths of light (for example you can have red LED grow lights but studies show adding green and blue LED grow lights will help plants perform better. With LEDs you can adjust the colour balance to suit the specific plant type.)
LED full spectrum grow lights are the best grow lights for cannabis. (I’ll discuss why LEDs are the best lights for growing cannabis in full detail in their own section below.)
LEDs don’t contain harmful mercury so they don’t need to be disposed of in a particular way. This, in addition to their energy efficiency, makes LED grow lights the best choice for the environment.
3 Benefits of LED Lighting for Indoor Grow Lights
As our society becomes increasingly sustainable and environmentally-conscious, LED lighting is fast becoming the most popular choice for both individual and commercial indoor-growers, as well as homeowners alike. Their low energy consumption is not only good for the earth, but for many growers’ bank accounts as well. An outrageously long life-span also provides owners with lower maintenance and replacement costs. As the popularity of LED lights grow, their cost steadily decreases, making them more financially accessible to the general population.
1. Reduced Energy Costs
In short, LED lights are extremely energy efficient, even more so than CFL’s, the previous king of efficiency. This isn’t to take away from fluorescent lighting, as it is still an energy efficient choice. The problem therein lies in their short lifespan. LED’s can last for decades, whereas CFL’s can last for only a few years.
While you still may be saving on your monthly energy bills, the shorter lifespan of CFL bulbs means you have to spend more on replacement costs than you ever will with LED bulbs. It is common for growers who switch from other lighting sources to LED to experience energy savings in the range of 40% or more in just a very short period of time. Using LED grow lights for your indoor gardening is a great way to save money and live more sustainably at the same time.
2. Unrivaled Longevity
Simply put, LED lights have the longest life-span of any indoor lighting source currently available on the market today. These lights can provide up to 11 years of continuous lighting, so growers hardly ever have to worry about changing bulbs. Unlike fluorescent lights that immediately stop working, LED grow lights slowly become lower in intensity over time, signaling to owners that it is time for a change. When you use LED grow lights for indoor gardening purposes your plants or vegetables will never be compromised by a sudden outage.
3. Choose Your Desired Wavelength
Plants grow differently when exposed to different wavelengths of light. Some grow better under longer wavelengths, while others prefer shorter wavelengths. LED lights are the only indoor grow lights that allow owners to choose a specific wavelength. Other lighting systems can cause slow or sub-par growth since they lack this function. But choosing LED lighting for indoor gardening can allow gardeners to select the ideal lighting conditions for their plants. The red and blue light emitted by LEDs deeply stimulates root growth in plants.
As our society becomes increasingly sustainable and environmentally-conscious, LED lighting is fast becoming the most popular choice for both individual and commercial indoor-growers, as well as homeowners alike. Their low energy consumption is not only good for the earth, but for many growers’ bank accounts as well. An outrageously long life-span also provides owners with lower maintenance and replacement costs. As the popularity of LED lights grow, their cost steadily decreases, making them more financially accessible to the general population.
1. Reduced Energy Costs
In short, LED lights are extremely energy efficient, even more so than CFL’s, the previous king of efficiency. This isn’t to take away from fluorescent lighting, as it is still an energy efficient choice. The problem therein lies in their short lifespan. LED’s can last for decades, whereas CFL’s can last for only a few years.
While you still may be saving on your monthly energy bills, the shorter lifespan of CFL bulbs means you have to spend more on replacement costs than you ever will with LED bulbs. It is common for growers who switch from other lighting sources to LED to experience energy savings in the range of 40% or more in just a very short period of time. Using LED grow lights for your indoor gardening is a great way to save money and live more sustainably at the same time.
2. Unrivaled Longevity
Simply put, LED lights have the longest life-span of any indoor lighting source currently available on the market today. These lights can provide up to 11 years of continuous lighting, so growers hardly ever have to worry about changing bulbs. Unlike fluorescent lights that immediately stop working, LED grow lights slowly become lower in intensity over time, signaling to owners that it is time for a change. When you use LED grow lights for indoor gardening purposes your plants or vegetables will never be compromised by a sudden outage.
3. Choose Your Desired Wavelength
Plants grow differently when exposed to different wavelengths of light. Some grow better under longer wavelengths, while others prefer shorter wavelengths. LED lights are the only indoor grow lights that allow owners to choose a specific wavelength. Other lighting systems can cause slow or sub-par growth since they lack this function. But choosing LED lighting for indoor gardening can allow gardeners to select the ideal lighting conditions for their plants. The red and blue light emitted by LEDs deeply stimulates root growth in plants.
Main Types of LED Grow Lights
There are 3 main types of LEDs that are most commonly used for growing cannabis. Each type of model has its pros and cons, so there isn’t yet a “best” LED type. Some are better for some situations than other.
1.) Spread Style
Many smaller LEDs are spread out over a large area. Examples of this style include Quantum Boards, Rack and “Spider style” LED grow lights.
Quantum Board
The name “Quantum Board LED grow light” originated from Horticulture Lighting Group, though the term is now sometimes used for any LED in this style. They tend to have relatively low wattage diodes which are spread out over a large area on a board. These are becoming more popular lately, and seem to offer particularly good results for the amount of wattage used.
Spider LED
The “spider style” LEDs are similar to Quantum Boards in that the individual diodes are spread out and tend to be on the smaller side, but they are set on a panel with “arms” like a spider as opposed to a solid board. These typically have an extremely high price, but growers who use them swear they get better results than any other type of LED grow light.
2.) Traditional Panel
The standard panel LEDs have small to medium wattage diodes and the lamps tend to be more compact. Most LED grow lights available today are in this style. They are sort of halfway between a Quantum Board and a COB Style light, with a mix of features from both.eg:Kind led grow lights ,viparspectra led grow lights,etc.
I’m also seeing lots of new “hybrid” LED grow lights appearing, that contain a mix of big and little LEDs, and unique form factors that mix and match between all the styles.
3.) COB Style
These grow lights use huge COB (Chip on Board) LED “bulbs”. Each COB is incredibly bright and intense because they contain multiple LED chips in a small area. COBs produce more intense light than other types of LEDs, and each COB uses a significant amount of electricity. Cree is most popular brand of COBs.
Instead of having dozens of small diodes, COB LED grow lights typically only have a handful of huge COBs, each with strong lenses to direct the light down into the plant. These are rapidly gaining in popularity and are known for having deep penetration into the plant canopy.eg:Optic LED Grow Light
AutoCOBs
It’s also common to see LED grow lights that only have one COB per lamp. These make it easy to spread out your light over a grow area, one lamp at a time. Sometimes known as “AutoCOBs”.
Some LED grow lights have a single COB LED. Multiple units can be spread out as needed.
Each COB has its own spectrum, so you can create a custom spectrum for your plants by combining multiple AutoCOBs together. They are very configurable if you have an unusually shaped grow space, or want to be able to accommodate different plants of different sizes at the same time.
Some COB LED grow lights can be plugged into regular light sockets
Now that you have a basic understanding of the different types of LEDs, lets talk about using them for growing cannabis.
There are 3 main types of LEDs that are most commonly used for growing cannabis. Each type of model has its pros and cons, so there isn’t yet a “best” LED type. Some are better for some situations than other.
1.) Spread Style
Many smaller LEDs are spread out over a large area. Examples of this style include Quantum Boards, Rack and “Spider style” LED grow lights.
Quantum Board
The name “Quantum Board LED grow light” originated from Horticulture Lighting Group, though the term is now sometimes used for any LED in this style. They tend to have relatively low wattage diodes which are spread out over a large area on a board. These are becoming more popular lately, and seem to offer particularly good results for the amount of wattage used.
Spider LED
The “spider style” LEDs are similar to Quantum Boards in that the individual diodes are spread out and tend to be on the smaller side, but they are set on a panel with “arms” like a spider as opposed to a solid board. These typically have an extremely high price, but growers who use them swear they get better results than any other type of LED grow light.
2.) Traditional Panel
The standard panel LEDs have small to medium wattage diodes and the lamps tend to be more compact. Most LED grow lights available today are in this style. They are sort of halfway between a Quantum Board and a COB Style light, with a mix of features from both.eg:Kind led grow lights ,viparspectra led grow lights,etc.
I’m also seeing lots of new “hybrid” LED grow lights appearing, that contain a mix of big and little LEDs, and unique form factors that mix and match between all the styles.
3.) COB Style
These grow lights use huge COB (Chip on Board) LED “bulbs”. Each COB is incredibly bright and intense because they contain multiple LED chips in a small area. COBs produce more intense light than other types of LEDs, and each COB uses a significant amount of electricity. Cree is most popular brand of COBs.
Instead of having dozens of small diodes, COB LED grow lights typically only have a handful of huge COBs, each with strong lenses to direct the light down into the plant. These are rapidly gaining in popularity and are known for having deep penetration into the plant canopy.eg:Optic LED Grow Light
AutoCOBs
It’s also common to see LED grow lights that only have one COB per lamp. These make it easy to spread out your light over a grow area, one lamp at a time. Sometimes known as “AutoCOBs”.
Some LED grow lights have a single COB LED. Multiple units can be spread out as needed.
Each COB has its own spectrum, so you can create a custom spectrum for your plants by combining multiple AutoCOBs together. They are very configurable if you have an unusually shaped grow space, or want to be able to accommodate different plants of different sizes at the same time.
Some COB LED grow lights can be plugged into regular light sockets
Now that you have a basic understanding of the different types of LEDs, lets talk about using them for growing cannabis.
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