Using grow lights for plants is an amazing idea to give the plants an amazing ambience to grow and flourish. We live in a world where air pollution has practically taken over the world and left people with no option but to compromise health. The air outdoors has been contaminated with impurities and toxins, which lead to several health issues. However, environment specialists have advised planting grow light seedlings indoors to purify the air. This is why it is important to get these artificial lights for growing plants indoors in 2022. Here is all that you need to know.

Will House Plants Survive LED Lighting?

For many houseplants, the light conditions in your home aren’t optimal. They’ll occasionally require the additional illumination that LED lights provide. But should you use regular LED lights or invest in specialized LED grow lights? The answer, as you’ll see in this post, is very dependent on the sort of plant you’re trying to cultivate, the season, and the amount of natural light your home receives.

Of course, there is a distinction between regular LED lights and LED grow lights, which I will explain further below, as well as the usefulness of various lights (LED strip lights, light bulbs, and so on) for plant growth.

LED Grow Light vs. LED Light for Normal Use

Grow lights are made to mimic the spectrum of light that the sun provides for plants. They have the optimal combination of red, blue, and other wavelengths that plants require to thrive. Normal LED lights can also aid your plants; the white light they generate is beneficial to plants; however, they aren’t as sophisticated in terms of the light spectrum as grow lights, and they don’t provide the output required for many houseplants.

As a result, if you have to choose between regular LED lights and grow lights for your plants, grow lights are unquestionably the better choice. Neither can fully replace the benefits that natural sunlight provides for plants, although LED grow lights come close.

ECO Farm Z6–600 Samsung LM301B LED Grow Light

Features:

This ECO Farm LED grow light adopts Samsung LM301B Full Spectrum White Light Diodes, 660nm Red Diodes, IR+UV Diodes on independent controls, boast the market-leading efficiency to 2.7µmol/J, high PPF output for high-intensity 1501µmol/s, perfect coverage for 4x4ft. This grow light is easy to install, easy to swap out for any potential defective individual bars or diodes, just swap out single bars instead of entire systems. This grow light consists of 3500K warm white LEDs, and 660nm deep red LEDs, infinitely close to natural sunlight, excellent spectrum applies to the whole stages of the indoor growing plant; It can be freely adjusted lighting intensity as plants need of growth at different stages. Aluminium heat-sink, no fans no noise, Robust thermal and electrical design allows LEDs to run cooler and retain 90% of output beyond 50,000 hours.

PHOTOBIO PHOTOBIO•M 600 Watt LED Grow Light

Features:

The PHOTOBIO grow light can be applied as a direct 1000W HID alternative or retrofit. The fixture’s slim vertical profile makes it ideal for vertical tiered cultivation for greater production capacity in the same square footage. The PHOTOBIO M LED grow light comes in two different spectrums — full spectrum, and flower. The S1 Spectrum of this grow light is developed for businesses that are heavily focused on flower production for the eventual extraction of pharmaceutical-grade concentrates. The S1 Spectrum provides UV and Far Red outside of the PAR range. UV is responsible for increased terpene content, pest and pathogen resistance, and colour expression. Far Red light is responsible for increased leaf size, which contributes to driving other processes in the plant. S4 Spectrum provides a highly efficient full spectrum with a healthy red-to-blue ratio to drive photosynthesis.

Is the cost of a LED Grow light worth the reward?

It is true that the upfront investment in a LED grow light is higher than an HPS (high-pressure sodium) grow system. The traditional HPS is just a fancy light bulb with ballast to prevent flickering. The HPS system requires that the bulbs be replaced after about 6 months of continuous use. The HPS system also requires about 40% more electricity to function at full capacity compared to a LED grow light on Flower mode.

LED’s have an expected performance life of 50,000 to 75,000 hours or 5.7 years of continuous operation. That’s a load of growth, couple that with the 40% decrease in electricity costs and you have a pretty easy answer. But the savings go further. Due to the lower operating temperature of an LED grow light your grow will require less environmental air conditioning. You will require less energy to manage the temperature and humidity inside your grow space.

You can see pretty quickly that the high upfront cost of LED grow lights is made back over a short time of operation.

The time of LED grow systems is here! Over the next year or two, more and more people will invest in this technology and that will fuel even more development. I wouldn’t wait for any more improvements because LED technology is already capable of increasing your plant's yields and potency. Do a little research, read some led grow light reviews and you will surely be happy with your move over to LED grow lighting. If you’re a new grower then you’ll just get to know the simplicity of LED as the go-to technology.

Tips to use indoor grow light for plants

LED bulbs used to illuminate spaces contain only visible light, while grow light for indoor plants are full-spectrum with UV, IR and visible lights to promote plants growing healthily in the whole growing stages. Plants usually have four growing stages of germination, seedling, veg, and bloom. As plants need different light intensities in each stage, you need to adjust the amount of light that plants are exposed to. Light efficiency and the distance between plants and grow lights will affect the light intensity. To make it easier for new growers, we will give you some tips on how to use the grow light in the four stages.

l In germination, hang the light at 24 to 30 inches height and turn the light on for 18 hours a day and off for 6 hours. You will see good seed germination.
l In the seedling stage, you can place the light a bit closer to the plants. Hanging the light at 24 inches height and turn it on 18 hours a day and of 6 hours too in this stage.
l You can put the light even closer in veg stage. 18 to 24 inches would be better. Turn the light on and off at the same time spacing.
l Plants need higher light intensity when the first blossom emerges. Adjusting the light 12–18 inches will offer more light to the plants. But they also need more time to get a rest, so it’s better to turn the light on and off for 12 hours.

Though this may look tricky, a professional grow light will ease the whole process for you. Grow light nowadays are multifunctional. A simple press on the remote will control the light to do what you need it to do. For example, set the light to be on and off automatically, set the brightness and timing, etc.

But light is only one of the factors that ensure the healthy growth of your plants. Soil, water and airflow will also have a significant impact on it. If these are well prepared, then an LED grow light will definitely surprise you in plant cultivation.

Conclusion

What should I need to remember about LED lights and growing plants?

Depending on the plant you want to grow, you need to calculate how many Watts you will need, so the plant can take enough light and grow properly. But, that also depends on the type of the plant, so, before you invest in this type of lighting, you must make research online or ask the experts in this field.

Remember, you can’t use any LED light to grow any plant if you care about the plant’s quality. Using regular LED lights won’t ensure that your plant will be healthy, so you need to find the right colour and frequency that fits the best.

The good thing is that the LED light supports the plant during all the stages of growth, uses less energy and provides great power at the same time.

Different LED lights will provide different results, especially for plants. The green and yellow will make the plant grow tall, the blue and purple coloured will make the leaves fresh and compact, and the red light is important for the flowering phase.

So, if you need it for plants, you will get the most of it by changing and adjusting the lighting. For those plants that are not so complicated, even the white or yellowish type will help.

Always be careful about colours, light placement, and of course, don’t use the cheapest option, so you can be sure that you spent your money smart and wisely.