Lighting is a key factor when growing plants. Keeping plants alive can be a challenging task, but growing them indoors is even more so. Some houses are not suitable for plants because they are very dark. That’s where LED grow lights come in.

These grow lights have many benefits; energy efficient, environmentally friendly, and produce full spectrum light. They are considered one of the best indoor lights on the market, especially if you find the right lights for your plants.

LED grow lights are very different from standard LED light bulbs, such as household light fixtures. They mimic sunlight very effectively, giving your plants the light they need to grow.

Once you decide to buy indoor grow lights, you should buy the one that fits your needs exactly. Although, this is easier said than done. To help you find the right LED lights, we’ve listed the best LED grow lights and what to look for when shopping for interior lights.

Mars Hydro FC-E1000 Bridgelux 1000W LED Grow Light

Features:

The Mars Hydro LED Grow Light has a full spectrum for full cycle plant growth. FC-E1000W is specially designed for high PPFD culture (such as high concentration CO2 growth). It is by far the most powerful grow light with a high PPF of 2,766 umol/s and an average PPFD of over 1,300 umol/m2/s. The FC-E1000W is slightly different from other FC-E LEDs because of its scalable flexibility, allowing for customization and configuration. Typically, 10 light bars are arranged on 2 support bars to provide an unusually high amount of power for an area of 4x4 feet.

Spectrum King Phoenix 1050W LED Grow Light

Features:

Spectrum King’s Phoenix 1050W LED Grow Light is a grow lighting beast that unleashes 1050 watts of sun-like light in areas up to 6' x 6', unleashing the ultimate output for your grows. Designed to hang high, the Phoenix 1050 recreates the sunniest summer days for plants that never seem to get enough light. SK Cryo-Therm cooling technology enables an ultra-thin profile that allows maximum airflow and minimizes microclimates. Optimized for single or multi-tier planting near the canopy. For growers who need the biggest, brightest LEDs, the Phoenix 1050W is for you.

What To Look For When Selecting a LED Grow Light

When selecting a LED grow light there are a number of factors you need to consider for yourself, which include:

Materials
Durability is key when selecting your new lighting rig. A good quality lamp will be around for at least a decade.

And with products that last longer, you can invest more into them. Electrical Output and Consumption

Your LED hydroponic grow light will need to be on for around 10–11 hours a day. Depending on your hydroponic unit, you’ll want to ensure that your unit is drawing the least amount of power.

Low Heat
LED lights that get too hot will damage themselves and the plants. You need to be sure that the unit is pumping out the least amount of heat.

And if it does overheat, the heating management system should do its job well.

Space and Plants
A major factor will also be the space you’re growing your plants in.

Spaces with little to no ventilation will cause mold to form on the plants.

And if you share a space with the LED lights, you’ll want to consider noise issues.

Ease of Use and Daisy Chain
Your LED hydroponic grow lights need to be simple to operate. Otherwise you won’t utilize all the great features.

Ease of use also extends to installation. An easy to install unit is one that gets to work faster.

For ambitious growers, you will want the option to expand your grow project. Make sure you’re happy with the amount of units you can link up to one another.

Warranty
None of these options are especially cheap. Thus each unit should come with a warranty or return policy.

Don’t purchase a unit if there’s no warranty or return policy.

Conclusion

Over the past few years, traditional indoor operations have relied on HPS lamps to supplement sunlight. However, the low efficiency of conventional lamps makes them unsuitable as a single lighting source.

Because traditional lamps have high requirements on power. There are many other types of indoor grow lights, but light emitting diodes (LEDs) are revolutionizing controlled growing technology.

Advances in LED lighting technology have increased the efficiency of converting electricity into light and are increasingly profitable for indoor farm plants.

LED lights have powerful functions and sufficient cost performance. They have become a popular supplemental light source in greenhouse plant lighting, and can also be the sole light source in a greenhouse or indoor farm.

LED grow light fixtures have the advantage of being adjustable, allowing you to customize exciting plant light recipes by adjusting settings such as light intensity, duration, wavelength (color), and lighting time.

Thus, modern farmers can take advantage of the new environment to meet their needs for different plants. Additionally, growers can alter plant physiology by adjusting the brightness of light (wavelength range is particularly important) to delay flowering, increase biomass, accelerate photosynthesis, and many other interesting plant signaling responses.