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The Best Large scale LED Grow Lights for Cannabis

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hydroponics led grow lights ECO Farm

When it comes to growing weed indoors, one of the most important factors is the grow light that you use. If you choose the wrong light, then your plants won’t grow properly or they’ll grow more slowly than desired.

With the number of options available on the market, you can feel overwhelming to choose a reliable and well-suited grow lamp for your indoor garden. To help you make the decision, we’ve put together some of the best commercial LED grow lights.

LED grow lights have not always been popular with marijuana growers. However, technology has improved, and so have LED lighting systems. Although they would not have been a reasonable choice for marijuana growers five or ten years ago, they are becoming more popular every day. We can now find LED lights not only in the marijuana grow room, but also in cars, offices, and homes.

Many people swear by LEDs instead of HID setups, asserting that they are a far superior and more energy conscious option. If you go with LEDs, you will save energy, money, and management time.

Depending on your budget and your preferences, you can choose one light from the list, or you can try out several to see which works best for your plants.

Read through the best indoor LED grow lights reviews to find the perfect grow light for your indoor garden. 

Advantages

First and foremost, the energy savings are enormous. If you compare using an LED light for the same purposes as you would an HID light, using the LED light will save you about 40% of the energy consumption. They also last a lot longer. You can expect between 50,000 and 60,000 hours of working use of an LED light, compared to between 2,000 and 3,000 hours with an HID light. This is because LED lights don’t have a filament to burn.

LED lights take up less space, emit light faster, and are more durable and shock-resistant than HID lights. They also have a much lower heat output, therefore lowering the need to keep your grow room cool. This reduces the risk of fire significantly. HID lights will become very hot, but good LED lights feel cool when you touch them, even after running for several hours.

LED lights focus using the lenses, which means there is less of a need for reflectors like HID lights, which disperse the light without focusing and, therefore, need an external means of focusing. HID lights need approximately 100 to 150 Watts of more power than LED lights since there is power management built into the LED lights. HID lamps require external ballasts and, therefore, add extra watts of consumption.

LED lights turn instantly on and off, unlike HID lamps, which need to warm up before being fully lit. LED lights can even be dimmed quite easily. Full spectrum LED grow light provides plants in all stages from veg to flower with everything they need in the natural sunlight. 

The efficiency of LEDs is particularly noticeable when compared to CFLs. You can expect to save about 50% of your energy bill when you choose an LED over a CFL. 

Disadvantages

When using LED lights, precise power (current) management is necessary. Additionally, LED lights have higher upfront costs. That being said, they are less expensive over longer periods of time. LED lights particularly need more specific current and heat management than do HID lights, when they are powerful lights to be used to light entire large areas.

Best Large scale LED Grow Lights 2020

Mars Hydro FC 4800 480W LED Grow Light with Samsung LM301B Osram Diodes。 Silent fanless design. No fans zero noise. Built-in large areas of solid aluminum heat sinks, essential for heat dissipation while ensuring long lifespan of the light.

Perfect for 5ft×5ft coverage. Remember to properly adjust the height and brightness accordingly to your plants desired level for optimal growth. Slim design that is foldable up to 180 degrees, making it small, compact, and easy to install.

6 passively cooled bars provide broad-coverage lighting for full-term growth. Reliably sourced components including inventronics drivers.

Designed with Samsung LM561C chip, higher light intensity, less light decay , better lumens and PAR values than ordinary leds. It runs at a lower temperature and can bring higher energy conversion and longer life. This grow light is a full-cycle lighting solution for all growing environments including wet situation and is ideal for greenhouse or indoor lighting.

No fans no noise and waterproof function. Lots of heat sinks and hollow body ensures maximum heat dissipation. No additional fan zero noise. Otherwise, the plant grow light uses advanced waterproof power supply which is installed outside of the light and it is easy to be replaced.

Lower temperature , more scientifically and energy-efficient. Making you get 30% higher yield than HPS. High power, PPFD is evenly distributed, PPFD is higher, suitable for customers with higher lighting requirements, and the voltage section is universal in all countries. 

Black Dog LED PhytoMAX-2 800

The Black Dog LED PhytoMAX-2 800 will replace more than a 1000 watt HPS with higher yields and better quality results while using less electricity.

The PhytoMAX-2 800 utilizes 420 Top-Bin 5W LEDs from industry leaders such as Cree and Osram, rated at 50,000 hours. The unit is advertised to cover up to a 6’ x 6’ for flower and veg a 7.5’ x 7.5’ area. However, for the best results, it is recommended to be used in a 4’ x 4’ to 5’ x 5’ flower area.

Black Dog's PhytoGenesis Spectrum can be used for both veg and flower, which helps reduce stalling associated with spectrum changes. The spectrum ranges from UVA to Far Red and includes a healthy amount of green to naturalize the light for easy viewing and to help increase photosynthesis inside the leaves and canopy.

Commercial LED Grow Lights FAQs

Are LED Grow Lights Effective? 

LED grow lights have been proven to run cooler than conventional grow lights. Aside from this, they are more energy efficient as well. On the downside, they are more expensive than other marijuana grow lights. The question is, are LED grow lights worth the extra money? Are they really worth the investment?

It’s important to note that there’s a significant variation of efficiency within different LED lights. Although some manufacturers claim that their lights are nearly 100% efficient, the truth is slightly different. A good commercial LED grow light converts approximately 80% of the electricity into light. The remaining 20 percent is converted into heat.

Total output comes into play, too. The higher the output, the more light per watt. This results in less electrical usage and such a light is more cost effective. Weighing all these factors, LED grow lights are no doubt worth the investment.

How Many LED Watts for 4×4 Grow Tent Do I Need?

It is of high importance to pick the right LED wattage for a particular grow space. Keep in mind that the number of actual watts may vary widely depending on the growth phase, plant type, and total area of your grow.

As a rule of thumb, you’ll need around 32 watts of actual LED wattage per 1 square foot of your grow space. If you have a 4×4 grow tent, for example, you will want 512 LED watts per coverage area. However, your best bet is to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations because not all LED light units are created equal.

Do LED Grow Lights Require a ballast?

Unlike HID lighting, LED grow lights do not require a ballast at all. HID grow lights need a ballast so as to produce higher voltage, thereby initiating the electric arc in the bulb. LED fixtures operate completely differently and they need direct current to work.

Final Review

Before you make a choice of light, be sure to carefully evaluate your budget and your needs for your indoor garden. Make sure that the light you choose will be big enough to cover the area you are growing, and reliable enough to last you for quite a while.

Our best grow lights reviews will help you narrow down your options and make the right choice. These three LED grow lights are all excellent options that will give your indoor garden the ingredients it needs to thrive.

You truly can’t go wrong with any of them, although the more expensive ones have added features that the others just can’t offer. And once your LED grow light arrives, you aren’t done there! Continue to pay close attention to your plants, and you’ll soon see them grow and flourish like you’ve been hoping. 

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