LED grow lights have gone through a number of improvements to get to where they are today, so it makes sense that many growers are wary of them. On the flip-side, HIDs have been around much longer than LEDs and have become a tried and true way to grow indoors. In the end, though, LED grow lights have proven their efficiency and effectiveness in the grow room. Here's why:
Low Heat Generation — LED grow lights are the only lights around that don’t need to heat up metal or gases to extreme temperatures, unlike HIDs. That energy and the heat created by it are why HIDs get so hot and end up adding heat to your grow room. The heat from the radiation that LEDs emit is minimal — nowhere near the heat generated by HID lights. This heat is more of a nice addition to your garden compared to an HID's heat, which can create stressful, overheated conditions for your plants if not regulated.
Low Energy Consumption — LEDs use much less energy to run than HIDs. Consider the STG-600W-F Advance Spectrum MAX LED Grow Light Panel that consumes around 600w of power but has almost the same intensity as a 1000w HID. This LED gives you the same amount of PPFD as an HID twice its wattage, and you won’t need to regulate its heat. Cooling and ventilation equipment will need to work less with LEDs, which will reduce your energy consumption even further.
Pinpointing Vital Wavelengths Plants Need — LED grow lights are great at giving plants the specific wavelengths of light beneficial to growth. Plants only absorb certain wavelengths of light, so the drawback to HIDs and T5s is that plants waste a lot of the light their broad spectrums provide. LEDs have the ability to pinpoint and increase the availability of various blue and red wavelengths — even infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths — your plants need so they get as many usable wavelengths as possible.
There are LEDs that offer you all white spectrums of light just like CMH grow lights, as well as warm and cool spectrums like HIDs . No matter what style of light you’re used to or want to try, you’ll be able to find an LED grow light with the spectrums of light you need to get your plants where you want them to be.
Depending on the type of LED you have, you even have the ability to control the wavelengths of light you give your plants. KIND and MINT LEDs, for example, allow you to control the number of colored and white diodes your light gives off. That sort of customization is impossible with HIDs.
Low Heat Generation — LED grow lights are the only lights around that don’t need to heat up metal or gases to extreme temperatures, unlike HIDs. That energy and the heat created by it are why HIDs get so hot and end up adding heat to your grow room. The heat from the radiation that LEDs emit is minimal — nowhere near the heat generated by HID lights. This heat is more of a nice addition to your garden compared to an HID's heat, which can create stressful, overheated conditions for your plants if not regulated.
Low Energy Consumption — LEDs use much less energy to run than HIDs. Consider the STG-600W-F Advance Spectrum MAX LED Grow Light Panel that consumes around 600w of power but has almost the same intensity as a 1000w HID. This LED gives you the same amount of PPFD as an HID twice its wattage, and you won’t need to regulate its heat. Cooling and ventilation equipment will need to work less with LEDs, which will reduce your energy consumption even further.
Pinpointing Vital Wavelengths Plants Need — LED grow lights are great at giving plants the specific wavelengths of light beneficial to growth. Plants only absorb certain wavelengths of light, so the drawback to HIDs and T5s is that plants waste a lot of the light their broad spectrums provide. LEDs have the ability to pinpoint and increase the availability of various blue and red wavelengths — even infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths — your plants need so they get as many usable wavelengths as possible.
There are LEDs that offer you all white spectrums of light just like CMH grow lights, as well as warm and cool spectrums like HIDs . No matter what style of light you’re used to or want to try, you’ll be able to find an LED grow light with the spectrums of light you need to get your plants where you want them to be.
Depending on the type of LED you have, you even have the ability to control the wavelengths of light you give your plants. KIND and MINT LEDs, for example, allow you to control the number of colored and white diodes your light gives off. That sort of customization is impossible with HIDs.
