Why LED Grow Lights Are the Best Option For Growing Indoors
Indoor growing is becoming a trend nowadays, most especially in urban areas where space is limited. When planning to grow plants indoors, it’s crucial to provide the basic elements required for them to survive, including the right amount of water, humidity, temperature, and light.
The best way to mimic natural sunlight is by using reliable artificial light options, like LED bulbs. Many indoor growers have already made the switch to LED lights from traditional lights, like incandescent and fluorescent bulbs.
So, why are LED grow lights considered the best option for growing different plants indoors?
What Are LED Grow Lights?
A different kind of grow lights, light-emitting diode or LED lights are one of the most energy-efficient lights hugely favored for indoor growing today. The emitted light of LED can be focused, so nothing is lost or dispersed between the plant’s canopy and the bulb
Reasons Why LED Grow Lights Are The Best
LED Grow Lights Produce Light Needed By Plants
LED grow lights produce light waves of blue and red, which are required by plants. A plant’s growth is affected by chemicals in response to these light colors. For instance, phytochromes are responsive to red light, driving leafy growth, whereas cryptochromes are highly sensitive to blue lights, controlling plant light response.
While indoor growers can achieve good growth using either red or blue color waves, using both colors through LED bulbs will result in more enormous yields, quicker growth, and healthier plants. Indoor growers can customize LED lights to emit short or long waves, including certain color levels, to greatly improve plant performance.
Check out these good-to-know facts about using LED grow lights for indoor growing:
- Can an indoor grower use regular LED bulbs? While an indoor grower can use any LED lights to grow plants, using specialized LED grow lights is highly recommended. It is because regular LED lights don’t contain enough light spectrum or color for photosynthesis or the conversion of light to food or energy needed by plants.
- Are LED grow lights recommended when growing cannabis? Cannabis can be used as a natural supplement or adjunct treatment to traditional medicines. This plant is also becoming popular in the beauty industry. And, yes, using LED grow lights is highly recommended when growing cannabis indoors because of the perfect combination of blue and red lighting that is essential for cannabis plant growth.
LED Grow Lights Are the Best for Small Indoor Grow Spaces
When compared to tube lights, LED grow lights don’t dim over time and will last indefinitely, most especially in small indoor grow rooms. Also, LED light doesn’t contain mercury and provides more light because it covers more surface space than tube lights, covering roughly a large space footprint.
Source: https://www.organicnewsroom.com/why-led-grow-lights-are-the-best-option-for-growing-indoors/Using LED grow lights that are small and compact can be hung over plants or under a table to grow greens and herbs. Also, they are great for the following:
- Starting seeds
- Growing tomatoes
- Growing peppers and other spices
- Growing vegetables and fruits to full maturity
LED Grow Lights Are Simple To Set Up
Setting up an entire room is not required when using LED grow lights for indoor growing. A grower can set up a small area for growing micro-greens, herbs, or whatever is desired. A heated basement, a corner of the storage room, or along a windowsill can be used as indoor grow space.
LED Grow Lights Save Energy
Indoor grow lights can utilize a lot of energy, which can spike up utility bills. It’s a good thing that energy-efficient grow lights are now available to avoid dealing with this problem. Many indoor growers are aware that LED grow lights provide more energy savings than other grow light types, which means fewer electricity expenses.
Because a LED grow light generates less heat, it saves more energy. Also, you can shorten the distance of LED grow lights and indoor plants for heightened light intensity, as well as greater yields without heat damage.
LED Grow Lights Provide High Yields
Excessively high temperatures discourage flowering and promote stunt growth. With LED grow lights, however, there’s only minimal or zero interference when it comes to creating the perfect climate for indoor plants. This is unlike using high-pressure sodium or HPS lights (gas discharge lights) that emit high heat and require supplemental cooling LED lights to eliminate complicated calculations of establishing the ideal climate for indoor crops. Thus, LED grow lights offer full control over every stage of a plant’s growth.
General Tips When Using Indoor Grow Lights
- When setting up the LED grow lights, one must consider the indoor garden Regardless if it’s an entire room, a single shelf, or a basement area, it’s crucial to know the amount of space available.
- For pot plants, they should be four to eight inches apart. This space allows for easy access for pruning, as well as promotes plant growth.
- Buy LED grow lights that will illuminate the entire plant area. More than one light source might be required to fully cover a large growing area.
- For houseplants, only one light is enough, and sprouts should be grown under a light.
- Hang or place lights over the pots or plant beds to mimic natural sunlight; all leaves and sides of a plant should be exposed to the artificial light.
- LED grow lights can be placed six to 12 inches over indoor plants because of low heat signature. Adjust the light placement as plants develop and grow to maintain the right distance.
- Plants require different amounts of light. Most flowering plants and vegetables need light for about 12 to 16 hours a day.
- Darkness is also essential for the proper plant growth cycle. Most plants need darkness for about eight hours per day.
Conclusion
LED grow lights provide the needed light waves of indoor plants for them to grow healthy. Because LED grow lights generate less heat, indoor growing is more energy-efficient now more than ever, with less damage to plants caused by excessive heat emission of traditional light options.
Following the tips shared above, indoor growers can grow different plants using LED without so much hassle. LED grow lights are easy to set up as they don’t require additional equipment. Also, they have a low heat signature for optimum yield and energy savings.