How to choose LED grow lights suitable for growing cannabis?

Indoor cannabis grow lights facilitate the cultivation of high-quality, high-yield, and consistent harvests. Cannabis is a particularly tricky plant, demanding lots of care and full, direct light. Cultivators can take their harvests to the next level by utilizing state-of-the-art marijuana grow lights.

Understanding cannabis growth requirements and the science behind weed plant lights can enable you to replicate natural light, aid plant photosynthesis, and ultimately lead to a higher quality of cannabis. It will also help you select a high-quality product for your cannabis growing needs rather than wasting your money on cheap, low-quality pot-growing lights.

There many grow lights that work well for growing cannabis indoors，led grow lights are a great choice for growers who are dealing with hot hps lights and want to change to something that’s going to run cooler.

The difficulty for anyone looking to grow is choosing between the vast variety of indoor grow lights for cannabis. The endless selection can be daunting –  cultivators have never had more choices, whether for home or commercial operations.

Why are grow lights so effective at elevating the harvests of cannabis cultivators? On a basic level, cannabis plants are like any other plants in that they require light energy to carry out photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis converts light energy into chemical energy, enabling plants to grow big and strong. With the marijuana plant, in particular, cutting-edge grow lights support flower growth and bud production.

 

What are the best indoor grow lights for cannabis?

Not all grow lights were created equal. Different cannabis grow lights release different types of light.

For most small, vegetative plants grown indoors, led lights are recommended as the grow light of choice. Bright, white led lights cover the red-blue areas of the color spectrum.

These properties increase the chances of obtaining enhanced organic compound expression within cannabis plants.

By using the best led grow lights for marijuana, growers will discover enhanced properties and exceptional quality in their harvests.

Led lights for growing cannabis are relatively new compared to other indoor plant lights, such as mhs, cfls, and hpss. They have exploded in popularity across the cultivation scene due to their superiority in supporting cannabis growth throughout the entire life cycle of the plant.

We highly recommend choosing an led light with adjustable spectrums so you can customize your grow cycle and ensure you get the most out of every harvest.

Why led grow lights?

• More light, less heat – leds produce more light and less heat than hids, watt-for-watt
• Better for heat control – not only do leds run cooler, plants under leds actually prefer warmer temperatures. That means they are the perfect grow light to deal with heat. If your grow space is room temperature or warmer, leds are your best grow light choice when it comes to controlling heat.
• More colorful buds – leds tend to bring out colors like pink and purple on buds and leaves. Although some strains will stay green no matter what, many strains have the ability to turn color in certain environmental conditions. Leds will almost always bring out colors in those strains especially as plants approach harvest.
• Excellent bud yields & potency – in my side-by-side grows using clones, modern leds produce similar or higher yields, better bud quality, and even significantly more thc than comparable grow lights like hps and lecs.

 

Can any led light serve as a grow light for cannabis?

Technically, yes. A basic 150-watt led white light bulb is sufficient for nurturing a small cannabis plant. Just keep in mind that after the plant reaches its flowering stage, its lighting needs to change.

Larger cannabis plants require more light over a wider area for optimal growth. Ordinary led and other types of light are unsuitable for the latter stages of marijuana plant growth. High-power, purpose-built led grow lights take energy from different areas of the color spectrum to support photosynthesis.

A significant pain point for growers is adapting to the changing needs of the cannabis plant throughout its various cycles.

The different cycles of cannabis growth

To produce more cannabis buds, light is key. Growers need to be aware of the different wavelengths of light needed by their plants throughout their growth cycles.

Cannabis plants are extremely sensitive to light. Cultivators must constantly adjust the color, intensity, and frequency according to different growth stages. These adjustments replicate the natural conditions the cannabis plant would experience in nature.

Sunlight covers the whole color spectrum, which is why full-spectrum led lights are needed for optimal growth.

Seedling/vegetative stage

During the seedling/vegetative stage, cultivators prefer blue light. In nature, more blue spectrum light makes it to earth because of the direct path the sun traces across the sky.

The cannabis plant responds to this bright, direct light by growing shorter stems and bigger leaves. Led lights with a high ratio of blue light trigger the natural evolutionary cues within the cannabis plants to grow.

When exposed to blue light during the vegetative stage, the plant will attempt to spread itself as much as possible, thus increasing leaf mass.

Blue light may also be used for the germination and seedling stages.

Flowering stage

During the flowering stage, many cultivators switch from blue light to yellow/red light. Throughout the fall season, the sun hangs lower in the sky, which means plants receive light from the red side of the spectrum.

In an evolutionary sense, more red/yellow light tells the plant that summer is at an end, and it must begin preparing for winter.

The cannabis plant responds by growing longer stems and making buds for pollination. For growers, this is the final stage of the process just before harvest.

Studies have shown that plants may move from the vegetative stage to the flowering stage faster when grown under red light.

 

The impact of other colored lights

Experts have known about the effects of red and blue lights on plant growth for many years. Only since the legal status of marijuana has changed in many states has more research been conducted into how other colored lights impact marijuana growth.

Green light, for example, is involved in:

• Co2 usage
• Water usage
• Stem growth
• Plant height

The nasa biological sciences research group demonstrated that a combination of red and blue, with 24% green light, enhances growth. On the other hand, too much green light will actually slow down plant growth.

However, cultivators can experiment with different mixes of red, blue, and green light. Different combinations can alter the size of the leaves, the stems, and even the overall color of the leaves.

Depending on the strain and what the grower wants to achieve, it pays off to experiment with different led marijuana grow lights.