So you’re interested in buying the best LED grow light for indoor plants? You have come to the right place.
To make an informed decision, you should understand how plants use light, especially from artificial light sources. We are going to deconstruct a few myths in the industry to help you identify the best grow lights on the market.
Myth #1: “HPS puts out over 50% wasted light”
“This is why our purple 12-band LEDs are more efficient! Our perfect 12-band spectrum puts out the only light plants really need.”
If you see this quote, run! 🙂 Some LED companies say that the reason why LEDs are more efficient than High-Pressure Sodium bulbs is because plants don’t use yellow or green light. In other words, the reigning champion of grow lights for several decades, the mighty High-Pressure Sodium, is putting out a lot of “wasted light”. What?
Here’s what the LED companies haven’t been telling you. There’s a phenomenon known as the green gap for narrowband LEDs — they can’t create green, yellow or infrared wavelengths very efficiently. So when you look at the graph below, you’ll suddenly understand why we have purple grow lights. It’s because red and blue are the only colors narrowband LEDs are good at making! Also notice how narrowband LEDs only create very small “points” of color, which is why you might see 8, 10, or 12 bands being advertised as a full spectrum led grow light – it’s a company’s way of trying to deal with LED technology developed in the 1990’s.
Truth: LEDs are more efficient than HID bulbs because they create light directly from electricity, and do not have to heat up a bulb.
But really, where are they getting the idea that purple light is the best for plants? Read on to Myth #2…
Myth #2: Plants Only Need Red and Blue (Purple) Light
Here is where the LED company will pull out their favorite chart – the Chlorophyll A/B absorption graph (see “Pigment Extract” in the below image). They’ll show their spectrum on top of this chart and say that they’re giving plants only the colors of light that they can absorb, or 100% usable light!!! Sounds great right? It’s more like a marketing trick.
Remember the colors that narrowband LEDs could create from Myth #1? Notice how red (~650nm) and blue (~450nm) conveniently coincide with the colors most absorbed by the “Pigment Extract” which is Chlorophyll. In actuality, the leaf itself is absorbing more than just red and blue. Green and yellow light (500-600nm) are getting absorbed by the leaf, too. In fact, these colors are very important for the full development of the plant since that is what they experience when growing under the sun.
If you look closely at the graph, notice how different parts of the plant leaf absorb varying portions of light. The “Chloroplasts” are the centers of photosynthesis — notice how much green, yellow, and orange they absorb. Green doesn’t just “bounce off” of the leaves after all!
If you can imagine green and yellow light as the “free agents” that can slip by Chlorophyll A/B to other parts of the leaf, think about how a red and blue spectrum could fail. Red and blue light cannot easily penetrate past the first few layers of plant cells, into buds, or to the leaves below because Chlorophyll A/B is blocking those colors! See the illustration below where the narrowband Red/Blue LED having most of its light blocked by the leaf (e.g. Chlorophyll A/B) whereas HPS or broadband light penetrates past the canopy through to the leaves below.
“[Red/Blue Light] hardly penetrates through [the] plant canopy compared with [High-Pressure Sodium] light”
Right: Polychromatic Broadband Light
Myth #3: Blue is for Veg, Red is for Flower
This myth originates from the ritual of switching between Metal Halide (MH) and High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) bulbs when transitioning from the vegetative stage to the flowering stage of growth. Growers use MH because it has blue light which is needed to prevent stretching. HPS bulbs have more yellow/orange light, which is important for rapid growth during flowering. Neither of these bulbs is designed for plant growth, but each is more suitable for a certain stage of plant growth than the other.
Since growers are in the habit of switching bulbs between veg and flower, LED companies provide two spectrum modes to increase marketability. Usually, the veg mode is almost 80 percent blue light. Studies show that giving your plants mostly blue light during veg is wasting the potential of your harvest. Your plants will grow slower, create smaller leaves, and won’t be prepared to grow big for the final yield.
Check out the image below illustrating the vegetative growth of lettuce under varying amounts of blue and green light. Watch what happens when blue light passes about 20 percent — the plants shrink! Think about the results that you might get from a grow light with more than 50 percent blue light. LED companies that “match” the chlorophyll A/B graphs will provide this much blue light, seriously decreasing yields. For curious minds, check out the study (quoted below) here.
As the fraction of blue light increased, leaf size and plant growth decreased significantly. However, while the addition of green light considerably reduced the leaf photosynthetic rate, it did not reduce plant growth.
Myth #4: UV LEDS Help Plant Growth
First things first, UVB light has shown benefits to certain plants, but only when applied at the correct intensity, for the proper length of time, and at the right time. Otherwise, UV light can be harmful to plants, let alone your eyes or skin — it’s the reason we use sunscreen and wear sunglasses when going outside.
All UV Rays can lead to eye damage. If your grow light emits UV, wear eye protection!
That being said, if used properly, could UV LED’s help plant growth? It’s a toss-up of whether it’s worth it when reviewing scientific articles. Most UV LEDs actually only produce UVA light, which can be safer and less damaging than UVB. However, the reason why UVB light is beneficial to plants is because it introduces damage and the plant responds with a defense, so UVB light is ideal.
What’s more, UV LEDs are not as efficient, more expensive, and burn out more quickly than other LEDs. With that in mind, it bears the question if using UVA LEDs is worth it, especially if that power could be redistributed to colors that are proven to increase plant growth.
See the graph below from an LED chip manufacturer to see the limited output range of UV LEDs:
Leading UVA/UVB LED supplementation bars last about 15,000 hours (vs the standard LED lifetime of 50,000) and cost hundreds of dollars, whereas a UVB bulb such as the T8 Reptisun 10.0 UVB cost about $15 and will last you an entire year if used for the flower period of your grow.
Myth #5: 1000W LED = 1000W HPS
- The HPS bulb wattage the LED fixture is intended to replace.
- An addition of the “highest rated power output” of LED chips.
- The actual power draw in watts.
Myth #6: The More Lumens, the Better
Lumens are a measure of how bright light is to the human eye. Looking at the graph below, you can see that green/yellow light is the most visible to the human eye, with blue and red light being the least visible.
You may find white LED companies advertising Lumens because they can “beat” the other fixtures that emit mostly red and blue light. A Red/Blue light will score a low amount of lumens.
Each color of light has a different efficiency and plays a different part in a plant growth, so we need a plant-centric light measurement as a benchmark. This is called Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR), which weights all wavelengths from 400-700nm equally.
Be critical about videos comparing one LED light to another with a PAR meter. Many PAR meters on the market incorrectly read LED lights. If you’re really interested about this, check out Apogee Instrument’s superb presentation [Scroll down to “In-depth Look at PAR-Quantum Meters” click play and skip to ~15:00]. If you’re a grower, you should understand the concept of how light is measured. And hey, pick up a quality light meter!
Truth: PAR is the correct light measurement for plants, and not lumens.
Myth #7: A High Center-Point PAR Reading Means the Brightest Light!
Most grow lights are only good at shining light directly below the fixture in a “spotlight”, so the most attractive light reading an LED company can advertise is the highest reading they can measure — the one right in the center of the light.
Plants easily burn with this type of focused LED light, which is one of the reasons you may want to pay attention to this reading: if a light is putting out over 800 umol.m.2s1 of PAR in the center, that is in the danger zone for burning your plants. You’ll have to raise the light to the point where the center isn’t so “hot”, which actually decreases the brightness for the rest of your grow area. Counterintuitive, huh?
Look for LED grow lights that cover the entire grow area like the our lighting systems. These systems help eliminate plant burn while keeping your entire grow area at a uniform light level.
Conclusion
Learn something new? Let us know in the comments below!
Hi! I have a couple full spectrum LED grow lamps that put off a white/yellow light and they seem to work great for my plants. But now I’m afraid these will hurt my eyes…and more importantly my children who don’t understand they shouldn’t look at them. Will these lights cause us to lose vision? Are they emitting UVb rays? (Including links to lamps and overhead light I am considering getting if not harmful) Thank you!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07FM4X64W?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07QCT6Q4T/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=A2QRQQSF6K28FB&psc=1
Hi Bex, those aren’t emitting any harmful rays like UVB. Like any bright light source, it’s not recommended to look directly into them, so I’d be sure they were out of eyesight or pointed away from where you work on your plants.
In regards to “Curtis” question and your response, are you saying those red/blue strips are dangerous to my eyes? I have a set up like that with only 2 strips and it casts an ugly purple color on my african violets but I don’t want those lights on if I’m going to go blind. I walk by this everyday in my living room. I’m hoping to get something that will show their true colors, not that “dangerous” purple color.
Hi Shirley, no they are not inherently dangerous!
What is your take on using reflective verticals (aka walls) vs vertical lighting? Is top down lighting sufficient when sized correctly?
Top down lighting is usually sufficient! Reflective walls like in a grow tent help the intensity immensely coming out of a grow light.
First off excellent article for people to start to understand the spectrums.
I recently purchased a HLG 135 v2 in 4000k for a 2×2 tent. I am new to LEDs and to me the spectrum looks well rounded but the graphs xan be confuaing.
What do you think of it for a seed to harvest light. For either autos or photo period plants?
I have a mars Eco49 as well
Hey GoGreen — 4000K is a good all-around spectrum!
Hey Clarity Cananbis, this article represents some of what previous LED technology failed to do. Current LED technology that adopts current science works very well.
I have a metal halide HID. After reading myth number two I’m wondering if using my ‘full spectrum’ LED during blooming is a waste. Is it even worth buying a red supplemental light for my metal halide light during flowering?
Hi Andrew,
That’s a great question! Red light in the presence of a full spectrum light source would help. Most red-only LED light sources I know of are rare to find a good quality light. You might be better off supplementing with a “warm white” LED if you’re looking for more growth, or check out our store for other LED replacement options.
Dan
So if running a light that has two channels one being for white light cob leds and the other being the bloom enhancer 5w chip leds that are a mixture and specific ratio of seprate uv, ir, 6000k, blue, orange, red, and far red should be both on during the entire grow? What if the bloom enhancer channel has more red and far red,Should it still be used during vegatation?
Hi Notta — You are correct. If you would like vigorous vegetative growth, red and far red should be used because those are the colors that most efficiently drive photosynthesis. If you want your plants to grow more slowly, turn that channel off and go heavy blue. Best of luck!
Are you selling those cool Green Sunshine T shirts?
First grow going great with the 180! Thanks
Hopefully soon! Thanks Scott.
I am not a grower, but some of your rhetoric simply doesn’t make sense. If a car is red, that means that the car’s paint is absorbing all the green light striking it as well as all the blue light that strikes it. If all three colors were reflected back equally we would say the car is white. Now if we look at the leaves on a typical plant, we say the leaves are green, what this means is that the leaf is absorbing red light and blue light but not green light. The plants have been around for far longer than mankind and have evolved their own needs and apparently one of those needs is not needing green light. This is the reason that we say the leaf is green, green is reflected and rejected by the plant. If the plant was using and absorbing all the colors that are striking it we would say the leaf color is black. If the plant is using any green light, then its dam little because the overwhelming majority is reflected and not used.
Hey Ronald!
Great comment. I agree with your logic, but there’s more that meets the eye than simple color of plants. That’s why we need to turn to science rather than working off of the assumption that if an object is a certain color, than it is reflecting all of that color and absorbing none of it. If plants reflected all green light, they would look like tiny green mirrors.
Plants absorb all colors of light as you can see in the graph on point #2. They only absorb slightly less green light than all other colors (Look at the “Whole Leaf” line). Most of the green light actually goes through the plant rather than being reflected.
Total absorption of light is not the goal, since green light is able to pass through more of the leaf it’s able to light up more cells from the top to the bottom of the leaf, and also to the leaves below so the whole plant gets light.
Here’s another great article that touches on this: https://view.joomag.com/maximum-yield-usa-november-2018/0009488001540853689/p56?short&fbclid=IwAR1HDBtNEBLgVutD4MfQim6IbyqGYYtppREce_e9rFQZZye0Sve2FQfZWw8
Dan
What about best light for aquarium plants while also giving true colors to the fish?
Amazing that I have yet to see the final formula in various tests. No verdict.
And,Fishkeeping is this country’s biggest hobby..so don’t sniff.
I’m not entirely sure about aquarium plants, but heavy blue spectra seem to win in those environments.
I am a terrible novice looking for good advice. I have a 5 foot plush lemon tree i brought indoors for winter. It hates being inside because it doesnt get enough light. It drops leaves all winter. I need a tall floor lamp/bulb suggestion that will be best to give my citrus plant the best light without costing a fortune.
Hi Susan,
Great question, my suggestion would be to find any “warm white” LED bulb that is a little higher powered. You might be able to find a “spotlight” LED at your hardware store that is higher powered and you could hang above your citrus tree. Good luck!
Dan: I have a flexible, three-pronged, inexpensive LED 15W red/blue spectrum grow light that I have just bought to supplement a white light system for my geranium cuttings. Twently-two cuttings out of thirty are growing lots of small new leaves so I’m optimistically thinking that they have grown roots. (Best results I’ve ever had!) Now, after reading everything you wrote about lighting “Myths,” I am concerned about the possibility that the new red/blue light fixture will burn my cuttings. Because the prongs are flexible, I can attempt to control the spread of light to, maybe, keep it somewhat even and because I feel very minimal heat when I hold my hand next to the bulbs, I figured they wouldn’t burn my plants, but now I’m really worried . Do you think it is possible that this apparatus I bought might burn my cuttings even though the bulbs do not get hot? Is it possible to provide too much light to a plant? Any advice would be very much appreciated.
Thank you.
Doris
No worries Doris! Your plants will do just fine. Most of the issues only crop up with very high intensity lighting. A 15W red/blue spectrum grow light won’t exhibit those problems.
Hey dude, i’ve just started growing, so greener than my non-existent leaves. I have just acquired the recordcent 600W (100w real) LED grow light and was wondering whether it was critical I get protective glasses if only in the room short periods of time – like max 2/3 minutes… At what stage is glasses a MUST purchase?
Hi Tweeka!
Eye protection is important, I would just use normal polarized sunglasses and you’ll be fine. If you want to see your plants in true color, then you can spend some extra money on special LED Glasses.
Dan
Pardon my let understanding of these charts, as I’m a relatively novice casual home grower. I have purchased some multi-headed red/blue spectrum LEDs. Three Head LED Grow Light Balleen.E 27W Clip On Plant Grow Lamp Lights https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0791WS3PV?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
Are these a good option for small setups growing multiple species of bonsai and or garden starts? I was always taught to look for lumens however that’s about the only spec. not listed. More specs can be provided. Thanks for your knowledge!
Hi Curtis!
Great Question. Lumens are used for almost all LEDs, because LEDs are primarily used for illuminating the world for human eyes.
PAR and EPAR are measurements to determine how much of the light plants will use, which are much wider spectrums than what your eyes can detect.
Those strips are fine, however I would also suggest adding white light to your setup since plants love yellow and green light too. A small LED desk lamp or something similar on Amazon will do!
Thanks for stopping by,
Dan
Your “myth” about UVa light is incorrect. UVa rays penetrate living tissue much deeper than UVb and it has been found to be helpful in even vegetative growth of high-land plants. It has also been proven to have similar effects as UVb – increasing cannabinoids in tested plants by as much as 5%! So if it benefits the plants photomorphogenesis and resin production, what’s wrong with it?
Also, not all companies that use UVa are the same. If you isolate the UV diodes, they can last for just as long as any other 3w or 5w chip. They’re just as reliable and claiming otherwise without any point to back up your claim is silly.
Furthermore, UVa is the overwhelming majority of what’s in the atmosphere. I have no doubt UVb can be helpful to plants too (and it is far more damaging), but which is more likely that plants adapted to receiving? From a “plant evolution” standpoint, UVa seems to make the most sense.
Thanks for the comment Jerome! I agree — however it should be pointed out that not all “UV” is the same, and broad spectrum light sources of UV such as reptile bulbs still remain the best for supplementation. The UV LEDs out there are so close to “blue” (400nm) that it’s a toss up of whether it’s worth dedicating electricity to that type of diode.
Most LEDs last 50,000 hours.
UVC Diodes last about 5,000: https://www.aquisense.com/technology
Here is a recent press release in 2016 where a company is announcing its UV LEDs can last over 10,000 hours: http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2016/02/nikkiso-delivers-50-mw-deep-uv-leds-with-10-000-hour-lifetime.html
A leading UVA/UVB supplementation bar from Cirrus LED has a 15,000 hour lifetime: https://cirrusledgrowlights.com/product/reflex-uvb-grow-light/
That said, your point is correct, find an LED system that isolates the UV LEDs if you choose to go through route. Otherwise, those LEDs will burn out sooner than the rest of the spectrum.
Thanks again for your comment!
Dan
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Very interested in this system. I own a California light works solar system 550 which is the old technology plus a lot of bells and whistles along with the controller. It will not grow big plants even during extended veg period.