Grow lights are undoubtedly growing more popular as indoor gardening becomes more prominent. However, with so many types of quality, deceptive wattage, manufacturers, technical terminology, and grow area calculations, it can be difficult to discover and purchase the ideal grow light for your needs, especially if you are a newbie.

So, if you're wondering where to buy grow lights and which grow lights are best for your indoor garden needs, this grow light buyer's guide has simplified everything for you, including accurate wattage, coverage calculations, type of grow light, efficiency, and the place to buy grow lights that will meet your garden needs with a warranty.

The purpose of this buyer's guide is to assist you in selecting the best grow light for your needs. I've included links to where you may get them.

If you are a seasoned grow light user looking for the best grow light suggestions, skip to our analysis of the different types of grow lights.

There are a lot of things and properties to consider before choosing a plant grow light for your garden, but when doing this, please be aware of your growth goals, location, and other specifics.

Here is a list of the most important things to think about before making a decision.

When choosing a grow light for your indoor garden, space is very important because it determines how many and what sizes of lamps may be needed in the garden.

The first step is to determine the exact size of your garden, are you using a grow tent, or converting an entire room. Then you have to figure out the exact number of lamps you need by figuring out the size of the area that each bulb lights up.

Most gardeners agree that if you're producing high-light plants like tomatoes, you'll need 32 watts of actual electricity per square foot. And if you're in for low-light plants, such as lettuce, they require between 11 and 18 watts per square foot.

Even though plants can grow in almost any light, they also need different wavelengths for photosynthesis to work. Some of the best LED grow lights you can get on the market today can give plants the full spectrum they need at each stage of their growth.

Many plants, for example, require light in the red and blue spectrums, as well as infrared and ultraviolet, depending on their stage of development.

By giving the right photosynthetically active radiation values, a powerful full-spectrum LED grow light allows you to cater to the plant's individual demands.

The type of grow light you choose must be appropriate and adequate for the plants you're growing. Certain LED lights will do the job to some extent, but certain models are designed to meet specific plant demands.

It is important to know that plants require different wavelengths at different stages of growth.

For example, if you are growing heavy crops such as tomatoes, you will need a different light than if you are producing flowers.

This is one of the most important factors you have to critically consider when choosing a grow light. Your LED grow lights will have to run for at least 10–12 hours every day, and this will result in higher electricity expenses.

Making an informed decision and reading the comprehensive product description can save you time and money in the long run. Most importantly, you should always check how many units of total output the light has.

The best unit output alternatives for a grow light are 300W to 1,000W, and you should not settle for anything less. Remember that a higher output will help to compensate for any wattage loss.

This is one of the most important things to think about when choosing LED lights because it helps protect plants and makes them last longer.

The lights are constantly in close contact with the plants, and the low heat output not only ensures that there will be no harm, but also allows for a reduced distance between the lamp and the plant.

A light with a higher heat output will not just burn out faster and will need to be replaced often. As a result, we strongly recommend that you purchase an LED bulb with a low heat output, which emits less energy as heat and is equipped with an aluminum heat sink.

The semiconductor chip of any grow light is the heart of the LED light, and it not only converts electricity to light, but it also plays a role in choosing the wavelength.

It is recommended that you look for a light with a chip of at least 3 watts, because any chip with less than 3 watts will not be able to offer adequate illumination.

There are numerous brands of hydroponic grow lights on the market, each offering somewhat different items, though similar in functions and mode of operation. Even though these brands look alike, they are not all the same quality, which makes the decision even harder.

If you're trying to decide between different light options when the price and appearance are almost comparable, looking at the brand can help.

Like in other industries, a company with a good reputation, a long history, and a lot of research and development is more likely to have a good product.

There are four major types of grow lights, but the big question is which grow lights are the best among them. Well, the best growing light is light emitting diodes (LED).

These are the four grow lights for your indoor gardening.

1. Light Emitting Diodes (LED)
2. High Intensity Discharge(HID)
3. Ceramic metal halide technology (CMH)
4. Fluorescent lights (T5)

Some of the different colors of LED grow lights are directly linked to their intended use. Various studies have shown that certain colors like blue and red light spectra influence plant growth, affecting root and flower formation.

This basically means that the majority of plant species will complete a regular growth cycle when exposed to both blue and red grow lights.

Adding colors like green, far-red, and deep-blue to the spectrum helps this process by giving plants more information about their surroundings. This leads to better green, far-red, and deep-blue.

If you enjoy gardening and want to try growing plants indoors, you'll need an LED grow light. A LED grow is required to ensure that your plants grow strong and healthy.

Here are some of the reasons why you choose LED grow lights.

Growers have more control over the temperature of the environment and how much heat their plants are exposed to because LED lights run much cooler than their HPS counterparts.

Instead of the unfocused wavelengths of HPS, all of our lights have been made to give off the essential spectrum for plants to take in the most light.

Fixtures with switches, like our 260-watt Full Spectrum Grow Light, let growers change the spectrum of colors they put out to meet the plants' changing needs.

With their small size and ability to be hung at different heights, our fixtures can be used by both small and large businesses.

Now, let's see some of the benefits of LED lights over other types of hydroponic grow lights available. When compared to other lamps, the benefits of LED lighting are most apparent.

These are some of the benefits a grower will get from using LED grow lights over other lights.

LED grow lights are well-known for their compact dimensions. In fact, the designers of this grow light had space management in mind while making the light.

This is one great benefit LED has over other types of grow lights, which demand a lot of space as well as additional equipment to function properly.

LED lights take up less space because they are small and don't need any extra tools to work.

They are also easier to move and alter, with some lights intended to join together so that no extra cords are required.

When you put standard lights on plants, the burning effect bounces off the plant, causing it to dry out if the temperature isn't right.

Plants can be hurt by anything that gives off UV radiation, which makes them need a lot more energy and water to stay alive.

LED grow lights, on the other hand, are less damaging to the plant. Given the plant's restricted energy supply, it will not feel as if it is overworking itself.

You will also save money on energy and water because LED lights are gentler on plants than traditional lighting.

Previously, people paid less attention to placing a high value on ecologically friendly machines, but nowadays everyone, including the UN, now recognizes the importance of eco-friendly items.

At a time when the air around us is becoming increasingly difficult to breathe, the producers of LED recognize that burning more air and producing trash will only make matters worse.

LED grow lights, on the other hand, can be recycled completely. This makes them a better choice for the environment than HID lights and other standard lights that contain a lot of mercury, which is very bad for the environment when burned.

The LED grow lights do not contain these dangerous compounds, and this is deliberately done to ensure that the air surrounding you and your lights remains safe.

You may fine-tune your light spectrum using LED lights to produce the ideal light for plants to thrive during various stages of their cycle.

You can even target specific frequency bands with your energy. As a result, you are not spending energy on light that is in a useless region of the spectrum.

LED lights give the type of light that plants require to thrive.Other lights cannot fine-tune their spectrum, so the light they emit is the only light you get.

Plants understand only one thing: they require sunshine to grow. They would most likely continue to grow if they were exposed to sunlight throughout the day.

Unfortunately for them, the sun sets at some time, which means that they cease developing for a couple of hours.

However, with LED lights, the "sun" will never set, and the plants will be unaware. They will only know that they have the necessary light to grow, and they will continue to grow in their illuminated grow room even when it is completely dark outside.

Another wonderful benefit of LED grow lighting is that it saves electricity. They save you a lot of money on your monthly electricity expenses.

They are very reliable and a great way for growers on a tight budget to save money on electricity.

One special thing about LEDs is their durability when compared to other lights . Many of these LED lights have a lifespan of 50,000-100,000 hours. Comparable lights have a lifespan of about 20,000 hours.

They also run at a low temperature so that they do not overheat the room, potentially changing the temperature and damaging your plant development.

The five groundbreaking advantages of LEDs over traditional HPS lights are:

When compared to HPS or CMH, LEDs use significantly less energy to generate the same quantity of light. This is assessed by effectiveness, which compares the amount of light generated by a grow light (mol/s) to the amount of energy utilized (joules/s).

For growers who don't have a lot of access to electricity, this can mean that they can have more lights at their facility without using too much energy or losing light intensity.

Another significant advantage of LED chip technology is its long life. LED grow lights can work for up to 45,000 hours before they give off significantly less light.

This means that, on average, LED grow lights can be used for up to ten years (10 hours on–11 hours off) before needing to be changed.

In comparison, the lamps in HPS grow lights are often replaced after only 12 months of normal use and can cost more than $100.

A further advantage of LED grow lights is that they produce less heat, which means they can be placed closer to your plants' canopy. Due to the high amount of heat produced by HPS and CMH grow lights, they can potentially burn plants if put too close to the canopy.

This implies that you should leave a greater distance between them and your cover. But this is not applicable to LED grow lights, which can be put as low as a foot above the canopy.

Most HPS lamps use the full amount of light, but LED grow lights can be dimmed with a remote control or an app. This makes them easier to manage and saves power.

Studies and practical experience have proven that LED grow lights produce much better crops in terms of plant size and growth rate in comparison to HPS lights.

Also, LEDs can be made with a spectrum that fits a certain goal, such as increasing anthocyanins, stopping flowers from opening, making roots grow deeper, and so on.

Wattage is not the only statistic to consider when determining an LED grow light's coverage area or performance. But the wattage of the light will help you figure out how big of a space you'll need.

However, photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) is the right way to measure the full intensity of light in a certain area.

PPFD is a measurement of the number of photons falling on an area per second in the 400-700nm band of the visible light spectrum (photosynthetic active radiation or PAR).

There are two types of wattage in LED lights:

• nominal wattage
• input wattage.

The nominal wattage is often the figure listed in the light's name.

This is calculated by multiplying the maximum wattage of the LED chips by the number of chips. A 600-watt light, for example, may have 200 x 3-watt chips and a nominal output of 600 watts.

The actual input wattage used by the light, however, is always lower because the 3-watt chips are never run at 100% capacity to avoid thermal breakdown.

Each 3-watt chip can consume between 1.8 and 2.5 watts of power, depending on the wavelength of light emitted. As a result, a 600W lamp may only have a 350–400 watt input power.

The wattage per square foot in a growing environment might climb from 20 watts to around 50 watts per square foot. If the total light intensity per square foot is higher than this, the light may be too strong, which could hurt the growth of plants.

If you use the Dorm Grow G8 LED grow lights, check for the coverage area on the body of the, because it's usually written on the product.

If you buy the G8 LED grow lights, they usually come with the recommended grow area coverage size and wattage per square area on them.

For example, a G8-900 Vegetable or Flower will cover approximately 24 square feet (6' x 4'). These instructions are intended to assist farmers in properly planning their indoor growing space.

In all circumstances, depending on the growing project's parameters, the plant lights might be reduced or increased. As previously stated, indoor growers should also consider light intensity in terms of PPFD.

Supplemental lighting, such as the 90W flower booster, will add around 8 watts per square foot. Just keep in mind that using this light will raise the wattage in red colors from 630nm to 660nm.

The 90W flower booster should be used with other indoor lights during the blooming season to increase the total watts per square foot.

The size of your grow room is an additional fundamental component to consider when choosing the wattage of an LED system. The size of the grow tent will handle a different number of plants based on the amount of wattage required.

Note: A huge grow tent will necessitate a bright LED light.

The following are the typical wattage requirements for various grow rooms. These wattages do not account for many circumstances. It is typical for vegetative-stage harvests to demand a minimum wattage level.

Simple Wattage Breakdown by Sq - ft

Different sizes of your tent will necessitate different light intensities, which is why you must choose different light per square meter. We will explain the optimal method for calculating the watts for your various grow tent sizes.

Clearly, there are numerous benefits to using LED lighting in your grow room. However, before you rush to the store to load up on LEDs, let's examine the flaws of this approach.

Your plants grow when exposed to blue light, particularly when they are in the vegetative stage. Retinal cells can be damaged by prolonged exposure to blue light, one of the wavelengths of light that LED bulbs emit.

Numerous cultivators are discouraged by the hefty upfront cost of LED lighting, because purchasing an LED system requires a higher initial expenditure than a similarly powered HID system.

A little bit of math reveals that, because of LEDs' excellent efficiency, you will save money in the long run by opting for LEDs.

Light burn is a sort of damage that can occur when plants are placed too close to lights, causing the leaves to turn yellow and ultimately white.

As the leaves lose their natural color, their strength and aroma diminish as well. Light-burned plants generate bleached flowers that have little to offer consumers over time.

The decision of watt size will depend on the number of plants you wish to cultivate, the grow area, the strain of the vegetable or flower being cultivated, and the required quantity of vegetative growth.

In our opinion, light bulbs below 400W are typically inefficient, and you would be better off purchasing a CFL grow light. For the majority of indoor growers, 1000-watt and higher light bulbs are deemed inefficient.

If you are more of a professional grower, 1000W bulbs are ideal because they are large, generate a great deal of heat, require space above the plants, and function better with CO2.

High-intensity discharge (HID) grow lights are commonly used to raise plants that require higher light intensities than fluorescent illumination, including grain, forage, citrus, and C4 plants.

In controlled areas such as laboratories and indoor farms, HID lighting is utilized.

• HID grow lights are perfect for growing leafy plants.
• HID grow lights are more like natural sunlight lights than artificial sunlight.
• HID lamps emit more light than incandescent, fluorescent, and LED lamps.

The high intensity discharge light, like the LED grow light, has many advantages that make it superior to other lights:

HIDs could be better than certain wavelengths because they give off a natural, warm, sun-like light.

At the checkout, HID lights are significantly less expensive than LEDs.

Because HIDs are so simple to use, they are an ideal alternative for growers of all skill levels.

There are two types of HID grow lights for indoor horticulture: They consist of:

The majority of Metal Halide (MH) grow lights emit light in the blue spectrum (6,500 to 7,200K), which mimics spring and autumn sunlight.

Consequently, MH grow lights are most effective during the early vegetative phase of cannabis cultivation. When utilized as the dominant indoor light source in the absence of natural light,

MH lights will promote the growth of leafy green plant stems, branches, and leaves, resulting in shorter, bushier plants. It is possible to utilize MH lights throughout the full growing cycle, but it is not recommended.

The optimal technique is to begin with MH during the vegetative stage and then transition to HPS during the flowering period.

However, if you just have the option of purchasing one bulb, you should always choose HPS because it will perform better for the entire grow.

Since HPS grow lights emit light in the orange to red spectrum, they are ideal for use during the blooming phase of flower cultivation.

Even though HPS grow lights are very effective, the lack of blue light makes them less than ideal for the vegetative stage of growing plants indoors when there is no natural light source.

Generally, indoor plants cultivated solely with HPS light during the vegetative stage will be too thin and develop too rapidly. HPS grow lights work best during the flowering or reproduction phase of flower growth.

Light in the orange-red range is perfect for triggering hormones in cannabis plants, which helps them grow leaves and flowers.

The yield of cannabis cultivated hydroponically using HPS grow lights is greater than that of cannabis grown with simple MH lights.

On the negative side, HPS lights consume a lot of energy and generate a lot of heat, which must be dissipated using air-conditioning or an exhaust system, requiring the grower to make a larger initial expenditure.

The disadvantage of these lights is that they emit heat, especially those with greater wattages. As a result, they should be placed a little further away from your plants to minimize plant burns.

Growers who are more experienced often use both MH and HPS grow lights. MH grow lights are usually the main source of light, and HPS grow lights are only added as a secondary source of light during the flowering stage.

You can also buy grow lights that have both MH and HPS in the same reflector, either with the ballasts built in or in separate units. People don't think this is a very good solution because these lights are less bright, more expensive to buy, and don't last as long.

A light fixture that lets you use either MH or HPS lighting, but not both at the same time, is a better solution. People call these lights "two-way," "switchable," or "convertible." At the reproduction stage, it's easy to switch from MH bulbs to HPS bulbs when using these lights.

When growing flowers or vegetables under HID grow lights like MH or HPS, you want to get as much light as possible from the bulb and send it straight to your plants.

This is important because the only way to get dense buds and good yields during the flowering stage is to keep the light levels high. Up to a certain point, higher light levels are also linked to more potency.

By using a reflector (especially when combined with reflective walls), you can get a lot more light to your plants without using any more electricity. This will help your plants grow faster and give you bigger crops.

There are five main types of HID grow Light

1. cool hood
2. cool tube
3. wing reflector
4. Single ended
5. double ended

Each of these types will let light shine down on your plants, but they are different in how well they do this and how well they keep the heat from the bulb inside.

To give your plants the most light, you need to be able to keep your grow lights close. This can't happen when the heat from a naked bulb shines straight down on your grow space, as it does with a wing reflector.

Single-ended MH and HPS grow lights have been around the longest. They work the same way as the first gas-powered lamps did.

"Single-ended" means that the bulb screws in and connects on only one side, like a regular light bulb. Single-ended grow lights are easy to set up, so they are a good choice for people who are just starting out.

The simple set up and use nature of these lights makes them ideal for most hobby growers' use.

The best choice for a hobby grower is a grow light with only one end. A single-ended light is great if you're a beginner or just want to grow a few plants here and there. Both setting it up and using it are easy.

Single-ended lights also run at cool temperatures, so it will be much easier to control the heat in a grow room. You can also put the light closer to the plants than you can with a DE light, which has to be mounted a few feet above the plants.

So, if you have a small grow room and don't have a lot of money, single-ended grow lights are the best choice.

• Without a doubt, double-ended grow lights are the best choice for commercial growers.
• The light that comes out is brighter and more evenly spread.
• The light from DE lights is up to 30% brighter than that from SE lights, and the spectrum is also better.
• They make more light in the infrared and ultraviolet ranges.
• Ultra Violet and infrared light are important because they increase terpenes and potency.
• Double-ended grow lights give you a type of light that is closer to the light of the sun, and they tend to be more efficient. They use less energy, so your electric bill will be lower.

Here are the major advantages of using HID grow lights when gardening indoors.

But HID grow lights are cheaper to buy at first, which can be important if you need to buy a lot of lights at once. And if only one light goes out, it will cost less to fix it. HID is a good choice for growers who are new to hydroponics or who only want to grow a few plants indoors.

People who like to grow plants indoors or use hydroponics have been using HID grow lights for more than thirty years. They have been shown to help plants grow and make more food.

One of the best things about HID lighting is that it can reach into the lower leaves of your plants better. In hydroponics, plants are usually close together, and it's good for them to get light that goes deep through leaves that overlap.

HID lights have a set color spectrum, and they do a great job of giving off a broad spectrum of light that helps plants grow without requiring a lot of adjustments. HID grow lights tend to work the same way across models and manufacturers, which is different from LED grow lights.

With HID lights, it's easy to find replacement parts and change out only the part that's broken.

Also, like every other grow lights out there, the HID comes with

The average lamp life of high-intensity discharge (HID) grow lights is shorter than that of fluorescent and LED illumination.

HID bulbs emit a lot of heat and must be kept a long way away from the plant canopy.

They are unsuited for quick lamp cycling due to the lengthy lamp restart and warm-up period.

Although the brightness of high-intensity discharge (HID) grow lights can be adjusted, it cannot be set very low.

High-intensity discharge (HID) lamps generate tremendous heat in the controlled environment, resulting in vertical temperature gradients.

Ceramic metal halide (CMH) is fairly new to the horticulture industry, but it has made a big splash and quickly become one of the must-try grow lighting styles.

If you don't know what these are, they're kind of like a modified Metal Halide (MH) grow light, but they use a ceramic arc tube instead.

This makes a tube bulb that can handle higher temperatures and makes the gases in the arc tube form in the best way.

CMH gives your plants a full spectrum of light because of this. So, you can use them from planting to harvesting.

Both LED and CMH grow lights have a lot of good things about them. The best grow light for you will depend on how you grow plants, how much space you have, and how much money you have. We've listed reasons why you should choose CHM to help you decide.

CMH grow lights have different bulbs for each stage of the process. One looks at blue light, and the other looks at red. Because CMH grow lights focus on the yellow/orange part of the light spectrum, the light looks very natural and like the sun.

The ceramic bases of CMH grow lights keep them cool. Even though they have a bulb, which would make you think they would get hot, the ceramic base keeps them cool.

CMH grow lights don't take up too much room, but the size will depend on the type of bulb you choose.

Beginner growers like CMH grow lights because they are easy to understand and use. But the grower has to put in a little more work. Depending on whether the plant needs red or blue light, different bulbs have to be used.

A CMH grow light costs a lot less to buy at first. Most of the time, it won't cost you more than $500, but it can cost as little as $80.

CMH grow lights use a very small amount of energy. Even though they may cost more to run than LED grow lights on average, they are still cheap and effective.

Now, let's look at how CMH's wattage breakdown:

CMH bulbs only come in one wattage, 315w. Some CMH lights, on the other hand, have two CMH bulbs in one reflector and use a total of 630w.

A 315-watt CMH bulb puts out 36,000 lumens. So, two CMH bulbs would produce 72,000 lumens.

315w There are both 3100k (flowering spectrum) and 4200k (vegging spectrum) CMH bulbs. So, you can use two different kinds of bulbs to get different kinds of light for different stages of growth.

Here are some good things about the CNH grow light:

The CMH light spectrum combines the red-heavy HPS spectrum with the blue-heavy MH spectrum in one bulb, making it the perfect light for all stages of plant growth.

It is very close to natural sunlight and has a high CRI, which is good for your plants and your eyes (plants look more natural, making it easier to spot any discolorations or other issues).

Ceramic metal halide has a much higher PAR per watt than any other type of lighting, except for the most expensive LED fixtures. PAR is the amount of light that plants can use.

All kinds of UV light are also part of the CMH light spectrum. Since UV-C light is dangerous, the lamps block it with a glass filter.

This only leaves UV-A and UV-B light, which many people think are good for the quality of the crop. When growing plants indoors with CMH grow lights, there is no need for extra UV lights.

The temperature of CMH grow lights is much lower than that of MH and HPS lights. This cuts down on (or gets rid of) the need for more cooling equipment. But they get hotter than lights with light-emitting diodes.

CMH bulbs last much longer than other HID or fluorescent bulbs. As a general rule, HPS or MH bulbs should be changed after they have been used for 10,000 hours. The life of good ceramic MH bulbs is more than 20,000 hours.

Also, after 20,000 hours, they still give off at least 80% of the light they did when they were new. HPS and MH lamps break down a lot faster.

Like other grow lights, the CMH also comes with its downside

On average, a ceramic metal halide system costs twice as much as an HPS or MH system that is the same size.

Of course, that cost will be easy to pay back in a year or two. The bulbs don't need as much power to give off the same amount of light, and they don't give off as much heat, so cooling costs are lower.

I know that this is also on the list of pros above. Quality CMH grow lights give off much less heat than HPS or MH, but still more than LED. Your grow tent will still need to be cooled.

Most standard electronic ballasts, like the ones used to control other types of HID lighting, can't be used to run a CMH bulb. Because of their high frequencies, these ballasts can't be used with ceramic metal halide lamps.

There are some good electronic ballasts with the right microprocessors to power CMH grow lamps, but your best bet is to only use ballasts made for CMH grow lights.

Some good reasons why fluorescent grow lights are a good choice are:

Fluorescent lights have become popular over the years because they help indoor plants grow quickly.

Fluorescent bulbs use less energy and give off a spectrum of light that is better for plants than incandescent bulbs.

Fluorescent lights are by far the best choice for houseplants because they are cheap and easy to use. Cost-wise, it is much better and cheaper to run fluorescent lights than incandescent lights.

Fluorescent light has a low voltage, and no matter how many watts it has, it is bright enough for plants.

Most fixtures are also big and bulky, so hanging them high in the greenhouse can block natural light and make it hard for plants to get enough light.

You should know that lumens measure how much light a light source gives off as a whole, while watts measure how much energy it uses.

As the level of energy efficiency goes up, the amount of wattage needed to produce the same number of lumens goes down.

In the table below, you can see how many lumens are made at different wattages.

For basic indoor gardening and herb gardens, fluorescent lights are a good choice for people who are just starting out. There are many different shapes and sizes of these kinds of lights.

Most of the time, fluorescent grow lights are cheaper than other types of grow lights.

Fluorescent lights give off a good range of light for growing plants and are a good choice for clones, seedlings, and young plants in the early stages of growth.

Fluorescent lights do not generate a lot of heat and do not use too much electricity, which is an advantage that LED grow lights also share.

Fluorescent grow lights can be kept closer to the plants, which makes them a good choice for small indoor grow spaces. One good thing about T5 grow lights is that the light they give off covers a large area.

• T5 grow lights are a popular type of big light that looks like panels. The bulbs of CFL grow lights look like they are twisted.
• One problem with fluorescent grow lights is that they don't give as much light per watt and aren't as useful during the plant's vegetative and flowering stages.
• This is because the fluorescent light is not strong enough to reach deep into the plant. They help plants that are short and flat.

Grow lights are used to keep plants healthy for a number of different reasons. If you want your plants to grow and thrive, you need to know what kind of food and environment they need.

To point you in the right direction, here are some ways that lights are different from other lights.

When electric energy is turned into light energy, heat energy is made. This is a well-known fact. Most of the time, you can't feel this heat unless you touch the lightbulb. However, plants can definitely feel it.

Normal lights actually give off more heat than lights that are made to help plants grow. Plants might not like what this heat does to them.

For instance, the high heat that is being put out can actually burn leaves, which is not what you want.

Grow lights use more electricity than regular lights. The brightness of the lights helps to speed up photosynthesis, which gives the plants the energy they need to grow.

There are different kinds of grow lights on the market, and the amount of power they give off depends on how bright they are.

The light spectrum is made up of the different lengths of light waves. Some light bulbs only give off certain wavelengths, so they might not have the same effect on plants as the sun.

In fact, if your indoor plants aren't doing well and you don't know why,

it could be because they don't get enough sunlight or lights that make it look like it's daytime outside. Grow lights are made to have the same wavelengths of light as the sun.

When it comes to how well they work, regular lights come out on top. Grow lights need a lot of energy to give off the right wavelengths without getting too hot.

On the other hand, regular LEDs are better, especially if you buy ones that are made to use less energy.

This means you have to choose your lightbulbs based on what's most important to you.

Other LEDs, on the other hand, are made to make sure that plants inside have the best possible conditions to live in. This is probably because regular LEDs are easier to find and can be bought almost anywhere.

Grow lights, on the other hand, might be in different places, but they are never as common as regular lights.

Grow lights don't last as long as regular LEDs. Grow lights are more likely to burn out faster than regular light bulbs because of how bright they are.

Grow lights are usually only used when the plants don't get enough sunlight. If you can move the plant to a sunny spot, you can keep the grow lights on for longer.

The numbers below are general rules of thumb for how high a reflector should be above plant canopies and how much area a light can cover.

These numbers may change depending on the size and shape of the reflector, the desired footprint, and the light needs of the plants, but they are a good starting point for choosing the best light for your space and needs.

The easiest types of lights to figure out are high pressure sodium and metal halide (along with CMH below). There are two ways to do this.

If you know how big your grow space is, like how big your grow tent is, it's easy to figure out which light(s) will do the best job of covering it.

Here are the approximate maximum areas that the most common wattages of MH and HPS bulbs can cover.:

• 150 watt: 2 x 2 feet = 4 square feet
• 250 watt: 2.5 x 2.5 feet = 6.25 square feet
• 400 watt: 3 x 3 feet = 95 square feet
• 600 watt: 4 x 4 feet = 16 square feet
• 1000 watt: 5 x 5 feet = 25 square feet

From this, you should be able to figure out the best size and number of lights.

If everything else is the same, 600-watt lights are the most efficient (they give off more light per watt of electricity used), and 1000-watt bulbs are the next best, so you should always check to see if those will work for your space first.

Say you have a space that is 10 feet by 20 feet, which is 200 square feet. That is the same number as 4 (the 150-watt bulb) or 25. (the 1000 watt bulb).

So, you could light the area with 50 bulbs that are each 150 watts (200/4=50) or 8 bulbs that are each 1000 watts (200/25=8). The better choice is to use eight 1000-watt bulbs.

Still, you could also use 600-watt bulbs to light the area.

The area is not perfectly divisible by 16, but 200 divided by 16 is 12.5, so you could just use 12 or 13 fixtures and make them fit.

In this case, though, I'd choose the 1000-watt option because 8 of them would cover the area perfectly.

The wattage requirement is another way to figure out how many MH and/or HPS lights you need. You need 30 to 70 watts per square foot of canopy to grow a plant like cannabis that needs a lot of light.

I would go for 50 watts per square foot at least. and then boost that to 65 watts per square foot if money and heat are not an issue.

Let's take a look at the example again. The one with an area of 200 square feet.

If we aim for 50 watts per square foot, we would need 10,000 watts (200 x 50 = 10,000) to cover this area.

That means we need ten 1000-watt bulbs (10,000/1000 = 10) or seventeen 600-watt bulbs (10,000/600 = 16.67, which we round up to 17).

This method makes it clear that we need more light than the last method.

Working backwards, the previous method would cover an area of 200 square feet with 40 watts per square foot of light (8 bulbs x 1000 watts = 80,000 total watts divided by 200 square feet = 40 watts per square foot). That is still a lot of light, but we could do better if we had more.

The best light color for plant growth is violet-blue light in the range of 400–520 nanometers, which helps chlorophyll absorb light, make food (photosynthesis), and grow. While red light in the range of 610–720 nm helps flowers and buds grow.

Grow lights should have the right spectrum of light for photosynthesis, which is the process that helps plants grow.

Make sure to look at the light's color spectrum before you buy it. The best choice for your growing space is lights that cover the whole spectrum.

This is a good time to use LED lights. Most LED grow lights have both kinds of light, so you can get all of the benefits.

A light spectrum consists of the many wavelengths of energy emitted by a light source. The unit of measurement for light is the nanometer (nm).

Each nanometer corresponds to a wavelength or energy band of light. Visible light comprises the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum between 380 and 780 nanometers.

The most important wavelengths to look out for in a light spectrum are UV, blue, green, red, and Infra-red. The UV light spectrum ranges from 100 to 400nm and is thought to be vital for plant growth. It has been found that this growing light spectrum helps plants produce certain chemicals that improve the flavor and overall quality of the crop.

The 400-500nm blue light wavelength is associated with growth and flowering and can enhance the quality of some plant species. When combined with other wavelengths of the growing spectrum, blue light can aid in the management of growth cycles.

The green light spectrum from 500 to 600 nm is not thought to be as good for plant growth as the other wavelengths, but it is important for photosynthesis, and research has shown that green light can "actually promote extension growth," with the results depending on the intensity and type of crop.

Then, red light at 600–700 nm is one of the most efficient growing light spectrums for photosynthesis and plant biomass growth, as well as for plant growth and energy consumption.

Lastly, far-red light between 700 and 800 nm can stimulate extension development and "influence the size of the leaves, the length of the stems, and eventually the height of the plants."

Blue wavelengths are the most beneficial to plants because they promote the mobility of chloroplasts within plant cells. This, in turn, aids oxygen transfer.

The best color for plant growth, however, is a combination of red and blue lighting, which is extremely beneficial to plant growth.

The Red Wavelengths contribute to increased biomass (more leaf growth), whilst the Blue Wavelengths govern the flow of chloroplasts in cells (which is responsible for oxygen transmission and also regulates the stomata opening).

UV radiation affects plants in the same way that it affects humans. Even though the Ozone layer filters off most UV rays from sunlight, some UV rays do enter the Earth's atmosphere.

UV light exposure can cause cell damage in plants. However, UV light has certain advantages, such as stimulating the formation of resins, oils, and protective antioxidants, which increase flavor.

When flowers or vegetables are exposed to UV light, they make a resin that protects them from the harmful rays and makes the leaves stronger.

Though plants don't rely on infrared wavelengths for growth, they do play a crucial part in photomorphogenesis, or plant growth and development. Small amounts of IR light exposure accelerate plant development and increase blooming.

Seedlings are delicate and require less light in their early stages of development. This means that you should avoid increasing the intensity too soon, as the seedlings will thrive with a milder approach. It is safe to maintain grow lights between 24 and 36 inches from the top of the soil, depending on the size of the light.

How long a light should be on depends on many factors. They include the type of light you're using, the environment in which your plant is growing, and the purpose of the light (e.g., foliage growth, vegetables, or flowering).

Your lamp should come with explicit instructions. However, as a general guide, here are a few pointers.

• Grow lights must be turned on for at least 8–10 hours every day to be effective. Depending on the circumstances, this can last up to 16 hours. That's why LED grow lights are so popular—if they're going to be left on all day, it's preferable to go for an energy-efficient one!

1. A grow light should always be placed above the plant. This simulates sunlight. Plants will naturally gravitate toward a light source, so higher is always preferable.
2. If your grow light begins to heat up, make sure it is not touching or getting too close to the plants.
3. Young or shade-loving plants can benefit from less powerful grow lights, whilst bigger plants and those with huge leaves that can absorb a lot of light (such as Fiddle Leaf Figs) can benefit from a stronger light.

A fluorescent or LED lamp is usually the best option for the ordinary home gardener who wishes to grow seedlings indoors. This ensures that your plants receive the quality, intensity, and length of light they require to thrive.

Plants that receive a lot of red light have bigger leaves. Blue light (400 to 520 nm) influences leaf thickness and chlorophyll content, but too much of it is toxic to some plant species. Light green (500 to 600 nm) is comparable to far red in that it can penetrate thicker upper canopies.

According to Thompson & Morgan experts, light in the red wavelength range encourages germination, whereas blue light inhibits it. This is because red light affects phytochrome, a plant pigment found in seeds. However, if the plants are growing beneath a dense canopy of leaves, blue light may be required as well.

Plants thrive best in light that is as close to natural sunshine as possible, which is between 2,700 and 7,000 Kelvin. Growers used to use red and blue LEDs to provide plants with the full spectrum of light they require to flourish.

The only reason red and blue LEDs were chosen was because white LEDs with the required spectrum and brightness did not yet exist.

White LED lights, on the other hand, can provide the full spectrum and strength of light that plants require, ranging from 2,700 to 6,500 degrees Kelvin.

White LEDs consume the least amount of power, last the longest, and grow plants just as effectively as any other type of light now available.

Think about using both LED and HID grow lights. HID lights are the most popular among professional growers. However, there is still a sizable demand for LED grow lights. In fact, combining the two can help you enjoy the best of both worlds.

They are a great addition to normal HID lights. The LED grow lights are a great addition to the room. They will help you let more light into your home, especially under the canopy.

The grow light can be maintained by adopting any of the two methods discussed below

Cleaning your grow lights and ballast after each harvest is one of the greatest grow light maintenance suggestions. Cleaning is essential for any grow lamp technology, since even a minor buildup of dust can result in a detectable decrease in light output.

Simply cleaning the dust off the bulb and replacing the heatsink on the ballast will have your grow lights ready for the next growth season.

Cleaning your grow lights' lamps and ballasts is straightforward, and you'll be shocked at how much gunk, filth, and dust accumulate on them.

Remove the lamp from the hood and inspect it for any visible damage.

Here's what to look for in HID grow lights:

• Check for the Blackened arc-tube inside the grow lamp
• Check for the Burn marks on the base and socket of the HID grow lamp
• Check the Bluish-tint on the metal components within the grow light bulb

What you do next is to wipe away any dust buildup with a non-abrasive cloth. Furthermore, never use a cleaning solution to clean the base or the socket. Remember, you're working with electricity, so keep the glass cleaner in the cabinet.

As you may be aware, the light output depreciation of grow lights, particularly HID and fluorescent grow lights, results in a dramatic decline in light output during their stipulated lifetime. Even to the point where keeping a grow light running makes no economic sense due to declining efficiency.

Light output declines substantially over time while electricity usage remains constant. It

It can be difficult to identify when to change a grow light in the case of grow lamps. Grow lamps should be replaced every 9–12 months as a general rule. The rule of thumb, however, is an estimate.

As a result, it is preferable to use a light meter to determine when a lamp should be replaced. If the amount of light goes below a certain level, the scheduled lamp can be changed right away.