Why Led Grow Lights?

Hydroponics is the art and science of growing plants indoors without soil. Instead of soil, the plants are nourished with mineral solutions and photosynthesized using light from “grow lamps” rather than the sun. The different types of grow lamps available include fluorescent, incandescent and LED. Light-Emitting-Diode lamps have gained popularity in recent years and are used for a variety of applications.

As their name implies, LED lights do not use a filament, but rely on a semiconductor diode that emits light when electricity passes through it. Usually, the electricity passing through an LED circuit is unidirectional, and the light produced is in a very narrow spectrum, unlike incandescent bulbs, which create light as a side effect of electrical resistance on a tungsten filament. The light emitted from a florescent bulb is often brighter than the light from an LED bulb, but florescent bulbs also tend to emit light from a less pleasant part of the spectrum.

To maximize the effectiveness of grow lights, heat reflectors are usually necessary. Heat reflectors vary greatly in price, and can cost anywhere from around $40 to more than $300. Naturally, all this light and heat reflection can cause your growing space to become very hot, necessitating some sort of ventilation system. Some grow light reflectors include their own ventilation system. Air-cooled reflectors tend to be more expensive, but they are worth considering when using incandescent or florescent grow lights. Air-cooled reflectors offer a more efficient means of ventilation, allowing the lights to be placed closer to plants. Otherwise, venting the heat from grow lights can be tricky and expensive, especially if the growing space is limited.

Heat output and electrical efficiency are two things that make LED grow lights a practical choice. LED lights do not produce as much heat as more traditional types of bulbs, thus reducing or even eliminating the need for ventilation. Also, LED light bulbs tend to be physically smaller and more energy-efficient than their High Intensity Discharge cousins. Figures supplied by LED grow light manufacturers indicate LED grow lights use somewhere between 2% and 50% as much energy as HID grow lights.----Because LED lights produce light in a narrow part of the spectrum, bulbs that produce different colours of light are often clustered together in grow-light fixtures. Blue and red are two of the most common colours found in LED grow lights, so an LED-lit hydroponics garden is often bathed in a purplish glow. One of the ways LED grow lights save energy is by focusing on the light frequencies that stimulate photosynthesis and ignoring the rest. Thus, there is very little wasted light.

Another thing that makes LED grow lights more cost-effective is their long life. An LED grow light may last up to 15 years, which is quite a bit longer than a traditional bulb. Because of the reduced need for light reflectors and ventilation, LED grow lights allow a smaller garden space. Without noisy fans or air conditioning, an LED-lit garden will also be quieter and more tranquil.