Are LED grow lights better than HID lights?

HID (high intensity discharge) is the most commonly used type of grow lights. They play a good role in indoor marijuana cultivation. However, using them also has some disadvantages. The main problem of HID grow lights is its high energy consumption. Although HID grow lamps are usually more effective with lumens.

LED does not use ballast, HID grow lighting requires ballast to convert current into available energy. This means that over time, they will lose efficiency and eventually need to be replaced. The LED grow light does not need additional equipment to complete the work, and can be directly plugged into the power supply.

Led plant grow lamp is also an electronic product with a certain service life, but its service life is more than twice that of HID grow lights. The filament in HID lamp is very thin and will lose strength soon after use. HID grow light bulbs can also be easily damaged if not handled carefully. In addition, HID grow lamps contain harmful elements, such as gas and mercury, making LED grow lamps safer overall.

Another factor that makes LEDs better is to reduce wasted light. This is mainly because they can be placed closer to the plant, but also because light is guided in a more effective way. LED grow lights are already oriented, so they don’t need reflectors like HID.

HID operates at very high temperatures and requires cooling equipment to ventilate the hot air they produce. In terms of output and quality, LEDs are as good as HID, even if they are not better than HID. It all depends on the setting and management of the indoor garden. LED grow lights provide the growers with the possibility of further fine-tuning the accuracy of their growth environment, so plants can now receive accurate light when needed.

Benefits of using LED lights to grow marijuana

1 – Less heat and Energy saving – equipment that requires less heat to maintain growth chamber conditions. led efficiency is nearly 50% higher than hid.

2 – Direct light – concentrated light dispersion, making plants use photons more effectively.

3 – Environmental protection – it does not need to be replaced frequently.

4- Last longer – a high-quality LED grow light can lasts at least 50000 hours!

5-Safety – less heat / harmful substances, no fragile filament and protected in the housing.

6- Full spectrum- generally led grow lights are full spectrum with dimming and waterproof ,Very suitable for vegetation and flowering of cannabis .

Main Disadvantages of growing marijuana with LED grow lights

The cost is Expensive – compared with HPS, the cost of LED plant grow lamp is higher. We suggest choosing high quality for the best effect. Cheap LED grow lights are not worth it. They usually leave you with small plantlets and low yields.

Generally, marijuana plants need about 30-50w per square foot of growth space. The demand of light plants depends on their growth stage. This can be adjusted by using dimmable LED grow lights or by moving the lights closer to the plant over time.

Seedlings – seedlings should gradually enter the light, especially in the case of high output LED lights. Strong light may impact the seedlings.

Vegetation – if you notice plants stretching too much, consider reducing light or increasing intensity. This is usually because plants do not receive enough light. LED lights should be lit 18-24 hours a day and follow the same schedule as regular growth lights.

Flowering – full spectrum LEDs are recommended during flowering. It is possible to use only red spectral LEDs, but all colors can make plants grow better. At this stage, the light should be in the strongest state, so either move the light close to the plant or increase the intensity to the maximum. The nearest distance between light and plants depends on the intensity of light