Chapter 9
Get Your LED Light
LED grow lights are ideal for home growers growing cannabis in grow tents. The best LED lights are dimmable and come with a warranty. For safety, growers should wear protective LED grow glasses when working in the grow tent. Some LED lights have switches for VEG phase and FLOWER phase, but others do not. The dimmable lights are by far the best because if it gets too hot, you can turn the strength of the light down. Any good quality LED light will last several years, but odds are you’ll upgrade your light before the bulbs die out.
With LED lights, price is usually relative to performance, but not always. There are many cheap LED lights for sale on Amazon that don’t work well or stop working after limited use. On the flip side, there are also LED lights that are very expensive that don’t even work well. There are hundreds of LED grow light companies, models, and styles, so all in all, choosing a grow light can be overwhelming for a new grower.
To make it easy for you to pick your first LED grow light and choose a good one, I recommend the following LED grow lights listed below. As you’ll see, the LED grow lights are reasonably priced.
LED Grow Lights For Grow Tents:
For new home growers, I recommend the Viparspectra Par 450 Dimmable, or the Mars Hydro FC 3000, or the KIND LED 600 for 3 x 3 or 4 x 4 grow tent.
If you have air conditioning to combat heat, or you’re growing in a cooler environment, then I recommend you consider upgrading to the Viparspectra 1200 Dimmable or the HLG 300L.
LED Grow Lights For Grow Rooms:
If you’re plan is grow in a grow room, not a grow tent, then I recommend the HLG 600 Rspec.
If you’re looking for wireless controlled LED lights, then check out the KIND K5 WIFI LED lights. The KIND K5 WIFI lights allow for complete control of them from your phone, tablet, or computer. Cool, huh?
About LED Lights For Grow Tents
- Don’t worry, your electric bill won’t skyrocket with an LED light. Home growers report having very minimal increases in their electricity bills.
- LED Lights usually include light hanging accessories when purchased. If not, you’ll have to buy light hanging accessories.
- LED lights will emit varying degrees of heat depending on the model. Not all LED grow lights are built the same!
- Most newer LED grow lights are dimmable.
- Many LED lights have separate switches for VEG and FLOWER phase, but not all of them do.
Get A Light Timer
You also need a light timer for your LED light. Light timers are sold separately from the LED lights. There are analog light timers and electronic light timers. I prefer the analog timers, and find them to be more fool-proof and user friendly. They are less expensive too.
Hang Your LED Light
Once you get your LED light, hang it, and plug it into a light timer. Most lights come with light hanging accessories to hang your light. Be safe and careful. LED lights are heavy, not light. You may need a helping hand and a foot stool depending on how strong and tall you are. Don’t drop it. LED grow light warranties do not cover that.
Pay Close Attention To The Distance Of Your Light To The Plants
With your LED light, pay attention to the recommended distance it should be hung from your plants. All lights will come with a user manual that will tell you the light’s recommended distance. The above mentioned HLG rspec 600 can hang 28-36 inches above the tops of your plants (“the canopy”). You’ll notice in your home grow that some varieties of cannabis tolerate light being closer than others. When your plant’s leaves are wilting and pointing downward away from the light, it can be a sign your light is to close. However, wilting is a common symptom from overwatering and underwatering too.
Different strains can respond differently light intensity. This is one reason it’s smart to grow the same variety at a time in your grow tent.
Keep Learning About LED
Some growers want to keep learning more about LED lighting. You can learn about light spectrums, watts/wattage, micromole ratings, PAR, PPF, and light components like diodes. There are even DIY LED kits for you to build your own light at home. I’ve noticed that mechanics, engineers, and very technologically savvy people are usually more interested in DIY lights and light science more than anyone else.
To those that want to deepen their education in LED lighting science, check out Bruce Bugbee educating about cannabis lighting myths. There’s not better or more experienced teacher in lighting science than Bruce Bugbee. Please note, LED light science is fascinating for some, and boring for others. Also, you don’t have to care about or memorize LED lighting science facts to be a good, happy, and successful home grower. Just remember, you do you!
Marc Eden’s DIY Cannabis Cultivation Book For Beginners
Published by Green Carpet Growing, Inc.
San Diego, CA 92103
www.GreenCarpetGrowing.com
© 2021 Green Carpet Growing, Inc
All Rights Reserved
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
For permissions contact: marc(@)greencarpetgrowing.com
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