6 tips for choosing LED grow light

There are plenty of options out there to illuminate your grow. Not all of them are keeping there promises or are comparable with each other. The following tips are helping to compare and find the right solution for your demand.
Healthy plant under LED grow light

 1.      Use datasheets as your source of thruth
Always ask for a proper datasheet when buying an LED grow light. It should include data like PPF, power consumption, lifetime, and radiation specs. Avoid products without this documentation.

2.      Find out which exact LED chip is used
Request the exact chip type, binning, and generation. Top brands like Samsung, Seoul Semiconductor, OSRAM, and Nichia offer both general-purpose and horticulture-specific chips. Look for flip-chip technology and TiO₂ reflectors for optimal performance.

3.      Lifetime – How long are you planning to use your grow light?
Lifetime is measured using LM values (for example, LM-90 means 10 percent degradation). Always compare lights using the same standard. Also, make sure the light is easy to clean, as dirt can significantly reduce performance. Lights with protective lenses are best.

 4.      Think flexible and in scales
Start with low-power setups as a beginner and consider systems that can grow with you. Choose modular or flexible systems that adapt to room size and skill level.

5.      Choose the right power for your area
Depending on your growing skills and other influencing factors, we recommend a Ø PPFD between 700μmol/m2/s up to 1100μmol/m2/s. This generally requires 300 to 400 watts per square meter. Instead of comparing wattage, compare PPF output (in µmol/s) and efficiency. For a one square meter area, choose a light providing 800 to 1200 µmol/s.

6.      Understanding light distribution and uniformity
World’s best LED Grow Light will not perform well if you choose the wrong setting. The main influencing factors are the design of the light itself and the positioning of the luminaire. PPFD-Plots should be provided by each light manufacturer in which you can easily see how well the photons are spread over the place in different setups. The interesting numbers to look at are the average PPFD, the uniformity and the maximum PPFD.


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