In this grow light guide, you’ll learn what a grow light is, how to choose the best grow light, and how to use grow lights. Spoiler alert, regular lightbulbs won’t work.
Growing cannabis indoors allows you to influence all environmental factors. From Alaska to Florida, you can grow the most righteous cannabis crop the neighbors have ever seen with the right grow lights.
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Before You Choose the Ideal Grow Lights
Cannabis, like any plant, needs water and carbon dioxide to transport nutrients to and through itself. It’s also essential to optimize light conditions to create the best environments for your plants. The better you care for them, the better your yield. We even suggest singing to your plants if you want to grow the best weed possible. (Even if it doesn’t help, it certainly can’t hurt!)
Your yield is the amount of dried bud harvested from your marijuana plants. Boosting the yield of your plants is one of the largest sports among growers. Here are some of America’s top growers from 2021. You might notice that most top cultivators don’t even grow outdoors, which means good things for an indoor grower like you.
What is a Grow Light? Do I Need One?
What is a grow light, and do you need one? If you’re planning to grow weed indoors, the answer is yes. When designing your grow room, make a plan for water management and lighting. Grow lights are essential because they fuel your plants’ growth cycles and photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis is a complex, multi-step process in which plants convert the energy from light into chemical energy needed for growth.
Your marijuana plants need light to transform carbon dioxide into glucose, which is necessary for growth and development. When grown outdoors, the plant relies on sunlight. When grown indoors, plants need special lights and a light cycle to stimulate the plant’s growth. Not all lamps are suitable for growth due to the light spectrum or light intensity. Even the grow light height matters because the distance your lights are to the plants is important to a successful grow.
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How to Choose the Best Grow Lights for Your Weed
In this grow light guide, our Flavor Fix experts will help you choose the light setup that’s right for your plants. You have several options when choosing the best grow lights for your cannabis.
There are five main types of lights you can use to grow cannabis:
CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps)
CFLs are typically what you see in schools and office buildings.
HID (high-intensity discharge)
HID lights are hooded lamps that reflect light.
MH (Metal Halide)
MH bulbs contain metal halides and mercury, producing blueish light used for vegetative growth.
HPS (High-pressure sodium)
HPS bulbs contain sodium, mercury, and xenon, producing a yellow/orange light used for flowering plants.
LEDs (light-emitting diodes)
You’re probably most familiar with these. LEDs provide lower power consumption and are more environmentally friendly than other grow lights.
Many growers use a combination of grow lights for the biggest and best marijuana yields. For example, HPS light produces a more yellowish/fuller spectrum that encourages bud formation and is ideal for the flowering phase, while MH lights produce a bluish spectrum ideal for the vegetative phase.
While each of these options has pros and cons, this grow light guide focuses on the benefits of using an LED grow light.
LED lights can yield almost as much as traditional HPS lights. A significant advantage of LED lights is that their power consumption is much lower than that of HPS lights. On the other hand, LED lights have a much higher purchase price.
How to Use LED Grow Lights
Fortunately, it’s easy to learn how to use grow lights, and LEDs are very easy to set up — just plug them in. You can easily hang them over your plants for a simple setup and excellent crop. LED grow lights don’t run very hot, but you still need to set up exhaust fans and control airflow and temperature throughout the facility for professional production.
Ensure that the LEDs are far enough away from your plants to avoid light burns. Also, be sure to use a light that contains full-spectrum green and white light. Only red or blue light isn’t enough to nourish your plants.
Grow Lights for Indoor Farming
LED grow lights can completely replace daylight, so your plants can grow and flower without depending on climatic conditions. That’s why indoor farming isn’t only popular in urban areas.
Because of the climatic independence, you can grow cannabis plants in regions that would otherwise be inhospitable. Even desert areas benefit from indoor farming where the rainfall would be insufficient for planting. With increased urbanization, available land is shrinking. You can counteract this with the help of the innovative technology of LED plant lamps.
Benefits of Using Grow Lights for Indoor Plants
Due to the low heat emission of the LED grow lights, they can be placed close to the plants. This makes it possible to create vertical greenhouses that take up less space, which is particularly important with the emerging lack of space in rural areas. Other benefits include:
- Independence from external climatic conditions
- Space-saving compared to large arable land
- Low heat emission
- No pesticides/eco-friendly
LED grow lights are even great for overwintering ornamental and potted plants. One to two hours of light a day is sufficient to ensure plants have enough light to keep them alive during cold and dark months.
Grow Lights: The Heart and Soul of Indoor Growing
You should always buy what works for you and your needs. Research price, quality, and features of different grow lights before purchasing. Once you choose a model, check the specs to ensure it works with your current home setup and future plans for your indoor growing area.
Grow lights are the heart and soul of your plant’s health. The best grow lights for plants are the ones that work for you.
