5 Best LED Grow Lights 2022 (Yields, Speed, & Bud Quality)

8 min readJul 8, 2022

If you’ve recently decided to try your hand at indoor cannabis farming, setting yourself up for success is imperative; after all, you want to produce the highest quality yields as you possibly can. In order to achieve that goal, investing in the right tools and equipment is an absolute must.

While there are several supplies that you’re going to want to put on the list of things you’ll need, lighting is arguably the most important. After all, every plant, no matter the species, needs light in order to grow, and cannabis is no different. Typically, with outdoor grown cannabis, that light would come from the sun; however, if you’re growing indoors, you obviously aren’t going to be able to access the sunlight, which means you’re going to need to invest in artificial grow lights.

When You Are Looking To Purchase LED Grow Lights, It Is Important That You Consider The Size Of The Light.

When shopping for LED grow lights, be sure to take into consideration the size of the light. As LED grow lights become more popular, it’s important to consider the size of the light. A small light may not be powerful enough to grow plants, while a large light may be too big and expensive for smaller gardens. LED grow lights come in a variety of sizes, so it’s important to choose the right one for your needs. Commercial LED grow lights are more efficient than other types of lighting, making them a popular choice for indoor gardens. LED grow lights provide the perfect spectrum of light for plants to thrive, and they use less energy than traditional grow lights. Plus, they last much longer, so you’ll save money in the long run. If you’re thinking about starting an indoor garden, be sure to consider a commercial LED grow light.Another Factor To Consider Is How Much Money You Want To Spend On Your LED Grow Light

LED Grow Lights are a great way to help your plant growth, and depending on the wattage you buy, they can be a relatively inexpensive addition to your garden. Before you purchase an LED grow light, however, it’s important to determine how much money you want to spend on this tool. There are many different options available on the market, so it’s important to do your research and find the best light for your needs. By understanding what factors to consider when purchasing an LED grow light, you can ensure that you’re getting the best value for your money. Are you looking for an affordable way to add some extra light to your indoor garden? If so, a cheap LED grow light might be the perfect solution for you. LED lights are becoming increasingly popular because they are durable and efficient. Plus, they produce little heat, which means they can be used in small spaces without damaging plants or crops. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of using LED grow lights and recommend some of the best options on the market. So if you’re ready to take your gardening game up a notch, keep reading!

5 Best LED Grow Lights for Cannabis Plants

Some LEDs are far better than others for growing cannabis, and the “best” LEDs change every year. Since I used my first LED grow light in 2008, the top LEDs companies have changed drastically. Many of the old popular LED companies aren’t even around anymore, while new companies are appearing daily.

For example, ViparSpectra used to offer competitive LEDs at great prices, but they have not updated their lights to keep up with current technology. Their current models perform consistently worse than many other LEDs in my tests when it comes to speed of plant growth, yields, and bud quality. So although we used to recommend ViparSpectra models as a budget LED light, they’ve fallen off the list to be replaced with LEDs that use more modern technology. The new recommended budget light, the ECO Farm, has been astounding in its quality. It offers many of the features and similar results as much more expensive LEDs.

For me, 2022 is the most exciting year yet when it comes to LEDs. The choices are better than ever as more and more people figure out ways to tweak LEDs to produce even more yields and better cannabis bud quality.

Today, the best LED grow lights for cannabis obliterate the results of the worst LED grow lights. The challenge for the grower is figuring out which models to avoid and which LEDs work the best. After tests with real cannabis plants, we’ve narrowed down the list to our 5 best LED grow lights for growing weed in 2022.

1.) ECO FARM(Best Budget Light)

ECO Farm quantum board is a sleeper. If you’re not sure which grow light to get and cost is an issue, get one of these lights. They’re not perfect but are well constructed, don’t need any setup, are easy to use, fast plant growth, and get surprisingly great yields for a small amount of electricity. I was impressed with these lights even after using more expensive LED models.

A grow featuring the (buds are amazingly fat at just day 28 of flowering)

Price: $130
Grow Space: Perfect for a 2’x2′ grow tent or closet
Actual Power Consumption: 120W at full power, and can be dimmed. This light uses the least electricity on this list but still produces hefty buds.
How Far to Keep from Plants: 18″ for the vegetative stage. 12–18″ away in the flowering stage (keep as close as 12″ away but if top leaves appear pale from light stress, move to 18″ away)
Average Yields: 2–5 oz+ — keep in mind that the strain (genetics) and any plant training you do will make a huge difference in your final yields.

2.)HLG 650R LED Grow Light– Best Energy Efficient Grow Light

Specifications:

Dimension: 26″ x 21.25″ x 4″
Wattage: Dimmable- 60 to 610 Watts
Energy Efficiency: 2.8 (μmol/joule), max output- 1700 PPF’s
Spectrum: Full Spectrum White and 660nm Red
Coverage Area: 7×7 ft (veg) / 5×5 ft (flower)
Hang Height: Flowering: 30 inches / Veg: 48 inches
LEDs: Samsung LM301H and Deep Red LED 660nm
Power Supply: Works on 120VAC and 240VAC and 277VAC
Warranty: 3 years

When it comes to choosing the most energy-efficient and value-for-money LED Diodes, the best option is HLG 650R grow light. Whether you want to grow a single plant or want to use it for cloning, this grow light is perfect for a 5*5 grow tent.

The light comes with both white light (Samsung LM301H full-spectrum white diodes) and deep & far-red spectra (LM351H V2 660nm diodes). Talking about white light, it covers the full spectrum of PAR better than Blurple light and thus enhances the photosynthesis process. The white diodes used in this light resemble natural sunlight and allow you to produce high-quality yield.

3.)VIVOSUN Latest VS1000 LED Grow Light

Vivosun latest VS1000 LED grow light Outstanding feature: Wide coverage area

Specifications:

1000 watts LED
Coverage area: 4 x 4 feet
Power Source: Corded Electric
Shade Material: Aluminum

Reasons to buy:

Highly power-efficient LED grow light
Available dimming setting
Long guarantee period
Wide coverage area

Reasons to avoid:

Low LED wattage

4.)Mars Hydro TSW 2000W

The Mars Hydro TSW 2000w is similar to Mars Hydro TSL 2000 watt Series but adds more coverage area with a wider quantum board lights configuration at 3×3 feet during flowering stages. Perfect for a 3×3 grow tent, the TSW 2000w is easy to install and makes growing convenient.

From a PAR perspective, it has a powerful balance of grow lighting spectrum using balanced and natural white light, to the right mixture of red and blue grow light intensity. The PAR value falls at 910umol which is optimal for growing indoors with low power consumption.

5.)VIPARSPECTRA XS Series

The VIPARSPECTRA XS Series is similar to the SpiderFarmer SF light. It’s a Chinese budget light that provides excellent value for its price.

Keeping all other variables like watts per square foot the same…

The quantity and quality of your yield with these lights will be worse than with the SpiderFarmer SF.

This comes as no surprise as the light intensity (PPFD) of this light is the lowest on the list (still good though).

The build quality of this light is also slightly worse. But it’s also quite a bit of a cheaper light than the other lights on the list!

This is the cheapest grow light on the list.

Go cheaper than this, and you’ll probably waste money on a subpar light. The VIPARSPECTRA XS Series is the cheapest you should go with a LED grow light.

Now:

Even though the old VIPARSPECTRA LED lights were strongly skewed towards the blue spectrum and therefore most suited for the vegetative stage in your growing cycle…

The new XS series comes with Samsung LM301B diodes. It has a much more balanced coverage of the full spectrum of light and PAR specifically.

This series is perfectly suitable both for the vegetative and flowering stage.

Also because the price is so low, you can get a few VIPARSPECTRA XS Series lights, for the same cost as a high-end light. What option will give you better yield depends on many factors.

How Far Should LED Lights Be From Plants?

LED grow lights do not pose the same risk of burning plants as HID bulbs, but their light is extremely intense and can bleach the tips of your plants. It is best to mount them on easily adjustable lines so that you can raise them as your plants grow taller.

You may be surprised to learn that LED grow lights must be hung even farther away from the canopy than HID lights. Because LED grow lights offer such a powerful light spectrum, it can be too intense and overwhelming to the plants and it can cause them to look bleached. This will, of course, affect the yield and quality of your buds.