Gavita Pro 900e LED 120–277V vs AgroMax AFS 1830 LED Grow Light Reviews 2021
Whatever is the weather outside, keeping your plants safe from too much of everything can be easier nowadays. From herbal plants that you use in the kitchen to other leafy greens and flowering plants, you can now keep them inside. This is thanks to our latest technology today that allows us to provide artificial light for indoor plants. With this guide, you can learn about how LEDs work for growing plants as well as its benefits.
At the same time, it’ll be easier for you to find a top-rated LED grow light that suits your plants’ needs. No need to waste your time searching elsewhere, below are the top products that can keep your plants healthy.
What Are the Benefits of Using LED Grow Lights?
Ever since LED bulbs were introduced in the market, their customer demand continues to increase over time. In fact, the majority of the bulbs and lighting fixtures that are sold on the market today are LEDs. Thus, even nature lovers nowadays who prefer to keep their plants indoors find ways to take advantage of these lights. So, these are the top benefits of having a good full spectrum LED grow light:
- Energy-efficient
This is the number one advantage of LED grow lights to other lightings since LED bulbs consume fewer watts. However, it can produce the same light that High-Density Discharge (HID) bulbs have. Even with fewer bulbs, you can assure that the biggest portions of energy they use are converted into light than heat.
Unlike traditional lightings, LEDs don’t burn anything just to produce light. Thus, it wastes less energy which turns into heat while you can keep your energy bills at bay.
- Eco-friendly
As mentioned earlier, LED grow lights don’t contain mercury, gas, filaments, and any other toxic substances like HID lights. Instead, these light bulbs are designed and manufactured with eco-friendly materials that are 100% recyclable. Thus, you don’t have to worry about you or your plants getting harmed after being exposed to its light. To guarantee this, the best indoor LED grow lights usually have a RoHS certification to prove its quality.
- Faster harvest cycle
Unlike outdoor plants that rely on the natural sunlight, indoor plants rely on artificial light from LEDs. These LED grow lights can be used for long hours to help your plants grow faster to increase your harvest cycle. Thus, you can regulate the red wavelength light at the right time to boost the growth of your plants.
You can also alter the daylight hours of these bulbs so you can have multiple harvests during one season.
- Healthier plants
Other artificial lightings release more UV rays, IR rays, and heat which harm the plants. But with LEDs, everything extra for the plants is reduced like the green and yellow wavelengths. Thus, your plants get just the right amount of these components which help them grow healthier and longer. In fact, you can also regulate the wavelengths of its lights which help your plants in the process of photosynthesis.
- Cooler operating temperature
Compared with HID lightings, LED grow lights produce less heat which doesn’t affect much the entire temperature indoors. This is especially true if you have a greenhouse where more LED lights are installed. Thus, you can cut costs for not needing a cooling system to keep your plants healthy.
Pros:
- Great spectrum and easy to switch lights between veg/bloom
- Produces high-quality plants for an LED grow light
- Looks very modern and sleek
- High quality
- Perfect for a single tent needing only one light
Cons:
- A bit pricey
AgroMax AFS 1830 LED Grow Light
Pros:
- Powerful Full-Spectrum light quality
- 3-year full warranty
- Energy Efficient
- Easy to Operate
Cons:
- Flower Spectrum Could Be Better For Higher Yields
- Higher Price Tag
What Should I Know Before Buying LED Grow Lights?
How to choose the best LED grow light: there are so many important factors. Here are the ones that are most critical.
The Needs of the Plant
Light cycles can seriously impact your plants’ growth and potency. Some need full light from a high-intensity source, and others get dried out or burned with too much, so make sure you know what you need from the outset.
A full spectrum LED grow light will help ensure maximum growth. Ideally this kind of light will have red and blue spectrums, as well as IR and UV light. (If you don’t grow from seed or germinate your seeds outside you might be okay with just red and blue light, but full spectrum is always preferred.) Better still, you’ll be able to control which spectrums it emits, when.
Energy Efficiency
Full spectrum LEDs are also more energy-efficient, typically. They are durable, usually run cool without additional fans, and cost less in electricity. Your grow lights will need to be operating for 18 hours every day at times.
The higher their output (wattage), the more power you’ll be using, but not proportionately. In other words, if you need 1000 watts instead of 500, you still won’t see twice as much power consumption.
Control and Customization
Remember that you’ll be changing the lighting cycles depending on the growth stage to ensure that your plants thrive:
Seedling stage: 16 hours on/8 hours off
Veg stage: 18 hours on/6 hours off
Flowering stage: 12 hours on/12 hours off
Size and Spacing of Your Grow Room
Don’t fight with manufacturer specifications, especially when it comes to coverage area. Your LED grow light system simply has to cover the right space for your plants.
Remember, if you’re growing with a hydroponic system, you need to have access to the right power and water sources for that system and your lights. This can demand some planning in a smaller space.
As well, if you’re selecting a light not on this list, read feedback and reviews on the actual coverage of the system. Occasionally there can be a discrepancy in this area, as we’ve discussed above.
Balancing Your Budget With Buying Good Equipment
This is tricky, but obviously important. Higher-end lights often produce better results, but a budget only works if each piece fits. Newer growers may want to select less costly grow lights to gain experience. Growers who already know what they prefer and need for their crops may go with a higher-priced option.
An LED grow light is not the only component you’ll need for your indoor grow operation. Your budget also has to cover fertilizers, filters, grow tents, soil, nutrients, and various other supplies. This means that blowing the whole budget on the best possible light isn’t an option — but directing as much of the budget toward a quality LED grow light as you can should be your goal.
Since quality is the goal, brand matters. In this vertical, the best brands develop loyal customer bases and generate solid reviews. They also frequently address feedback that’s less stellar. Look for this kind of brand strength online if you’re not sure about a light system or deciding between great options.
Some Final Thoughts
Plants just like humans need some vital things to survive, but getting the best of what you need can only result in better quality. In other words, if you provide plants with the best LED grow lights that cover every aspect of lighting a plant needs then your crop can and will be the best it can be. We hope these top rated grow lights will help your indoor garden.
Every grow room is different and certain aspects of an LED grow light might not be perfect. Consider the variables of your grow room, plant, and soil and you can easily determine which LED grow light is right for you and more specifically your plants.