GeekBeast 630w Pro VS ECO Farm Samsung UV+ IR 640W Dimmable LED Grow Light Reviews
There are various options for indoor garden lighting, but no others offer the energy efficiency and overall benefits to plant growth that LED grow lights can offer. LED lighting wasn’t a viable option for indoor gardening until after 2014, when scientists finally developed a blue-spectrum LED. Until then indoor growers traditionally relied on two types of HID bulbs, High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) and Metal Halide (MH), which offered the necessary light for flowering and vegetative growth, respectively.
Blue-spectrum LEDs were a game changing breakthrough.
Full-spectrum LED grow lights have quickly become an industry standard for both the hydroponic hobbyist and the seasoned commercial growers.
What makes the best LED grow light?
The best LED grow lights have a few things in common — a uniform spectrum, efficiency, high-power, and reliability/durability.
Spectrum/uniformity
The best LED grow lights have a uniform spectrum, so if you have 4 plants under your light, they all get the same spectrum.
We already touched on spectrum a bit, but its important to reiterate that the best spectrum consists of not just red and blue light, but also infrared (IR) and Ultraviolet (UV).
Full spectrum LEDs allow you to grow from seed to harvest with the same light, as opposed to having to replace bulbs or use different grow lights for veg/flower.
Power
The more light your LED actually gives off, the bigger yields you’ll get (for the most part). So, the best LED grow lights need to be incredibly powerful.
Efficiency
In general, LED grow lights are very efficient. But, the best LED grow lights tend to also be the most efficient. Operating at a high level, producing high power, and maintaining a low cost to run is very important.
Reliability/Durability
Given the cost of LED grow lights, they need to be seen as an investment. Obviously, your investment needs to last you a long time for it to show a return.
Therefore, the best LED grow lights are reliable and durable, standing the test of time.
All of the lights we will be listing are from the most reputable brands and include some sort of warranty. This will give you peace of mind when you purchase, knowing you are protected.
What I want to say is simple. Purchase it. It is what you need if you don’t want to worry about your plants getting sufficient light. Whatever growth stage your plants are in, this product is more than enough of light.
Whatever fits in the square that is maximal for this light will have more than sufficient lumens to do whatever your plant needs to do.
In my opinion, this product is one of those LEDs that is the best LED grow light for the money.
In addition, little to no heat is generated off from this light.
Overall, this GeekBeast LED grow light is just great. It has a very bright light, and for certain, worth the price!
- Very bright
- Worth the price
- Compact design
- The design is well-made
- Full-spectrum
- Little to no heat generation
ECO Farm Samsung UV+ IR 640W Dimmable LED Grow Light
I am extremely satisfied with this product. Yes, it is not top-of-the-line unlike some other lights, but it is very well-constructed, and seems pretty durable and is just very impressive for what it is.
It makes little heat when growing plants in a grow tent. At the price matter for this unit, it is undoubtedly a great value and certainly worth what you pay for.
- Economical price-wise
- Heat is not an issue
- Sturdy design
- Full-spectrum
- Efficient
- Bulb is detachable
- Provides great coverage
- Great for small house plants
Using LED Grow Lights by Understanding the Growth Cycle of Marijuana Plants
By this point in the article, we hope to have covered everything that is essential for you to get hold of the best LED grow lights in 2020 for growing your marijuana indoors. However, there’s one last thing that we consider important for all growers to be aware about — the growth cycle of the marijuana plant. This is something that plays a huge part when you look at using LED grow lights. Based on the phase of growth your plant is in, you need to use lights in a different mode or you will need to adjust the lights to a different wavelength/colour. Let us take a closer look at all the phases of growth that the cannabis/marijuana plant has to go through so that you can understand how to use the LED grow lights in a better manner to get the most out of your plant!
The growth cycle of the marijuana plant is divided into seven stages:
- Seed: Like every plant, the marijuana plant also begins its journey in the form of a seed. When you look at a seed there is no way to identify whether it is a male seed or a female seed. However, this is something that can be known when the seed is produced — if the seed is labeled and separated at the right time you can be sure of the sex of the seed. You can find packages of seeds available from various sellers which will ensure that only female seeds are being sold to you. When you talk about the growth cycle of the marijuana plant and the relation of light, there is absolutely no relationship between the seed and the source of light! Female seeds are important because only female seeds can bear flowers!
- Germination: The next step in the process of the marijuana plant’s growth cycle is that of germination. Once you get hold of the female seeds, you need to soak them in water or put them wrapped around a wet paper towel. If you plan to soak them in water, know that they are going to float at first and sink as they absorb enough water after which they will begin to germinate and begin to sprout. In case of using the wet paper towel, you’ll know they’re germinating when they begin to sprout and the taproot begins to emerge. Make sure the place is also warm where you are germinating the seeds.
- Seedling: The seedling stage is achieved when you plant the germinated seed in soil and dirt, the taproot facing downwards. It is then that the shoot will break the casing and start growing upwards and embryonic leaves will begin to emerge from the plant. The seedling phase is where you need to begin providing appropriate amounts of light to the marijuana plant. The plant in the seedling and the growth stages requires a lot of light — about 18 hours during the seedling phase. You’ll know that the seedling phase is ending when about six to eight leaves have grown. The seedling phase of the marijuana plant can last for 1 to 3 weeks.
- Growth/Vegetative Stage: Now this is the phase of rapid growth. You will need to provide about 16 to 18 hours of sunlight and about 6 to 8 hours of darkness during the vegetative phase of the marijuana plant’s growth cycle. This is the phase where the height of the plant begins to grow and the stem begins to thicken and new nodes begin to develop. It is on these nodes that leaves and new branches begin to emerge. This phase will have a lot of growth and you will need to provide warm water, dry air as well as organic nutrients such as liquid fish or seaweed, which are essentially high on Nitrogen. This is a phase which can last between four to six weeks and will see the plant grow to a height of up to 3 ft. To halt the growth of the plant and to enter the pre-flowering stage, you’ll need to reduce the light to about 12 hours when you think the time is right.
- Pre-Flowering: By the time you hit the pre-flowering stage, your plant would be somewhere about 5 months old. If sac-like structures begin to appear around the nodes of any of those plants, you will need to seperate those plants from the rest because they are male plants and if the sac opens the pollens will be released and the psychoactive properties of the female plant will be hindered. Hence, you will need to remove the male plants and then the female plants will produce resin and fake seedpods which contain THC which is the psychoactive substance in cannabis! You can then begin to decrease the light even more to enter the flowering stage. Up to 10 hours of light would be sufficient here.
- Flowering: This is the phase in which the buds begin to emerge and you need to move the lights closer to the plants by about six inches than earlier. The light will be closer but the time of the lights would be reduced too! The plants will require phosphorus and potassium based nutrients at this phase of their growth cycle. This phase will last for eight to ten weeks. It is now that we move into the last stage.
- Harvest: The final stage of the marijuana plant’s growth cycle is harvesting — the pistils that come out of the bud will develop a deep orangish look and feel and this is the time that you should begin harvesting your plant. Make sure the trichromes don’t fall off while harvesting. Cut the plant according to how you want it, and then hang it to dry in a room with humidity levels of about 50% — hang it to dry for about 5 days and your weed should then be ready!
Now that you understand the different cycles in the growth of the marijuana plant, it will be easier for you to ensure that you are able to give it the right type of light and from the right distance. Let us now move into our next category, which is about some of the most Frequently Asked Questions about growing marijuana using LED grow lights.
Final Words — Wrapping it up
Your plants are living beings just as you are. You wouldn’t mind someone taking you to an all-you-can-it buffet so why not do the same for your plants. Choose wisely, see what our requirements are. If it’s a small cupboard sized greenhouse, a simple ECO Farm LED grow light will do you good saving you electricity. Anyway, we hope this was a helpful guide. We wish you all the luck in finding the best LED grow light for cannabis.