LED Grow Light Review – How To Find The Best Models Of 2010

It would, however, you would need to have multiple at different heights and perhaps a 350W hybrids that use 1w and 3w LEDs. The increased wattage is needed to penetrate the canopy . . . and even still, a couple of the 90W at different heights may be needed with an 8 foot plant.

Hi Jack –

It is no so much an issue with the number of plants but the square footage a light will cover effectively. You also need to take into account the growing stages of your plants – vegetative and flowering.

HPS does a great job for the flowering stage but metal halide does a better job, in general, for the vegetative stage so many people use both. So to answer your question, you would be able to cover about 8-10 square feet with a 400w light. But keep in mind you would probably need to have 2 (one each of the HPS and MH)

Or You Can Just Get One 180W LED Grow Light

It will put out the same amount of absorb-able light (usable) as a 600w HID set up at 1/3 of the electric cost and none of the heat issues. This one light will take care of both stages and save you money in the process

There are opinions on both sides that say there is no reason to have more than 1W diodes while others say 3W diodes are much better for canopy penetration. My opinion is that individual 1 Watt diodes are likely all you need, however, you would just need more of them. For example, I could grow one plant in a 2×2 area with a single 90W LED light using 1W diodes. I would want to be careful to keep it trained properly to stay within the lights footprint and keep it from getting much over 3 ft tall. . . OR . . . I could get a 180W LED light using 1W diodes (or even 2 of the 90W) and let it grow much more full, tall. The difference here is like using a 400W HPS or a 600W HPS in the same growing space . . . you would expect a better grow using a higher powered light.

Check out this light . . . . Hybrid LED Grow Light . . . you get quite a bit of flexibility as far as canopy penetration is concerned.

Thanks!

Hi Chief –

I will tackle both questions at the same time here . . .

The 270W Supernova is a decent light, one in which it is obvious they have done some research and testing. This light can grow plants. However, I have been seeing that they fall a bit short of competitively priced alternatives such as this one. In my personal opinion, the adjustable diode control is not much more than a gimmick.

Here is why they fall short:

• They don’t offer a fair comparison – Their 270W unit should not be compared against a 1000W HID. The 270W Supernova would be better suiting competing against a 600W HPS.
• Only uses 2 spectrums of light – Blue and Red. I have found that a multi-band (say 4 or 5 band) tri-spectrum LED grow light will out perform a 2 spectrum light every time. I know that the Enhanced Spectrum version of this light was an attempt to address this, however, it still falls short.
• Hype about brightness/lumens – One of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of grow lights is lumens and what it really means. In short, a lumen is a measurement of a light’s brightness as seen by the human eye. Plants do not care how BRIGHT something is, they care about what spectra the light is emitting. For example, take a 1000Watt light that only emits green light . . . it will grow exactly NOTHING because green light is not used by plants in photosynthesis, but it sure would be bright! Conversely, if you take an LED grow light that has been engineered to emit light in very specific wavelengths (most beneficial to photosynthesis) it will not seem very bright to you but the plants will love it.

Truth be told, you can probably have a decent grow with the 270W Supernova, however, yield and bud density will not be all it can be. Also – be careful in trying to tweak the blue/red diode knobs when you are growing – I have seen many times that people have done so and ended up destroying a good crop (not know what they were doing).

Thanks for stopping by,
Mathew

Hi Kian –

The 5 band, tri-spectrum light is just as you describe – there are 3 different spectra covering 5 discrete bands . . . 2 each of the red and blue, one orange. There is no white spectrum as it is not needed – 85% or so of white light is unnecessary for photosynthesis, therefore it is wasted light. The other spectra are dialed in to get the most out the usable photosynthetic range. In some studies, 3 watt bulbs tend to do better at penetrating a particularly thick canopy when comparing same overall wattages (ie. a 350W light using only 1watt bulbs vs a 350W using a blend of 1w and 3w bulbs). In this case, efficiency is the same as the overall wattage is the same. Where you may find a differing opinion is when people start talking about the lumen output of 1w vs 3w diodes. While it is true that a 3w diode will put out less lumens than 3 x 1w diodes (less efficient), it has no bearing on a light’s ability to grow plants. The measurement of lumens a light produces has no direct correlation to plant growth, it is meant as a way to compare HPS or HID lights to each other, not LEDs.

Thanks!
Mathew

Hi Freddie –

Well, I can say that I have never thought about doing it, but I don’t see anything wrong with it. My only thought is about how effective it may be without having them surrounded by some sort of reflective material. Anyhow, if you do, I wouldn’t want to use anything over a 180W LED grow light for a 4×4 space just for the sake of not wanting to over do it with light. Your plants will need some time in the dark so be sure not to have light on them 24/7.

Thanks,
Mathew

Hi Chris –

Truthfully, while the T5s would not do any harm, I don’t think they would be needed at all with any of these lights as they are developed to be an all-cycle grow light.

Thanks for stopping by!
Mathew

David –

Thank you for your kind words!

For the 90W light, the max I would go from the floor is about 4 feet depending on the plant (canopy thickness). As for a smaller light – check out these:
Light 1
Light 2

Depending upon that application, one of these may work for you. Both have a max of 3 feet for height. Let me get back to you about studies, I don’t have the link handy right now. Also, we will be starting a new study at the end of September as well.

Thanks again,
Mathew

Hi Woodz –

I think 4x180w would be right on – especially if your grow gets a bit tall! Soil VS Hydro – perhaps I am partial but I would go with hydro because you can really tweak the nutrients to get the most out of your grow.

Thanks,
Mathew

Ryan –

Though I haven’t tested them for an accurate measurement of decibels, I would liken it to a couple of computer fans running. They are not overbearing and you would probably not hear them from about 10-12 feet away . . . even less if in a closet or grow tent.

Thanks,
Mathew

Mua –

Thanks for the question – let me start by saying that these are NOT just regular computer fans, they are much more durable and last longer. I was simply trying to relate the sound to a common device for comparison’s sake. The developer of these lights gives a 3 year warranty, so this is covered if it becomes an issue.

-Mathew

Harrold -

A single 180w LED Grow Light will be plenty for your 3×3 tent.
Thanks,
Mathew

Hi Shaun –

You will want to pick up at least one (maybe two depending on grow space footprint) 180W led lights to equal or surpass the 600W hps.

Let me know your grow space dimensions and I can be more specific.
Thanks,
Mathew

Hi Billy –

Q1 – Yes, they can be shipped to the UK, discrete packaging. I would HIGHLY recommend staying away from Ebay . . . check out this post on 225 led grow lights to find out why.

Q2 – For a PROFESSIONAL grow, go with 4x180w LED lights for each 4×4 square – this should get you a 30-50% increase over a 1000W HPS. As a hobbyist, you can do quite well with 4x90W LED lights for the same 4×4 square and still match or exceed the yield of a 600W HPS. Just multiply for your available growing footprint.

**Can you have a good grow with less??? YES, it just depends on how many plants you have in each 4×4 section and the canopy thickness . . .

Q3 – Check out the offerings from Stealth Hydroponics, they can hook you up.

Q4 – If you are using soil and ESPECIALLY if you are growing hydroponically, you need clean water . . . invest a bit in a reverse osmosis water filtration system to ensure a pure source of water for your plants.

Thanks!
Mathew