Whenever a new and innovative product comes onto the market, controversy will soon be swirling around its marketing claims. Of course LED grow lights were no different and soon the din of arguments between nay-sayers and believers was so loud, it was difficult to find facts. No doubt there is some validity to claims that LED grow lights cannot compete with HPS for flowering, it all depends on how thorough the LED manufacturer researched and developed their light. In most cases, you get what you pay for with LED grow lights.
To some growers, one of the many benefits of using LED grow lights has become one of its down-sides. For example, LED grow lights run so cool while producing negligible amounts of heat, some species of plant became leggy and less stocky. Besides needing light for proper growth at all stages, heat is needed in the beginning for germination and warm conditions contribute to faster growth. We all know that HPS lights emit a tremendous amount of heat (which helps in the beginning) so it is thought that, for some plants, an additional heat source may be required when using LED grow lights.
Another area of controversy was that to produce stocky, thick vegetative growth, one must supplement LED grow lights with HPS. With early iterations, this was true as the spectra of blue required for optimum growth wasn't dialed-in correctly and the intensity of the cheap LED grow lights that flooded the market was well below par. Producers of high-quality LED grow lights put time and money into research and development to overcome these early challenges and now produce a light that can equal or surpass the productivity of HPS.
The benefits a home grower and a commercial grower can realize by using LED grow lights are numerous. Check out this link for an LED grow light review and take a look at the benefits yourself.
Don't get me wrong HPS lights will always be a good choice for plant lighting, despite its down-side. Someone suggested to me the other day that combining high-end LED grow lights with an appropriately powered HPS can produce wonderful results. As with many things in life - do your own testing and see what works for you.
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