The key to establishing a successful hydroponic garden is to implement proper lighting that will let you grow vegetables, fruits and herbs all year long. Below is a quick review on the benefits of LED grow lights and a special opportunity for a Free Consultation.
Click here for the Original Illuminator LED Grow Light - one of the BEST on the market.
LED grow lights have much higher amount of USE-ABLE light per watt than HPS or MH indoor grow lights and they last longer - up to 10 years in fact. Now I am not saying that a 90W LED grow light can ever match the lumen output of a 400W HID bulb, however, they are equal when it comes to the amount of absorb-able light they emit. (See this article to learn why lumens don't matter). In addition, they produce a fraction of the heat of HID setups and therefore do not require cooling fans. The lights only use 20 to 30 percent of the electricity that HID lights use. Above all, LED grow lights do not require other equipment such as ballasts and reflectors like most grow lights do.
There are many different types of LED grow lights and it is very important to choose the best one for your hydroponic garden. One of the most popular ones on the market is the UFO grow light.
Benefits of UFO LED Grow Lights
- Uses 90 watts of power that are more intense and result in faster growth rates than HID lights.
- Does not produce any heat and will not burn your plants or cause excess evaporation.
- All of the light is directed at the plants and the light that is emitted matches the spectrum of light necessary for photosynthesis.
- Produces thicker vegetative growth, larger blooms, and increased yields over equivalent HID lights.
Aside from standard red/blue UFO Grow lights, many people prefer to use Tri-band LED grow lights. The benefit of using a Tri-band Spectrum is that the plants absorb the key spectrum of red, blue and orange light. These lights are designed to provide key wavelengths for optimal growth at all stages.
Now, a new addition to the LED Grow Light team is the 5 Band LED Grow Light which offers a red, blue, and orange arrangement with 2 different bands in each of the red and blue spectrum.
To choose the correct LED grow light for your plant, you have to determine the needs of your hydroponic garden. Are you growing leafy, short plants or taller, flowering plants? What are the dimensions of your grow space? Would you prefer an all-in-one grow light solution or would you like your color panels separate to allow tweaking during specific stages?
Here is your best bet - Contact Me for a FREE consultation! Just send me the details of your setup, growing space, the type of plants you are growing and I will help you determine the appropriate lights for you.
To Guarantee Poor Results, Buy Cheap Imitators
I have been told by a few people that they have experienced less than optimal results from their LED grow lights (and nowhere near what the hype says is possible). Without fail the number one reason for failure is that they bought cheap, discount LED grow lights that were horribly underpowered.
Don't worry - I get it. To start out, LED grow lights are a bit more expensive than their HID light counterparts, however, that gap is shrinking all the time and is easily recovered (and then some) in reduced electricity bills and by not needing expensive heat removal systems or ballasts. It is easy to gravitate to the less expensive models if you are on a budget but don't! You will be disappointed.
The cheap LED grow lights on the market are ridiculously underpowered. On Ebay right now, you can find dozens of LED grow light panels in which each individual LED light is rated at 0.06 Watts. So in a typical 225 LED panel of red and blue, you end up with a total power consumption of about 14 Watts. Sounds great right? Not so fast - you see, these units are good for maybe 1 square foot at a distance of less than 6 inches. Does that describe your growing space? Not likely.
Take a typical growing space of 5x5 feet or 25 square feet . . . if you bought the above light, you would need at least 12 of these units to effectively cover the space. And that is assuming you don't want to grow anything over a few inches tall.
As a rule, you should never buy an LED grow light unless each LED has an output of 1 Watt. In the above example, you would need only one 180W LED grow light to cover 25 square feet for vegetative growth and it would have the power to penetrate a leafy canopy if growing taller plants (in a 3x3).
While some people use natural sunlight, others who want indoor gardens find that one of the best choices for lighting are LED grow lights. They are more economical, energy efficient and can be controlled for best results in your hydroponic garden.
Check out the following to buy a UFO LED grow light - The Illuminator 5 Band Spectrum Grow Light .
That company provides a 90 day risk-free trial period where you can return unit for a full refund if not satisfied. In addition, it comes with a 3 year warranty.
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Dangerous –
Of course I am a bit biased towards LEDs – I would recommend selling your HPS setup and putting that money towards the Magnums
To answer your question about coverage . . . you are at the far side of coverage ability of the 600W lights as you have noticed with your yield. I would typically use a 600W for a 3×3 space max. If you want to keep your HPS lights and just supplement with the accelerators, I would think you would see a decent gain in yield but you would still have excess heat and electricity to worry about.
Cheers,
Mathew
Hi Mathew
Great Site – been reading for a couple of hours and am really interested in the LEDs but a litte overwhelmed. I currently have a 2 tables side by side 6×4 plus a 4×4 with 3x1000w. I really have problems with heat and want to eventually switch completely to LEDs but may have to do it in stages.
Can I get LEDs for the 4×4 and keep HIDs on the big table for now? Will the heat from the HIDs affect the LEDs?
What how many lights would you recommend for the 4×4 and eventually for the entire area.
Also not sure what would be best for my area the 357s or the Pro Penetrators. Concerned about how much weight I would need to support from the ceiling.
Again great site – could spend the next month reading.
Sandy –
Thanks for the interest!
To match or exceed the output & yield from the 1000W on a 4×4 table, I would recommend 4 x 126W Penetrator Pros. They are phenomenal lights . . . on their own, they should only increase ambient temp by about 5 -7 degrees which is a big difference from using the HID. Then, you could use 6 to cover the 6×4 table.
Each unit weighs 17lbs . . . so 4 would be 68lbs. If you are hanging it from a stud or floor joist, you have nothing to worry about. If you want to be extremely conservative and not even hang them from the ceiling, you could make a frame from 2x4s that would rest on the floor instead.
Let me know if you need any more help!
Mathew
So I found a site that has bulbs that have 50w per bulb. Is this a good buy??? I hear led lights can be expensive so this 29.99 sounds good since I already have fixtures. Will this be a good buy or a waste??? I am only going to try to do 1 plant with it so not looking for much just a test plant.
(link removed)
Bane –
I would steer clear of those kinds of lights. For one, I don’t think it is really emitting 50W from a screw in base type bulb . . . maybe 20 at best. Also the heat generated would be enough to kill the light in less than a year as there is no active cooling (just some thin fins . . ).
Thanks!
Mathew
Qwuick question for you folks. How far above your plants are you putting the led light? I currently use cfl’s and an going to upgrade to LED.
Thom –
It depends a bit on the light, the plant, and the stage of growth . . . but you want it about 14-18 inches up for veg and about 8-12 inches for flowering.
Thanks!
Mathew
I’m considering a 90w Illuminator ufo. I have been looking and am very leary about cheap knock offs. I have found the “same” led from another company that advertises the same specs, word for word, only it’s less than half the cost. Hmmmm, cannot see how. I’ll be using it in conjunction with some existing CFL’s. I have a 2×4 area, seeing as the area callouts for the 90w ufo of 2×2 for flower, I think keeping about 200w of cfl should augment the led pretty well. The plants only get about 24″ tall right now, but I hope to gain some vertical area when I upgrade, I’m adding another foot to my grow space hieght. I’m pretty sure the light should penatrate the canopy.
Thom –
You are smart to be leery of cheap knock offs . . . most of the time people get burned trying to save a few bucks. Really you just have to decide if the gamble is worth it. While there is the potential for any LED grow light to be defective no matter what company it comes from, you have to be sure you have some sort of recourse if something goes wrong. Balance the cost with the length of the trial period and the warranty (90 days, 3 years for the PS light). You can also call a company in advance to get a feel for how they operate . . . just talk with them to see how things go. I find that most people have a gut instinct that tells them whether or not to deal with a company. One thing to note is that if this other company is copying PS website or specs word-for-word, then they are plain lazy and trying to make a quick buck in all likelihood . . . I would wonder where else are they cutting corners.
Cheers,
Mathew
you said earlier
“As a rule, you should never buy an LED grow light unless each LED has an output of 1 Watt. In the above example, you would need only one 180W LED grow light to cover over 16 square feet for vegetative growth and it would have the power to penetrate a leafy canopy if growing taller plants (in a 3×3).”
on there website they claim 5×5, what gives?
Jer –
Just looks like some poor wording & a typo on my part. I wrote this article quite a while ago so not sure exactly but it looks like I was quoting numbers for the 90W and the 180W at the same time. . .
Thanks for pointing it out – it has been updated!
Mathew
ok kool thanks
i am a little confused. my friend wants to grow thirty plants with a yield of 4 ounces off each plant, is this possible with led plants alone in a hydro setup?
LEDs have certainly come a long way in the past few years. They save so much on electricity (up to 75-80% vs HPS), and produce the perfect light spectrum for exceptional plant growth. They are best IMO for smaller gardens, grow boxes, and closet grows. Check out http://www.thescrogbox.com , they have some nice stealth grow boxes that have leds.
I bought a 90W tri-band on ebay for $96 and it works perfect.
Why waste $200 extra I thought, and I don’t regret it.
Thanks for all the LED-info.
l . . .
That is a VERY open ended question . . . kind of like asking “how long is a piece of string?”
The answer is YES . . . with the right supplies, setup, conditions, and strain, I have seen LED grow lights produce 1 lb per plant. If you want to know some specifics or need consultation . . . hit the Contact button at the top of the page.
Cheers!
Mathew
Tim –
LEDs are perfect for small stealthy grows of course but have proven successful in large scale Commercial Medical Marijuana grows as well. Thanks for the heads up on ScrogBox!
Mathew
Don –
Glad to hear you are happy with it – you are absolutely the exception based on my experience!
-Mathew
Tim –
Do you own ScrogBox? Contact me if you do . . . you want to be careful using Blackstar in your LED box as I hear nothing but complaints about them.
-Mathew
I am loving the information that this site provides. One quick question: what led light would you recommend for a 3×3 foot space with 2-3 plants? This will be my first experiment with growing and I don’t want to spend all of my savings on multiple lights if I don’t need to, but also fear not supplying my plants enough light.
Steven –
For a 3×3 space I would recommend something putting out around 180-200W . . . in ascending cost (and performance): 180W Illuminator, 357 Magnum ($100 off coupon MAGDEAL100), or the 189x Penetrator.
Let me know if you need more help!
Mathew
At the moment I am running 2 by 600 watt hps and two by 1000 watt hps, I grow my plants to about five ft tall under screen, they end up around 6 ft tall (this includes 50lt pot). I am looking to replicate this setup with an LED setup, electricity bills are getting suspicious. Grow area is about 8 ft by 10 ft. 4 plants grown, yeilding 3 to 4 pounds in 3 and a half to 4 months.
What would give me the same amount of coverage for my setup, in your opinion?
I want to supercede my yeild and cut my electricity bill. Also, depending on cost, I may have to run hps with LEDs, Is this a problem?
If you could steer me to the correct supplier, it would be appreciated.
Appreciate any tips you can give, your new friend in Australia.
Brady –
Impressive grows you have there!
To get these kind of results with 6ft plants you need a light with CRAZY intensity and penetration power . . . the only light that I know of that can do this right now is the Penetrator X-Lens series.
You would need to get the 3w diode model – and it sounds like 4 of the 336x Pros would be the way to go. Their coverage is accurate for flowering at 4×4 feet, 12 inches above the plants. Each light runs at 520W . . . so 2080W total versus your current wattage of 3200W. You could see further reduction in electricity usage if you currently have to air condition the room . . . cooling needs would be eliminated or at least GREATLY reduced with LED.
Based on my math, you were getting around 1/2 to 2/3 of a gram per watt. With these lights, there is no reason you cant get over 1g/watt.
Let me know if you have any more questions!
Mathew
Hello so ive having a hard time to pick my led setup. Ive narrowed it down to this I have a 2×4 tent and was thinking of one magnum or two 90watt ufos with a flower power ufo in the middle all by prosource. So matt whatcha think?
Jason –
While the Magnum would outperform the 2 x 90W Illuminators . . . I am not sure what the addition of the Flower Accelerator would do to the comparison as I have never tested one.
The Magnum is not well suited to a 2×4 space in terms of coverage . . .more like a 3×3 max . . . the 2 Illuminators would do better in that category.
Something you may want to think about is getting 2 x 84X Penetrators (1w chip). They are designed for 2×2 each so would be a perfect fit. With the X-Lens, you would get higher intensity which would be on par with the Magnum.
You know, I just reread my response and it seems like I just opened up more questions than answers . . . sorry!
Mathew
Hi, I plan on running 2 x 5′ NFT system in my home — two flat bottom tubes, with a hydroton media… I plan on growing cannabis. Assuming I can control the climate, what lighting systems would be most favorable for this type of setup?
I have really small cabinet I’m growing in (D) 17″ x (W) 21″ x (H) 42″. I’m thinking the 90w UFO would be perfect for my setup. Thoughts? How does the 90W UFO compare to a 6 x 26w CFL setup, in terms of output and energy usage?
Tydo –
Check out these LED grow light reviews . . .
Cheers!
Mathew
Billy -
Output between the 90W LED and 6 x 26w CFL goes like this . . . about 85W for the LED and 156W for the CFL. Depending on the color temperature of the CFLs (Kelvin) you may get better results with the UFO … or the CFLs. You could likely outperform the LED with the 6xCFLs if you get 2 of them in the 6500-10K Kelvin range and the other 4 in the 2K to 3K Kelvin range . . . but then again, you have almost twice the wattage.
Later,
mathew
Hey, quick question I have a 4′x4′x6′ grow tent growing about 10 cannibus plants and I am planning on buying 90 watt UFOs lights how many do u think I would need to give every plant the light it needs to grow to its full potential?
Bob –
If you REALLY want to push your plants, opt for the 180W UFOs. Do four of them, each getting a 2×2 ft square like they did in this video. Otherwise, four of the 90W UFOs will work great on a shorter scrog style grow . . . keep the plants to 24 inches or less!
Cheers,
Mathew
hey there i have a grow space about 2x4x6..with one sunleave pioneer VIII jr. i want to add an LED for veg and flower so all in one type..im thinking of either doing one 200 watt..or two 90w..whats a good decision..even if those arent the best choice’s what would you recomend and please keep in mind i will not be growing the full 6 feet probaly around 3 and a half.
thanks!
dave
Dave –
All other things equal (diode power, beam angle, wavelengths, etc), two 90W LEDs would give you better, more uniform coverage, thus similar (perhaps better) results than a single 200W light source.
Cheers!
Mathew
hey im interested in growing 3-4 plants only grow around 2-1/2 feet tops, using a square foot per for flowering, what light(s) should i use??
I bought the cheap $29 14w led light from ebay before I read this article. However Im only growing 2 pepper plants in a very small 20 inch X 12 inch drip system. I havent started yet. Should I quit while Im ahead or do you think I can make it? Thanks
Derrick –
Sorry I didn’t catch you sooner
I would not bother starting your plants with those lights or, if you do start them, be sure you have a higher powered light ready to rip once your plants have their first set of true leaves or they will start stretching.
Thanks!
Mathew
Chris –
What you should use depends on the overall yield you wish to obtain. First, keep your grow space to 2×2 ft. You can do well with a 90-120W light in this area or you can boost power up to about 180-200W and really push your plants. It just depends on your budget and the yield you want.
Check out :
http://www.myhydroponicgardening.com/resources/prosource
http://www.myhydroponicgardening.com/resources/penetrator
http://www.myhydroponicgardening.com/resources/magnum
Surround your space with mylar to keep the light focused on your plants!
Cheers,
Mathew
Hello Matt
I’ve found lot’s of great info on your site about LED’s. I have been considering them because of the low wattage and low heat output. I will be working in a tent that is 32in. x 32in. x 63in. I will be growing 2 autoflowering cannabis plants at a time. I was first inclined to go with the illuminator 90w ufo LED or the 63w penetrator pro but upon further research Im thinking that these will not be sufficient enough output for my grow space. I was thinking maybe going with the 180w for better results. But the $600 price tag is painful to consider but if it will yield better plants each time then it would be a better investment in the long run in seems. I would love to hear any recommendations or input from you.
thanks
Brandon –
You definitely want to go with the 180W or 2x90W in your space. I only recommend the 90W cover 2×2 for flowering – so you would be OK with using a 90W in your space for veg but would need another light in there to get the full potential from your plants. Opting for the 2 x90w or the one 180W will likely double your yield.
Cheers!
Mathew
Hey hydro man
I was wondering, im starting an indoor closet garden thats 2×5. But i am only going to grow 2 or 3 plants. Do you think 1 ufo light is enough? Should i go with another type?
Any advice on the wattage or other info i need for that space would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Eric –
You wont get solid coverage with a single light. Each 90W Illuminator is good for a 2×2 space and the 180W is good for a 3×3. Here is what I would do – get a 180W Illuminator and keep your grow space to a 2×3 and you can easily get 3 plants in there up to about 3ft tall.
Cheers!
Mathew
Thank you mathew.
What about keeping it 2×3 but going with the penetrator 84x pro?
I know the footrint is for 2×2 but with the extra power would it compensate?
Eric -
It could if you bring up the light height. Bringing up the light will reduce the power going to any particular area but increase the footprint . . . just keep an eye out for stretching and drop the light if it becomes an issue.
Later!
Mathew
does any one have a web site where i can get a good 24 hour timer with a relay
Jeff –
I have used some simple plug in timers from WalMart with success – run about $15 . . .
Mathew
“As a rule, you should never buy an LED grow light unless each LED has an output of 1 Watt. ”
So true; but keep in mind the efficiency of leds bulbs output go down significantly over 1 watt. So if you opt to spend lots of money on a 3 or 5 watt bulb your wasting your money. Better to just buy another light and increase the growing area which tends to be a little small under leds anyway. Never buy anything under 90watts they just wont work, and stop listening to all the manufactures BS that a 60watt is as good as 1000watt, a 500watt led and a 500watt HPS the led will win. Some plant species will do better under a certain led wavelength, and some worse. It’s a trick used by manufacturers to promote their product, and bad mouth the competition. Also there are added costs to a HPS bulb; lots of Heat for one, and added electricity. There is a theory out there, if you are growing herbs, the oil is created is to protect the plant from damaging UV something LEDs will not produce. Hope this helps
Hi
i have a 40x40x80 inch grow tent with a aeroponic 9 plant system.At the site i ordered them,they recomend a 250w hps lamp.
-Using a 90w led light is a good idea?
-If not,the only way is for the 180w?can i add some smaller watt led lamps with the 90w?or fluorecent?
thanks you mate!
Sany –
Based on the dimensions of your space, you would be better off going with at least a 180W LED. The 180W does great in a 3×3 . . . will out perform the 250W hps and provide better (though not ideal) coverage. Really, something like the 189X or the Magnum Plus would be best suited to the space.
Alternatively you can put in the 90W and expect no more than 2×2 ft coverage for flowering and then a solid CFL in each corner . . .
Cheers,
Mathew
Peter –
There are actually a few LED companies out there that do include UV in their LED systems just for this reason. Also – there is the Solar Storm from CaliforniaLightWorks.com that has secondary lamps (CFL, not LED) in their light that produces UV.
Cheers,
Mathew
I have 2-10$ grow lamps from wallyworld and 2- 2501 quad red blue led
Doing hydro with 2plants in an 18″x8″ spot
Flouros run vertically up wall in a corner
With LEDs topping off about 36 ” from top
Of plant one is already 4 tiers other is sprout
Any suggestions
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