Are different Full Spectrum White color LED Grow Lights good for indoor plants?
White LED Grow Lights and plant Lamps 101 : Everything you Need to know
Do full-spectrum white LED grow lights and light lamps really help boost the growth of cannabis and other plants? Are LED lights good for plants? If so, what are the best lights for growing them?
Read on and discover more about full-spectrum white LED grow lights and plant lamps and learn everything you need to know.
LED Lights 101
Cannabis has been around since the dawn of time, but its best-growing methods have only evolved in the last few decades (in addition to other electrical and technological innovations) .
After the discovery of LEDs and identifying their significant contribution to the growth of cannabis and other different plants, the popularity of full-spectrum white LED grow lights skyrocketed.
The Department of Energy predicts that LED technology will become the preferred lighting method in homes and businesses by 2025.
Natural light from the sun has nourished cultivation efforts in greenhouses for years, but full-spectrum white LED grow lights mimic the sun, thereby addressing the question of whether or not LED lights are good for
plant growth.
But how do the different kinds of white LED grow lights work?
First, “LED” stands for a “light emitting diode. ” In electronics, a diode is basically a switch that restricts the charge carriers ‘ direction of movement. It allows an electric current to move in a single direction .
LEDs are semiconductor devices that emit visible light of a particular color and are fundamentally different than traditional light sources ( e.g. incandescent, fluorescent, and gas-discharge lamps) .
An LED, like a normal diode, has a chip made of semiconducting material and comes complete with impurities to create a positive/negative (p-n) or junction . Atoms in the negative material have extra electrons, while
atoms in the positive material have electron holes .
As current is applied, the atoms move toward the junction, and when they get close, the negative atoms give their extra electrons to the positive atoms, which accept them .
A process called forward bias is when a negative charge to the negative side allows current to flow from the negatively charged area to the positively charged area.
When the positive material receives extra electrons from the negative material, energy is released in the form of photons . The material in an LED is chosen so the wavelength of the photons lands within the visible section of
the spectrum of white light. The different materials produce photons at different wavelengths and various colors .
How White Lights Affect Plant Growth
Can white LED lights grow plants? Is an LED grow light for plants safe and effective? What white LED lamp is the best for growing cannabis and different plants?
These are questions that growers and lamp sellers — like yourself — ask themselves constantly. So, let ‘s get right to the answer.
Yes, white LED lights can grow plants safely and effectively, and here’s how.
White LED lights are more beneficial to your plant ‘s growth because they emit the full spectrum , thereby
closely mimicking the sun and helping you achieve higher yields . As a result of their effectiveness, white LED lights have a higher price tag than those that emit just red or blue.
The chemicals that control plant growth respond to red and blue differently. Responsive to red light,
phytochromes drive leafy growth, while cryptochromes control plant light response, and are responsive to blue.
White light is a correlation of different wavelength lights within the electromagnetic spectrum .
Full spectrum white LED grow lights emit ultraviolet rays (UV) , blue, green, red, and infra-red — each having a specific impact on the growth of the plant.
- UV –UV rays slow the plant ‘s growth and enhance oil production . UV light drives photosynthesis and may also ignite cannabinoid synthesis and possibly keep disease at bay.
- Blue –Blue lowers cell expansion, thereby making plants shorter and reducing leaf expansion.
- Green — Green infiltrates leaves and facilitates human vision . Green wavelengths permeate deep inside the leaf and get absorbed by specific plant pigments, thereby benefiting the plant.
- Red — Chlorophyll absorbs red light intensely, thus making it effective at photosynthesis.
- Infra-Red — Far red enhances cell expansion.
Traditional LED lights only emit one white color (which depends on which color of white you choose from warm white to cool white) and will thereby not meet your plant ’s health needs . All plant ’s require sunlight as part of their health needs, and because full white spectrum grow lights mimic the sun, your plant has what it needs for each growth phase. With full spectrum white LED grow lights , you will yield the results you have been looking for.
While standard LED lights only offer illumination, LED grow lights promote vegetative development and blossoming with their wide light spectrum.
Differences Between LEDs and White LED Grow Lights
Grow lights are not always LED lights . Some grow lights are high-density discharge lights, while others are HIDs, fluorescents, or incandescent. All these light options will help you generate the effective and efficient amount of light so your plants can photosynthesize.
While all are artificial, most grow lights are electric as well.
A grow light ’s purpose is to mimic the sun as effortlessly as possible, so you ’ll typically have a wide light spectrum available. In addition to the color spectrum , you will also have the ability to tweak the color temperature and the luminous efficacy.
What does that mean? Correlated color temperature ( or CCT) is a means of identifying different light colors and feels, while luminous efficacy is the visible light quality you receive from a light source. White light varies depending on the CCT of light produced.
Color temperature is identified by “ Kelvin ” or “ K. ” A low light temperature is 1,000K, while the highest is 10,000K. Warm white colors fall between 2,000K and 3,000K, and cool white colors fall between 3, 100K and 4, 500K. Luminous efficacy is identified by lumens per watt. This measures the wavelengths of light as our human eyes only have spectral sensitivity, thus making us unable to capture every light wavelength.
The primary differences between LEDs and white LED grow lights are:
- Available colors: While LEDs do have a color spectrum , it is neither as complete nor as broad as that of the spectrum from grow lights .
- Variety of light: Light variety differs based on your personal needs and pocketbook. Light variety differs between HIDs, incandescent lights, fluorescents, and LEDs .
- Illumination purpose : LED grow lights were made for plant growth, while traditional LED lights are for providing illumination in a personal or professional environment.
Different LED Light Technologies
LED lights have two different technologies : white LEDs and COBs – Chips on Board.
White LEDs can have a variety of different CCT ranges; however, their range is most often produced using a
blue LED with a phosphor coating that emanates yellow light. The blue light radiating from the blue LED
bounces off the phosphor coating, thereby releasing yellow light. White light is the result when the phosphor has not absorbed the blue light mixed with the yellow light.
White LEDs produce 40% of usable light, leaving the rest to waste away on power consumption and heat.
COBs is a fairly new type of LED technology and is used to produce the full white light spectrum . COBs are produced when multiple diodes are combined on one chip with a yellow phosphor coating, thus creating an intense white light.
While COBs and white light LEDs can certainly grow cannabis and other plants, a lot of energy is wasted in the green spectrum , thereby not making them as efficient as other options . White LEDs and COBs are effective if
the user plans on using them sparingly as a supplemental light within an LED panel or specifically for seedling and/or clone development.
How to Identify Quality LED Lights and Plant Lamps
Indoor plant growing consists of certain phrases and acronyms you should know:
- PAR — Photosynthetic Active Radiation
- PPF — Photosynthetic Photon Flux
- PPFD — Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density
PAR
This acronym describes the white light spectrum wavelengths within the visible range of 400 to 700nm ( nm — the unit to measure wavelength) . Not a metric, and rather a term , PAR helps cannabis growers investigate the required light type and light volume to optimize their plants ‘ yield and health.
The more PAR an LED light or lamp can produce, the more PAR available to the plants, thus the better they will grow.
PPF
PPF is the acronym used to define the measurements of PAR. The underlying value figures out how much PAR your white LED grow lights can produce every second. The PPF measurement will help you determine how much light your fixtures are producing, which your cannabis plants can use for photosynthesis .
PPF is measured in micromoles per second (µMol/s). One micromole is equal to approximately 602 quadrillion photons . Figuring out your PPF accurately requires you to have a complete understanding of your plant ‘s growth process and some mathematical acuity.
PPF measurement tools are available, but it might be more advantageous to work with someone familiar with PPF to help you choose the best white LED grow lights that will be efficient enough to provide you with your desired PAR and PPF.
PPFD
PPFD is the last part of the PAR formula. PPFD does not just measure the PPF, but also the surface area. The unit for measurement is micromoles per square meter per second (µMol/m²/s). This equation is used to calculate how many PAR photons are successfully landing on any given area.
In all, PPFD is related to how many of those necessary photosynthetic photons are actually positively impacting the growing area, as well as determining how efficiently your white LED lights are working for output.
How Much PPFD do You Need for a Successful Yield?
An average home-scale cannabis operation requires each plant to have a PPFD of:
100-300 μmol/m²/s during the seedling phase
400-600 μmol/m²/s during the vegetative stage
800-1,000 μmol/m²/s during the flowering period
These values are the baseline for food photons needed to grow strong and healthy plants .
Each plant has a genetic saturation point, after which the benefits of PPFD begin to stall. More PPFD does not always result in “more plants . ” It is erroneous for a cannabis grower to assume that the more PPFD they have to use, the better and higher the yields .
In addition, giving your plant too much full-spectrum light during particular growth phases can cause potential health problems such as nutrient burn, water deprivation, and light burn .
Important Things to Remember
Remember your plant ‘s distance from the light source. Use an average for an estimate (the minimum and maximum ratio) before investing in an LED grow lamp.
PAR is the part of the visible light spectrum that plants notice and use for their photosynthesis process and occurs within 400nm to 700nm . PPFD measures the quantity of PAR your plant can take in over time ( or the light density that your plant will get) .
PPFD is a vital metric when it comes to the plant ‘s distance from different LED lights in that it allows you to
effectively measure the intensity of light from the roof level during the photosynthesis process . If you have your plant ‘s surface or canopy too close to your LED grow lights, your plants may endure stunted growth, bleaching, or discoloration .
Plant Roof/Canopy Light Intensity PPFD Coverage
(meters) (lux) (µMol/m²/s) (m²)
2 955 670 7.6
1.5 1692 1170 5
1 3663 1670 3
0.5 12500 2170 1.5
0.2 50300 2670 0.6
(Note: The above table uses a 600W LED light for reference, and for different distances from the canopy. The
LED light ‘s power or wattage will also influence the values above) .
The light ‘s intensity and subsequent coverage area alter as the distance increases or decreases between the source of light and the plant roof. The grow light you use can also change the coverage.
LED lights should be closer to your canopy for the plant ‘s vegetative and flowering phases . The light intensity increases as the source of light moves toward the canopy.
To prevent your light from becoming too intense and your seedlings from drying out, keep your LED grow lights at the highest range of 60 inches . In the first two to three weeks, once the plants have begun to sprout after
taking root, move the light closer and/or increase its power.
Quick Reference Guide on LED Grow Light Distance
0.9-1. 5m (36-60 in) 0.4 – 0.6m (15-24 in) 0.3 – 0. 5m (12-20 in)
Conclusion
Are you a plant grower in need of more information? Or are you a lamp seller that wants to learn more?
Whatever your plant growing or lamp selling needs might be, we are here to help! Contact us today, and let us be part of your growth and witness your successful yield.
