The Best LEDs For
Growing Weed

Every LED grow light using the Samsung LM301H or the older LM301B is an excellent choice for growing weed indoors. The Horticulture Lighting Group – Scorpion Rspec 600w is an excellent choice for beginners and pros alike due to its low power consumption, high light output, large coverage area, and longevity

How To Pick The Right LED Grow Light?

The most important criteria to look out for when picking a Led Grow light are wattage, lumen output, light spectrum, area coverage, durability, and of course, the initial cost. Grow lights using Samsung LM301H or the older generation Samsung LM301b address all of these criteria the best.

The Best LEDs For Growing Weed
#1 Horticulture Lighting Group - Scorpion Rspec 600W LED Grow Light (120V-240V) + LED Glasses

Horticulture Lighting Group has a reputation for their grow lights in the market. One of their latest additions to the brand is their new LED grow lights using the most recent diodes from Samsung. One of which is the Scorpion Rspec 600W LED Grow Light. Built for low ceiling heights and vertical racks, the Scorpion grow light provides a full spectrum of light over a 6’x6’ grow space enough to provide light for nine plants in total.

#2 Horticulture Lighting Group 650R LED Grow Light by Horticulture Lighting Group + LED Glass

Designed to change a double-ended 1000W HID lamp, the HLG 650R uses four custom design quantum boards equipped with Samsung LM301H LED’s. The 650R LED grow light is HLG’s most powerful horticulture lighting fixture to date. It has a complete light spectrum with boosted Deep Red 660nm for increased bud production.

#3 Horticulture Lighting Group - Scorpion Diablo 650W LED Grow Light (120V-240V) + LED Glasses

Designed for grow rooms with limited space, the HLG Scorpion Diablo uses 6x QB648 Quantum Boards for an even light spread. Upon release, it is one of the most efficient grow lights with over 600W on the market. It uses Samsung LM301H LED’s that immits a Deep Red 660nm light spectrum.

#4 Growers Choice LED ROI-E720-LED
Grow Light Fixture-720W

Still, from the Growers Choice ROI series, the ROI-E720 is a bigger version of the ROI-200. Its difference applies in the more substantial wattage and a more improved LED technology. Growers can still use it for commercial growing or simply for personal-use home growing.

#4 Growers Choice LED ROI-E720-LED
Grow Light Fixture-720W

The Iluminar iL8x LED Grow Light utilizes additional diodes and a spectrum that delivers better quality compared to other LED lights at the same price point. Out of the selection, this grow light is the only one that users can control using an application. It is quick and easy to install with the option to create a daisy chain several fixtures in a row.

What different types of LED grow lights are ther?

The term LED grow light is an umbrella term that can be sub-divided into three types: spread style, traditional panel, and circuit-on-board. As of writing, there isn’t a definite way to gauge the best type for LED lights, but each type produces a result catering to a specific grower’s need.

Tips for Buying LED Grow Lights

Know the Light Spectrum Covered by the LED Grow Light

The light spectrum is a crucial factor for plant growth. It is a measurement for light wavelength often called by the colors seen by the human eye. The most popular colors for plant growth are the red and blue hues. The red promotes more enormous bud growth and a higher potency for the cannabinoids. Meanwhile, the blue light enhances the development of weed in its vegetative stage for a more robust and more vigor plant structure.


Getting a full spectrum light makes it more cost-efficient as there is no need to change lights at every stage. Most LED grow lights now are a mix of white, blue, and red lights. However, it still pays to check the light spectrum specifications.


Know the Heat Output Produced by the LED Grow Lights
Heat is a typical product produced by grow lights along with the light itself. Remember that too much heat stunts plants’ growth, causing them not to reach their full potential. The combined effects of heat on plants include stress, more extended water transport from the soil to the roots, and eventually, plant death.


On average, LED setups to produce 40% heat output compared to other grow light types. But that percentage shouldn’t get your guard down. There are LED grow lights that come with heat management features. It’s better to get that kind of LED to produce light to mitigate heat production better.


Know the Coverage of the LED Grow Lights
Usually, grow lights come with a coverage chart. But in the instance that it does not, the estimated wattage per plant is 32W. It means that each plant in the grow space needs at least 32W to get the adequate light required. Therefore, if you own a grow light with 100W of power, you can provide light to up to 3 plants within the grow space. If you go over that, you will need to support the other plants with more light.

What Factors Determine A Good LED Grow Light?

Wavelength Output
Studies have proved that the light spectrum emitted from grow lights is crucial for plant development and bud production. An LED grow light is a suitable type of light if it highlights a wavelength output ideal for plant growth.

Always remember that not all types of LED are suitable for plant growth. Manufacturers can specialize in LEDs according to their use. For example, there is an LED meant for human use. It means that this type of LED light does not emit intense rays of blue light that may damage human eyes. Meanwhile, an LED specified for growing plants emit stronger blue, red, and white light to mimic the sun’s full spectrum.

When shopping for LED grow lights, make sure to pick one that highlights the blue, red, and white light.

Wattage
The power wattage of a grow light’s used to determine its power and brilliance. However, that only becomes effective with other grow lights such as HID as they depend on the drawn energy from the electricity to produce light. Through improvements in technology, LED grow lights do not rely on the power drawn from electricity to create adequate light for plants.

When shopping for LED grow lights, choose a type that uses the least wattage. It does not only save you money from electricity costs, but it also produces more light enough to sustain a plant’s needs. A stronger wattage produces more heat. In effect, it causes degradation on the LED to grow light panel and may result in inefficiency.

As of writing, manufacturers haven’t set standards for LED grow lights yet. Until then, growers will still base their information on outdated standards from other grow light types. But remember, in LEDs, less wattage means better.

Lumens, PAR, and Lux
Lumens is a unit of measurement that more accurately measures the intensity of light produced by grow lights. Unlike watts, it states the exact amount of light produced according to the power drawn from electricity.

Meanwhile, lux is a measurement of how much of the light gets absorbed by the plants per square meter. But remember that lux is a measurement intended to gauge how many light LEDs produce. It is not the unit used to measure the light brilliance unless growers convert it to micromoles or other light measuring units.

Photosynthetic active radiation defines the wavelengths seen by the human eye. A good LED grow light will provide you with information about the distribution of the light wavelengths emitted by the light source, the area’s size intended for illumination, and a measure of energy available for photosynthesis.

Light Intensity
A grow light may produce brilliant light, but it doesn’t mean that the light produced is intense. The grow light’s footprint is as important as the brilliance and intensity of the light produced. Footprint refers to the coverage of the light from a specific height in a grow space.

LED Chip Quality
The quality of light produced by LEDs highly depends on their quality. Cheap LEDs sometimes don’t make the light spectrums needed by the cannabis plants. These LED bulbs have subpar results, and buyers should look for quality bulbs that are long-lasting and produce the right light spectrum.

LED Lenses Make A Big Difference in Light Output and Footprint
Aside from the lumen output produced by LED grow lights, another factor that makes them better is the lenses used in the modern LED setups. Lenses, usually made out of plastic or silicone, are panels that sit over LED bulbs to spread out the light for further coverage. Good quality LED lights come with lenses that extend the range evenly over a grow space. Lenses ensure an equal distribution of light even if the plants are close to the light source or not.