LED Plant Lights: Guide to Moden Grow Lights

Growing plants indoors, whether simply house plants in soil or entire crops in soilless hydroponic grow systems, requires plenty of LED plant lights.

In the past, before LED was a thing, indoor growers preferred powerful solutions such as high-pressure sodium and metal halide lights, now known as HIDs.

But, today, those old HID lights, albeit powerful, are a thing of the past. They draw far more juice from the outlets in your home compared to new LED grow lights.

Read on below, discover everything you need to know about LED plant lights, including what they are, the various types, and which ones may be best for you and your indoor growing needs!

What Are LED Plant Lights?

LED plant lights are just what the name suggests; LED lights are designed and manufactured for the specific task of producing a light source for indoor plants.

These sorts of lights may be used as stand-alone lights for house plants that have a tripod or base, or hanging from the ceiling of a grow room or grow tent as the main source of light for hydroponics, aeroponics, aquaponics growing systems, and everything in between.

It is safe to say that the LED plant light has become the go-to light for indoor gardeners, almost exclusively.

Types of LED Lights for Plants

There are at least four main classes of LED plant lights, today:

Mid-Power

The most popular type of LED lights use for indoor growing are what are known as mid-power LEDs. They are typically the most common due to being the most affordable, drawing the least amount of power, needing very little if any assembly, and producing more than adequate light for most plants.

High-Power

The LED light sub-group known as high-power tends to draw a large amount of power from your home’s electricity and in return produce even brighter and broader light frequencies than mid-power lights. That said, they also cost quite a bit more as well.

COB

Chio-on-Board, also known as COB, takes LED light a step further than the first few generations of LEDs. These types of lights have a chip mounted directly into a substrate such as silicon carbide to produce a powerful and diverse range of LED light arrays.

Quantum

The quantum board is a trademark of HLG. These lights are basically oversized and slightly more sophisticated versions of COB LEDs. Unless you have a great deal of area to cover or a huge budget for a small project, quantum boards aren’t a great option for the average indoor gardener.

LED Light Spectrums

There are several specific types of light that make up the full LED light spectrum including reds, blues, purples, greens, oranges, yellows, and whites. However, for the majority of indoor growers, reds and blues are the most important light spectrums to worry about.

Below, we discuss why each crucial color found in a full-spectrum light is important, and what it is that makes each one unique.

White

This color is the most common of all lights, probably because it is of course one of the original colors of light that we mastered to mimic the sun. White lights help increase the size of blooms and flowers in addition to promoting healthy growth in general.

Red

These LEDs work in tandem with blue lights to produce much larger foliage than what would naturally occur. That’s because it is a critical color frequency for driving the photosynthesis process.

Blue

Next to basic white lights, blue lights are one of the most essential colors to look for on an LED grow light. They not only speed up germination, in combination with white light, but in combination with red lights, they accelerate all aspects of growth including blooms and flowers.

Infrared

This “color” of light isn’t much of a color at all. In fact, you can’t even see it with the naked eye. Because this type of light increases the space between nodes in plants, it speeds up ripening as well as boosts overall crop sizes and yields in general.

Ultraviolet

One of the most popular types of light for growing indoors because it quickens the sprouting and growing phases. It also helps strengthen plants and increase their capabilities to receive and process high-intensity light.

How to Use LED Plant Lights for Indoor Growing

1. Know How Much Light Your Plant Species Requires

The first step in using LED lights for plants is studying/knowing that species you are growing. Each plant has its own light requirements, using LED lights doesn’t change this.

If a plant needs 8 hours of light each day, it doesn’t need 4 hours, or 10 hours, it needs only 8. Know how much light your plants need before buying and setting up lights.

2. Place the Lights at a Proper Distance Over Your Plants

As with the amount of light needed by your plants, they also have a preferred spatial distance between their tip-top leaves and the light.

Generally speaking, most plants require between 14 inches and 36 inches of space between themselves and their light source.

3. Mimic the Sun (and Natural Environment)

Growing inside is all about mimicking nature and controlling the environment as best as you can.

That means providing not only the proper number of hours of sunlight but also other factors like wind and humidity that plants encounter in their natural environments.

4. Use a Timer

Using a timer for your plant’s LED lights is one of the best moves you can make.

A timer allows you to plug them in, set them to specific off time and on time, based on their light requirements, and practically forget about them.

On a modern digital timer, you may plug in several cords and automate a large a crucial partition of your growing equipment/process.

5. Practice Caution

All things considered, using indoor grow lights, especially with other equipment like grow tents or hydroponic growing systems, can be a bit tricky.

Even more, it can be dangerous if you neglect to take it seriously and practice caution.

Always double-check that all of your equipment is in good shape and functioning as it should as often as possible to avoid unnecessary damage or crop failure.

Best 3 Standing LED Plant Lights

Feel Show Brand LED Grow Lights for Indoor Plants

The Feel Show LED grow lights have advanced features that make them ideal for your indoor plants.

The indoor plant has a 4-head full spectrum plant light, with wavelength ranging from 38onm to 780 nm, making it ideal for growing various indoor plants.

Feel Shoe full spectrum grow lights offers flexibility because of the extendable stand-stable tripod, which means you will not have to worry about hanging your LED lights anymore.

Features and benefits we like about it:

• Tripod
• 4 heads
• Wide wavelength of light

LEOTER Grow Light for Indoor Plants

LEOTER grow lights have 36 red lights (660nm), 16 blue lights (460nm), and 28 yellow lights (380-860nm), making them ideal commercial LED plant lights in a pinch. The lamp chips are scientifically designed and measured for optimal indoor plant growth.

The other unique features in LEOTER grow lights that make them high-quality LED lights for plants are 10 dimmable modes, an upgraded auto on/off timer, and a USB connector that offers great convenience.

The scientific heat design allows LEOTER grow lights to dissipate heat generated to the atmosphere efficiently.

Features and benefits we like about it:

• Stronger light frequencies than others
• 4 head design
• Sturdy/stable base

LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants

These LED grow lights are the Best LED plant light because the 44 high-power LEDs provide the sort of light that matches natural sunlight.

This particular LED grow light is a good choice for all your growing needs at different growth stages because of the three color modes (purple, warm white, and pink light) and 10-level brightness.

You can adjust the light intensity and brightness level to suit your plant growth needs. LED grow lights are also fitted with a strong clamp and sturdy gooseneck.

Features and benefits we like about it:

• High-quality LED bulbs
• 3 color modes
• Works well for veg and blooming

Best 2 LED Strip Plant Lights

LED Plant Grow Light Strips Full Spectrum

The GHodec LED plant lights have a red, blue, and yellow LED combination which helps plants with chlorophyll synthesis, germination, photosynthesis, and flowering.

As a full spectrum grow light, it emits light ranging between 380nm and 800nm, making it ideal for aquatic plants, garden flowers, indoor plants, and vegetables.

With the dual-channel control and 10 dimmable light options, you can adjust the light to meet the plant’s needs at different growth stages.

Features and benefits we like about it:

• Far higher quality than similar products
• Diverse frequency light range
• Dual-channel dimmable controls

LED Grow Light Strips for Plants

This LIGHTIMETUNNEL LED Grow Light Strip has 3 switch modes and 5 dimmable levels, making it easier for you to adjust the brightness to suit your plant growth needs.

The 3 pieces of light bars offer a full sunlight spectrum, making your plans grow healthier and faster.

Even more, the LIGHTIMETUNNEL LED Grow Light Strips have an automatic on/off function, eliminating manual operation every day. The other reason to consider these LED lights for plants is installation ease.

Features and benefits we like about it:

• 3 piece design
• 5 levels for adjusting light
• 3 modes

Best Hanging LED Plant Lights

SF1000 Full Spectrum Indoor LED Grow Light

This SpiderFarmer LED plant light is fitted with high-yielding LEDs(Samsung LM301 diodes), like VIVOSUN LED lights for plants, which guarantee high power effectiveness and better cover light penetration.

Lower running costs and high-quality yields mean saving on power and enjoying high yields.

This SpiderFarmer LED light has a lowering handle and a light switch for adjusting the light intensity to suit your growth needs. SpiderFarmer’s LED grow lights provide full-spectrum light – blue, white, red, and IR.

Features and benefits we like about it:

• Professional quality equipment
• Top-notch SAMSUNG diodes
• Uses less power than other lights
• Made bya trusted manufacturer

Want to learn more about this product? So did we! Read our full and in-depth exclusive review of the SF1000.

FAQs About LED Plant Lights

How Close Shoud LEDs be to Plants?

The most accurate answer varies for each plant species and specific LED light. In general, most mid-power LED lights require 12 to 18 inches between themselves and plants, otherwise, they may cause tip burn on leaves.

How Well Do LEDs Work for Growing Plants?

LEDs are among the most preferred lights for indoor gardens. They work well for all stages of plant life, from germination all the way up to flowering and ripening. LED light is also cheaper than older and more powerful lights that require more electricity.

What colors are the most important for indoor lights?

Red, blue, and white and the most important three colors for LED plant lights. White light mimics the natural light, while reds and blues speed up germination and basic growth as well as increase productivity and overall yields.

A Final Word About LED Plant Lights

In today’s robust indoor gardening scene, LED plant lights are practically a must-have item. Sure, you may opt for halogens or fluorescents, to save a bit of money, or splurge for expensive and power-eating HID lights, but none are as cost-effective as the average LEDs.

Further, few products provide the quality of full-spectrum light that LEDs do, including warm whites, reds, blues, UV, and IR.

That’s why we’ve put together several guides on LEDs, including how to hang them, and reviews of our favorite ones.

What type of LED plant lights do you use, and what do you use them for? Do you have any hands-on experience with any of the lights we mentioned in particular? At any rate, we’d love to hear from you in the comments section below!

Suggested Reading: How to Set Up an Indoor Grow Kit