LEDs are not only capable of growing all types of plants, they are one of the best options if you are looking for a light with high output and low operating costs. LEDs have developed in recent years to match and outperform traditional HID grow lights while being more efficient and using less electricity to operate.
Can Any LED Be Used As A Grow Light?
Not all LED lights are suitable for growing. Plants require a very high light intensity and grow best using a full-spectrum light, which is crucial to know when choosing your LED light.
Plants evolved to use natural sunlight, which emits every color on the spectrum. Therefore, you would want an LED that produces full-spectrum light to replicate sunlight and optimize plant growth. This is important because for photosynthesis, plants use all wavelengths (colors) of light, and each wavelength is responsible for a different aspect of the plant’s growth. For example, green light drives photosynthesis, while red light stretches plants and blue light adds stockiness. Plants need a combination of all of these color spectrums for well-rounded growth, which is why a full-spectrum LED light is recommended for growing.
Other than their full-color spectrum, LED grow lights differ from regular LED lights because of their extremely high light output. It is important to note the light output of normal lights is evaluated differently than grow lights–– regular lights focus on lumens, while grow lights focus on PAR. Lumens do not reflect the light output that plants need, only the brightness to the human eye so they should be ignored when talking about growing. A regular LED bulb’s PAR is so incredibly low that it can only successfully grow plants with the lowest light requirements–– referring to plants you can grow solely with natural sunlight coming through a window. Therefore, if you are planning an indoor grow with anything more than smaller herbs, you would need to invest in a grow-specific LED light that has a much higher light output than LED lights do. Shop LED Grow Lights here.
