It is absolutely important to consider the factor of light when growing your plants.
Whether they are indoors or outdoors, light is a crucial element in the growth of plants.
However, you must be careful to ensure that your plants are getting the correct type of light in the required amounts by getting the best led grow lights.
The downside of your plant having the wrong type of light or light in insufficient amounts is stunted growth.
Get also to learn more aspects of hydroponics agriculture apart from lighting.
Best types of hydroponics lights
There are various grow lights for indoor plants in the market.
Each system has a negative as well as a positive side that you may need to look into before you purchase it.
Ensure that you inspect the system thoroughly in order to give your plants the best. There are different types of lighting used.
Below we have listed top of the range and best grow lights:
| Image | Item | Description | Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | LED Grow Light Full Spectrum ETL Certification Lighting for Hydroponic Indoor Greenhouse | Plug with VDE and UL Certification Wires, Heatproof Tube, NO risk to catch fire. Coverage: 2×2ft(Veg); 1.5×1.5ft(Bloom), Power draw: 110v: 135watt±10% 220v: 129watt±10% | 4.6 | View on amazon |
 | LED Grow Light Full Spectrum 600W For Hydroponics Vegetables and Flowering Plants | Grow Light LED Plant Growing Light LED Grow Light Full Spectrum 600W Red+Blue+UV+IR EU Plug For Hydroponics Vegetables and Flowering Plants | 4.5 | Buy Now |
 | LED Plant Grow Light 300W Full Spectrum Lamp with Anti-Fire Casing for Greenhouse Hydroponic Plant Growth | Lightimetunnel full spectrum light (630-650nm) and blue light (450nm-460nm). For indoor grow lights have top quality 96pcs 3w double chips to ensure high luminous efficiency & light penetration. Adopted anti-fire. | 4.6 | View on amazon |
 | Grow Light Series,45W LED Plant Grow Light with Red Blue Spectrum for Growing & Flowering | Roleadro Panel Newest Panel light series. Designed with 117pcs red leds (660nm wavelength)+52pcs blue leds(450nm wavelength). Professional spectrum ratio: red:blue=2.25:1. Rapidly improve the health of plant. Actual power:25.2W | 4.6 | View on amazon |
 | 600W 12-band LED Grow Light – 3-Switches Full Spectrum for Indoor Plants Veg and Flower | VIPARSPECTRA PAR600 LED Grow Light. Optimal full spectrum providing plants Veg and Flower all stages. Perfect for a 3×3’ growing area at 24” height. Upgraded 3.2” front-fans. | 4.6 | View on amazon |
Reviews of other top hydro grow lights include:
- LED grow light (light emitting diodes)
- 【Optimal Spectrum】The secret to VIPARSPECTRA’s success is optimal full...
- 【VEG & BLOOM Switches】 The V600 light comes with VEG and BLOOM...
- 【Daisy Chain Function】Daisy Chain feature assists growers to connect...
These are the new technology on the market. They are energy savers and will, therefore, cost you much less on the electricity bill.
This lighting lasts much longer than the other lighting systems. It can do up to 50,000hours.
It is even more likely that the power supply will go out before the lighting LED lighting can also produce a certain spectrum of light that is perfect for photosynthesis to take place.
These lights also produce much less heat. This is effective because the load on the cooling system is let down.
However, the LED lighting system is much more expensive especially when it comes to installing it.
Get top quality hydroponics lights at Bonanza.
- Incandescent lamps
- Medium Base (Standard Household Size), 250 Watts, 130 Volts, Red Heat Lamp
- 6,000 Hour Rated Incandescent Floodlight Bulb
- Lasts up to 10 Times Longer Than Standard Heat Lamp Light Bulbs
These are the usual household bulbs that are used to light up the homes. They are quite inefficient and the light that they produce is not the best for growing plants.
To add to that, the heat in which they produce is high and this will lead to the availability of a cooling system. This means that the electricity cost has been increased gradually.
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- HID Lamps (high-intensity discharge)
These are among the best selection for growers. They were originally used in warehouses, parking areas and streets due to their high light output.
This factor is what has made them the best choice even for the growers. The light produced is about four to eight times more efficient than the incandescent lamps.
The HID lamps lighting have a particular bulb as well as electronic ballast. The ballast starts and also maintains the arc through the bulb and, therefore, ensures the lamp stays on at a regulated voltage.
These ballasts are quiet and are cost effective when it comes to saving money used on electricity bills.
On the other hand, these lights produce a high amount of heat and extra ventilation will be a crucial necessity.
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- Fluorescent lamps
- 95% highly reflective aluminum reflector for maximum light output
- 8 x 6400K lamps included
- 8 ft. 120-Volt power cord that plugs into a standard outlet
These lamps are about three to seven times more efficient as compared to the incandescent lamps. They produce a lot of lights but use much less electricity.
The fluorescent lamps can be found in a variety of spectrums. The bulbs in the 6500k tend to be the best when it comes to growing plants.
However, when it comes to larger plants, this light is not the best because it does not have the capability to penetrate the plant as deeply as high-intensity discharge lamps.
But, you can still use the fluorescent bulbs to grow large plants provided that you have lights above as well as on the sides.
The Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) were created as an alternative to the incandescent bulbs.
The CFL have a much longer lifespan and use less power than the incandescent bulb.
They are efficient for small growers who are on a budget because there is no need for ballast or any fancy wiring required. It is also important that you use a lamp reflector to direct the light.
This is because the CFL’s produce lights in all directions and this could mean that you could be wasting light by not using one.
When dealing with seedlings, it is quite evident from the information above is that the seedlings will do best when grown using the fluorescent bulb lighting system.
It provides the best spectrum for the seedlings. The seedling grow lights are essential to start off the seedling well in order to have healthy and fruitful plants.
The HID lighting is quite strong and the plant should then be maintained at about 50cm away from the bulb.
When it comes to the Compact Fluorescent Lamps, 15cm is the distance needed between the seedling and the light. But when using the original fluorescent bulb, just a few centimeters is all they need.
This means that seedlings can be grown in the mentioned lighting but what matters is how well the distance between them can be maintained.
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Some of the best LED grow lights used on plants:
When it comes to using LED lights for hydroponics plant growth, there are a large number of these LED grow lights that are used.
It is therefore very essential for you to know which light you require to do a specific job.
1.California Light Works
The California Light Works is a solar storm grow light of 880w. It is among the strongest lights available.
In addition, these lights give you the power to control what light spectrum you can achieve ranging from flower to vegetative.
The switch is also inclusive of a UVB switch where you can increase the light for the plants at the end at their growing phase.
This system has hanging ratchets to give you a simpler DIY solution for hanging up the lights.
Check out the best price here.
2. G8led Grow Light
- Expert Guide Top LED. Wiki Top Ten #1 LED Grow Light. Best LED Grow Light winner...
- Grow light for indoor plants. Reduce electricity, Reduce heat & Increase growth.
- Increase yield and improved PPFD PAR Values - 1360μMol/m2/s at 18",...
The G8led Grow Light Bars Light Strip that produces light of 10w. This light strip has the ability to provide the plants with full spectrum led grow lights in a package that is relatively small, versatile and also flexible.
These lights have the advanced LED dual band lights that are like the LED lights but are easier to make your own design.
You can make them as the size of your choice or even supplemental lighting system. However, this lighting system neither has a waterproof cover nor a power supply of its own.
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3. TaoTronics LED Grow Light
No products found.
The TaoTronics LED plant grow light is most suitable for a smaller garden and ensures that light is available in an ideal spectrum for the flowers as well as the vegetables in the garden.
It is not a very expensive lighting system that can fit in the standard 12W socket. It is best when used for growing seedlings.
On the other hand, this lighting system is not suited for you if you have a big garden.
It is not the easiest task to get the best grow light for your plants, but it is not too difficult either.
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Vital factors of light in hydroponics
Back to our main topic today. There are various factors that you must take into consideration as a farmer trying to grow you plants indoors but still in the presence of good lighting:
i. The intensity of the light is vital because seedlings require bright light in high amounts.
Without it, the plants tend to grow long and bare. You have the ability to control the intensity of the light in two main ways.
This includes the watts of the bulb in use as well as the distance between the plant and the source of light.
ii. The duration of the light that the seedling takes in should also be taken into close considerations. Majority of the vegetables need lighting for about 14 to 18 hours each day.
There should also be a rest period of about 8 hours each day to make sure the plant is healthy.
You can invest in an automatic timer that will make it easier to control the hours the plants have with and without light.
iii. The color of the light matters as it will influence the plants well being.
For instance, natural light is the best for seedlings that are just beginning their growth. As for light bulbs that have full spectrum give you the chance to get much closer.
The best is the full-spectrum fluorescent bulb that can imitate an average of 94% of the solar spectrum.
What to consider when buying grow lights
There are quite a variety of fluorescent grow lights out there in the market and you need to select the most appropriate one.
They range from 3000k to 65000k and come in different brands as well as multiple types of bases. The base types include the medium bi- pin as well as the miniature.
There are also several wattages and lengths. The fluorescent bulb has a great T5 collection for the different indoor garden grower.
It does not matter if you are doing it as a profession or as a hobby, you can find anything you may be looking for.
- T5 grow lights
- 3"H x 13.5"W x 23"L
- Includes 8' grounded power cord
- Includes 4 6400K T5 Tubes
The T5 collection is quiet, energy saving and powerful when compared to the usual fluorescent bulbs. The T5 grow lights are used in varying stages of the plants growth.
They range from the starting lights and the cloning lights to the vegetative growth lights and then to the finishing UV lights that can be customized in order to fit your needs.
Other lights include Bloom 3000k, Balanced 5400k, grow stage 6500k and also the 10,000k.
There is also a special UV-A plus lamp that is good for plants in their final flowering applications.
The high-pressure sodium grow light system has exclusive HPS ballast, a super efficient reflector hood, as well as the high performance, grow light lamp.
The ballast has an inventive design that separates the ballast ore from the capacitor as well as the igniter in order to ensure that the lamp offers great performance as well as has a long life.
The ballast for this high-pressure sodium grows light has a retractable handle that has a large keyhole that makes it much easier for you to hang it up.
As a measure to ensure that there is enough electrical safety as well as silence during operations, the lighting ballast has huge-sized feet that are made of rubber.
All the chords that are used as outputs to the lamp are made of the best quality that are of an industrial grade. These chords are usually more expensive as compared to other chords.
As time goes by, other reflectors can be used on the universal socket set along with air-cooled reflectors and also hoods with the umbrella style.
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- Lighting Reflector Hood
The lighting reflector hood is an efficient four sided reflector made up of materials of the best quality.
This reflector can integrate a reflector bracket and a steel socket, a 5kv socket with a highly reflective aluminum reflector that has been well polished.
These features incorporated together come up with the perfect lighting system that can be used in the Horticultural lamp configuration design that gives you the ability to cover the most area with sufficient light.
It also ensures that your plants get the highest light intensity as possible.
The bulb for the high-pressure sodium grows lamp emits approximately 55,000 lumens and has a lifespan of about 24,000 hours.
It is mogul based and has a universal mounting position that makes it much easier to fit. Different grow light systems come with varying warranties.
For instance, the high pressure grows light of 400 watts has a 2 year warranty for the sodium ballast as well as a 1year warranty for the sodium lamp.
Conclusion
With the availability of all these lighting systems and the right information, your plants now stand a chance of growing to be healthy.
The systems are cost effective and are flexible enough to give you much easier time, not forgetting DIY grow light systems like the one below that uses plastic bottles.
For instance, the automatic switch that comes with the lighting system in order to ensure that it comes on or goes off at the correct times.
The type, as well as the intensity, varies a great deal and this only helps in adding more knowledge into the operating of an indoor garden lighting system, click here to learn more.
There are also numerous online advertisements and also websites that are willing to help out when you are stuck and can easily answer all frequently asked questions.
Better yet, most of the lighting equipment can be bought online with the exact specifications that you are looking for.
Last update on 2025-04-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API