Getting best LED grow lights for your indoor garden can be a bit intimidating as you have a lot of technical information to digest. You might rather just let your plants outside in the sun instead of reading up on wavelengths, light colors, and temperatures. Do not fret as we are going to provide you the beginner’s guide on what to look for in LED grow lights.
Frankly, the answer to the question “What to look for in LED grow lights?” is—a lot, but in this article, we are going to enumerate the main 6 things that you should know about the LED grow lights.

1. The plant you are growing
In order to get the grow lights of your dreams, you must first decide on the type of plant that you are planning to grow. There are lot of products in the market which you can buy and many of these are very useful, for example a full cycle led grow light will assist your little seedling to blossom into a beautiful flower and finally transform it into a full grown plant. But the light or the output of the led grow lights for indoor plants varies and so does the requirement in each plant. 

2. The Space
Another thing that you must bring into consideration when looking for LED grow lights is the space you need to cover. Indoor planting can vary in terms of area and you have to choose the LED grow lights likewise. For example, if you choose a light which transmits less power in comparison to a larger area then chances are that the plants may not grow properly and vice a versa.

3. Light Spectrum, PAR and PPFD
PPF (Photosynthetic Photon Flux) is the key measure for grow lights as they measure the total amount of PAR (Photosynthetic Active Radiation) that is produced by a lighting system each second. 

PAR light is the wavelengths of light within the visible range of 400 to 700 nanometers (nm) which drive photosynthesis. This is essentially the spectrum of light your plants actually use and need. Beware that if the LED light you are considering makes no mention of these anywhere then dig in a bit to understand whether their wattage actually caters to the spectrum your plants need.

A lot of lights claim to be full spectrum, however, as we mentioned above, plants need a certain wavelength and this is critical for their growth and during vegetative and flowering stages. Make sure you find out what the PAR is for light you are evaluating and what the density of that PAR based on PPF values.

4. Wattage and Efficiency
A key aspect of LED lights is their efficiency as compared to other lights. As your lights will be on for atleast 8 to 12 hours and in some phases most of the day, you need to ensure that your light is efficient. 

Higher wattage lights tend to cost more initially but work out more cost effective in the long run as they are far more efficient. Higher wattage generally means that your light does is powerful enough to give the adequate intensity and wavelength to your plant by using less energy. That automatically leads to lower energy costs.

However, read enough reviews about the light your are considering to get an idea of what other users may have experienced.

5. Low Heat Output
This is one of the most important things when choosing LED lights, as it contributes to two main factors – plant protection and durability.

The lights are in constant proximity to the plants and having low heat output than HPS grow lights and guarantees that there won't be any damage but also enables for a smaller distance between the lamp and the plant.

Also, a light with higher heat output would burn out more quickly and will need to be replaced sooner. Well balanced low heat output LED lamps let off less energy as heat and have aluminum heat sinks attached.

6. Quality Semiconductor Chip
The semiconductor chip is the LED light`s core and serves the purpose of converting electricity to light, but also has a part in determining the wavelength. It is advisable that you look for a light that has a chip of at least 3 watts, otherwise it won't be able to provide sufficient illumination.