Helping your houseplants survive winter can feel like an exercise in futility. The days are short, sunshine is sparse and before long, you may notice your plants looking a little pale, leggy and leafless. But don't give up on having a green thumb just yet! Grow lights, which mimic the full spectrum of light available outdoors, are the answer.

Most grow lights available now are LEDs, which are super-efficient, generate less heat and last far longer than old-school incandescent or fluorescent lights. Some lights have timers, which is handy if you don't want to remember to turn them on and off every day. That's important because plants do need darkness as part of their normal growing cycle. Many lights are stand-alone, while others must be mounted on the ceiling or a shelving unit. Also, be aware that grow lights are super-bright, so you won't be able to use them in a bedroom (unless you're an eye mask devotee and are totally unbothered by brightness akin to an alien spaceship landing as you try to fall asleep).

Another Reason To Invest In A Grow Light?

If you want to start seedlings, such as annuals and perennials, or edibles to plant in your garden this spring. While a sunny south-facing window might work in a pinch, most vegetables and flowers seedlings require 14 to 18 hours of light per day to thrive. When they don't get enough light, they eventually become weak and spindly. A grow light can give your babies a strong start in life so they'll survive transplanting into your garden later.

What are some good features to look for in LED grow lights?
If buying full spectrum LEDs, get one with adjustable output spectrum settings.

If you are opting for high powered LEDs, always make sure that they have proper cooling systems (heat sink & fans on the circuit board).

Again for higher power systems, ensure that the circuit board is MCPCB (metal core printed circuit board).

Look for LED fixtures that have a constant current driver circuit to ensure a proper supply of direct current at all times.

ECO Farm 240W LM301B Classic Quantum Board

Features:
This ECO Farm LED grow light has high Energy Efficiency with 2.7 umol/J, only consume 240w. Veg footprint is 3 x 4 ft, Flower is 2 x 4 ft. It is equipped with Samsung LM301B Diodes - the highest light output LED available at present, create the better canopy light penetration, get 40% higher yields with less energy compared with other red blue lights. No Fan ZERO Noise, large areas of solid aluminium heat sink, high safety performance with MEAN WELL Driver. 50% longer lifespan compare with other brand lights. Allowing you to grow with confidence. 4000K, provide everything plants desired in the natural sunlight, turn your seeds into your own supply, produce beautiful high yielding plants. Easy to see the true color of your plants.

HLG-300 V2 Quantum Board LED Grow Light

Features:
The HLG LED grow light draws only 275 watts at the wall and covers up to 3' x 3' area. Great coverage for very low energy use! Each lamp uses two custom-designed high-efficiency white light 4000k quantum boards. The 576 Top-Bin Samsung LM301B LED arrays are mounted on clear anodized aluminum and are dimmable from 90–270W via a top-mounted Mean Well driver. The light has 2 circuit boards, each containing 288 (576 total) Samsung LM301B diodes. Samsung is known to produce top-shelf LED quality, so you won't have to worry if you decide to go with this quantum board grow light. The boards are placed on a larger aluminum panel with a dimmable Meanwell driver on the opposite side.
Factors to consider before buying a grow light

How much does a grow light cost?

The first thing to consider before buying a grow light is how much money you want to spend. With more states coming online with adult-use legalization, home growing is becoming more popular and growing technology is getting better and more efficient all the time.

You can find lights for under $100, but they may be low quality and not produce the right spectrum of light, and you can also easily spend as much as $2,000 for a large, state-of-the-art LED.

Consider how often you'll be growing weed and how long it will take to pay off the initial investment - if you grow once a year, it'll take a lot longer to pay off an expensive light than if you grow multiple harvests a year.

Aside from the price of the actual light, also take into account utilities - all lights will add to your electricity bill every month, but some more than others. High-intensity discharge lights - known as "HIDs" - may be cheaper to buy but can gobble up electricity, whereas LEDs are more efficient and kinder on your electricity bill but usually more expensive to buy.

Another consideration with the cost is that some lights run hotter than others - HIDs, for example - so they may require additional fans or an AC unit to cool down a grow space. Extra equipment means more electricity, also driving up your utility bill.

How many grow lights do I need to grow weed?

The typical home grower will only need one or two lights. Most states limit grow amounts to 6 or 12 plants, and one or two lights should be plenty for that. If you plan on running two separate rooms, one for vegetative plants and one for flowering plants, you'll need two lights.

How big a light you need will depend on the number of plants you plan on growing, but also on the size of your space. If you're growing in a closet or a small grow tent, you'll only be able to fit one small light in there. If you have a wide-open basement, you could invest in a bigger light as opposed to two smaller ones.

Power equals poundage, so if you want big yields you'll need more wattage. Professional LEDs can start at as little as 200 watts, and go up from there. A high-watt light can double the work of several low-watt bulbs.

Other considerations when choosing cannabis grow light

Ventilation
Ventilation is also a concern. If you're growing in a tight space with a light that runs hot, you'll need to have fans in there, which also take up space. If there's not enough room for a light and a fan, you may need to invest in a light that doesn't run as hot, such as an LED. For example, grow tents are usually built tall to allow room for equipment up top, not to grow plants all the way to the ceiling.

Plant stage
Young and mature plants, or vegetative and flowering plants, respectively, like different types of light, and you can buy grow lights that target each spectrum. Commonly, growers using HIDs will use MH bulbs for vegetative plants and HPS bulbs for flowering. Some LEDs are also designed to target different light spectra.

Safety
Make sure you have enough outlets and power available in your breaker board for your grow space to comfortably accommodate all equipment. Figure out all pieces of equipment, such as lights, fans, possibly an AC or dehumidifier, and calculate how much power they'll require. You'll be running this equipment every day for months, so if you don't have enough power it can be dangerous. Never overload an electrical outlet.

Conclusion
Growing your horticultural plant using LED lighting can be an enjoyable journey and experience. You have the right to choose between multiple lights or a single higher watt grow light option. This article reviews the best-led light to help you make the right growing environment decision for your horticultural business.

Whether you are a beginner or veteran gardener, these recommendations will guarantee you save much of your time researching. It is advisable to invest in multiple LED grow lights as they allow more flexibility, optimal harvest, and power-saving advantage. Another great benefit of multiple lights is that you can always turn off some lights to reduce the growing area.