LED grow lights have become a go-to choice for many growers, and for good reason. With plants basking directly under the light source, LED setups offer several advantages:
1. Uniform Light Distribution: Say goodbye to hot or cold spots; LED lights ensure consistent light distribution across your plants.
2. Even Canopy: No more worrying about taller plants overshadowing smaller ones. LED lighting promotes an even canopy growth.
3. Focused Light: Unlike traditional lights, LED beams directly down, minimizing light loss to walls and ensuring efficient energy use.
However, when using bar LED grow lights, it's essential to consider their size, as they can occupy the entire footprint of your grow tent, so before purchasing make sure you are going to have enough room for your extraction above this or can you have it outside the tent so measure up first. Additionally, with modern LED bars emitting up to 3.0μmol+, it's crucial to take steps to prevent plant stress and optimize growth.
Here are some simple strategies to make your transition to LED lighting easier while ensuring your plants thrive:
1. Dim Your LED Grow Lights: Dimming reduces light intensity without altering the spectrum, ideal for young plants. Look for fixtures with built-in dimming functions or connect to a grow light controller for automated dimming based on temperature fluctuations. This is essential during the vegetive period. We recommend starting at just 25% of full power as its just not needed to go higher early on, depending on the strength/wattage of the fixture of course.
2. Supplement CO2: To counterbalance excessive light exposure, consider adding CO2 to boost photosynthesis and prevent stress. CO2 supplementation can increase yields significantly, particularly during flowering & also take the stress from your plant while under intense lighting conditions. For smaller spaces, CO2 bags like Exhale or Gemini provide a hassle-free solution, slowly releasing CO2 over time. For larger areas or tighter control, bottled CO2 gas offers greater flexibility, ensuring optimal CO2 levels for enhanced plant growth.
3. Controlled Environment: Invest in a reliable grow light controller to manage multiple fixtures effortlessly. These controllers offer features like sunrise and sunset modes, Automatic gradual temperature adjustments, and precise dimming capabilities.
4. Nutrition: Not a widely known concept at this moment but think about your food when watering your plants, you have used the same method all the way using HPS lighting so why would you not change the way you are using nutrients when changing your type of light? When growing under LEDS we have found that most plants require more micro and macro nutrients so you may notice you're using higher EC levels than what you are used to, a little tip; always use a Calmag supplement when growing under LEDS it makes the world of difference! Alternatively, there are LED-specific foods available such as Hydroponic Research’s Veg and Bloom VBX, which is the first ever two-in-one soluble plant food and probiotics. Developed to work best in the LED spectrum and combining the growing power of multiple products into one bottle, the extra Ca and Mg will push your potency per pound like no other nutrient out there.
By implementing these strategies, you can harness the full potential of LED lighting & ensure the transition runs smoothly while ensuring your plants thrive in a controlled and optimized environment, giving bigger and better-quality yields.
Upgrading Your Grow Room with LED Lighting (The Takeover)
