Why LED Plant Grow Lights will replace the traditional light

 

Running Costs The main benefit of using L.E.D grow lights is the lower running costs. The better ones on the market use upto 90% less electricity than comparable Sodium/HID bulbs. L.E.D grow lights can be used as either a primary light source or a supplemental light and they will pay for themselves in around 6 months of heavy use. The expected life of a LED grow lamp is on average 100,000 hours. This is 10 to 50 times longer than a typical Sodium/HID grow light bulb.

Purchase Costs Although initial purchase costs may be higher than comparable Sodium bulbs, the real costs are often lower because you dont need a ballast. Unlike fluorescent tubes and metallic vapor lamps that need a ballast to operate, LED grow lamps don't need a ballast. This eliminates a recurring cost from your grow room set-up. You also dont have the extra costs of purchasing a reflector as LEDs have the reflectors built right into themselves.

Grow Season Since the Chlorophyll does not have to battle with unwanted light-waves, LED's can also be left on 24 hours a day without stressing your plants out. You can also use LED grow lamps to simply extend the day period of your light cycle by 4/6 hours during the Winter months. This extends your grow season to 365 days per year.

Benefits To The Environment Switching to low energy, solid state lighting benefits the environment. The low power requirements of LED light sources make them ideal for self-contained, solar or wind powered installations, particularly in remote locations. LEDs consume far less energy than standard light bulbs, leading to greatly reduced energy costs. LEDs also require far less energy to manufacture than other light sources, reducing their environmental impact even further. Metallic vapor and fluorescent lamps all contain mercury, a heavy metal identified by the U.S. Government as hazardous to the environment and our landfills. LED Grow Lights contain no mercury.

Targeted Light Output Broad spectrum grow lights produce a lot of lightwaves that plants can't use efficiently. LED Grow Lights only deliver the colours of light used by plants for efficient and healthy growth.

Minimum Heat LED grow lights are warm to touch and won't scorch young or tender plants as HID lighting can. The high heat generated by a typical metal halide or high pressure sodium lamp can reach several hundred degrees to over 14 hundred degrees Fahrenheit at the bulb's surface. This excess radiated heat output adds to the grow room temprature greatly. Most LED grow lights operate at just a few degrees above room temperature, thus reducing your grow room cooling costs.

Watering You wont need to water as often if you use LEDs as your plants will transpire less. If for some reason, you need to leave your grow room unattended for a few days your plants will have a better chance of surviving if the grow lights are not producing lots of heat that dry's them out.

Humidity LED grow lights are ideal for plants like Salvia Divinorum and Ferns that have high humidity requirements. Cuttings will also root easily as they dont suffer as much from the stress of water loss while new roots are forming.