Are you looking for the best light for vegetative growth? We’ve got a pretty good list that can help you make your pick. Check out some of our main choices.
Best Light For Vegetative Growth | Pad Outdoor
When it comes to growing plants and vegetables, lighting is extremely important. Some of the important questions to ask include,
“What is the best light for vegetative growth?” or probably,
“What color light is best for vegetative growth?”
In this guide, we will explain which types are the best for growing veggies and also feature our top products. That way, you’ll know what type of light for vegetable growing you can use.
Let’s get started then!
Our Top Pick for the Best Light For Vegetative Growth
Before we do anything, we’d first like to showcase our top pick. If you’re looking for the best light for vegetable plants off the bat, then we’d say this is the one to choose.
Take a look!
Our top pick is the MARS HYDRO TS LED Grow Light. This is the product that gives you the most bang for the buck because it is strong, robust, and durable. At the same time, it can prevent overheating and can emulate sunlight.
Of course, this product isn’t the only one on this list. It’s our top pick, but if you feel like it’s not for you, you can check out our other four products later.
Before we go to the reviews for the best bulb for vegetative growth, we’d first like to help you narrow down your choices.
Obviously, you will only be picking out one of these amazing products. It may not necessarily be our top pick since the top pick may not be for everyone. That’s why we made a buying guide that will help you pick the product specific to YOUR OWN NEEDS.
You can do this by checking out the factors below:
Number Of Leds
The first thing you’ll want to look at is obviously the number of LEDs that the light has. In general, more LEDs will mean more strength. So, if you have a big indoor garden, then you must make sure that your light has a whole set of LEDs enough for adequate coverage.
For the medium to rather big sized indoor gardens, we’d probably recommend something like 200 to 300 LEDs. This will really give off great coverage and allow you to give enough lighting for your plants to grow.
Light Color
Next, let’s talk about the color. When it comes to vegetative growth, we want to get the light with the color that resembles actual sunlight. With that in mind, different colors will cater to different stages of a plant’s growth.
For instance, a blue and white LED light emission is more for young plant growth while the red and white LED emission is more focused on blooming of flowers and veggies. These are the colors that are considered the best lighting for vegetative stage. Most of the lights offer both wherein you can switch the color whenever you want.
There are also lights that pretty much combine everything under one package. They come with very strong white or yellow lights that are bright enough to almost emulate sunlight. This one can be used for plant growth and blooming. But if you want to focus on a particular stage (this is especially important for sensitive flowers), then you might want the lights with a red/blue/white color combination. If not, then the strong white or yellow lights will do.
Installation
Another thing to take note of is the installation. When you install these really heavy lights, you need to make sure that the chains or cords that hold them are steady. Luckily, daisy chains that usually come with these lights are really strong. Therefore, you can pretty much hang them without much issue. But you must also take note of how much you can adjust these chains. If you want to adjust the height a bit, then you’ll need adjustable chains so that you can choose the exact distance of the growth light to the plants and vegetables.
Wattage
Next, let’s talk about the wattage. Wattage actually refers to how much energy is used in order to power up the light. We actually want to have a lower wattage because a lower wattage signifies lower energy usage for strong lights which means more savings in your energy bill.
We’d say that a good wattage is around 1000w for the entire lighting system. But of course, this depends on how much power you want for your lighting. Sometimes, higher wattage actually means higher power level. The key here is to get a low wattage but high power.
Cooling Device
Do take note that these kinds of lights will be using a lot of energy. That’s why most of them heat up pretty easily if they do not have the right kind of cooling device attached to them. At the very least, they should have a cooling fan that can prevent overheating.
However, you can go the extra mile and look for lights that have a heatsink. These heatsinks work together with the cooling fans to further ensure that the lights do not overheat. Also, you may want to make sure that there are at least 2 cooling fans in your lights to ensure total overheat protection.
Material
Material is very important to take note of because the material determines the durability of your light. You can find lights that have stainless steel covers. These are pretty good as they are waterproof and generally impact proof.
But if you want something that’s multi-purpose, we highly suggest aluminum material. Not only is this type of material durable but it is also heat proof. This means that it can help in making sure that your light does not overheat. That’s why most heatsinks are actually made out of aluminum.
Warranty
Take a look at the warranty of the product. Most of these products give you a warranty of 1 year, which is enough for you to test the product. There are also some products that offer a 6-month warranty. Of course, the longer the warranty, the better. But a 6-month warranty is good enough. That can be considered as your minimum standard. If you can find a product with a longer warranty, then that’s even better.
Price And Brand
Lastly, take note of the price and brand. When it comes to buying these kinds of products, we want to make sure that we buy quality products at the most affordable prices. That’s why we made sure that the products we chose were somewhere near or even lower than the standard prices.
We also made sure that we picked products that are from rather good brands so that we can be sure of the quality. You don’t really need to worry about the price and brand. However, you may use the standard prices that we use as your benchmark. Also, you can check out the other product models that come from the brands that we showcase.
When it comes to versatility, then this light is the best one to have. It comes with a sunlight full spectrum light that is pretty much close to actual sunlight. If you want your plants to experience no-holds-barred sunlight, then this is the best product to have.
That’s why we pegged it as our top pick. It has the highest lumen count and the most power you can find on this list. It is definitely a must have for gardeners who do not have time to change the settings of their lights every time.
Pros
3000K to 5000K color temperature
Light color and temperature that is close to actual sunlight
Has a total of 225 LED lights
Only makes use of 100 watts of each LED light which is less than what most lights consume
Has a reflective heat sink that can prevent overheating
Cons
Tends to be a bit too strong for some sensitive plants
There are two things that we really love about this product. First is the coverage. The coverage is 4×4 feet which is more than what a lot of LED lights have to offer. Another thing that’s great about this LED light is that it has a very long warranty. To be specific, it has a 4-year warranty which shows you how confident they are in the product.
If there are any problems within the four years, the company is willing to address them. Other cool features include a 15w Triple Chip LED technology for each LED light and a total wattage of 1200W. These two features are able to boast the overall efficiency and great performance of the product.
Pros
Very long product warranty
Has a wattage of only 1200W which is the standard
15W LED Triple Chip design
Has two modes– one for flowering and vegetation
Strong daisy chain
Total coverage of 4×4 feet
Cons
The intensity needed for flowering may not be enough for strong flowers
If your plants are on the sensitive side and need to be exposed to specific types of light, then this is the one that you should buy. There is a double switch feature that allows you to switch from vegetation mode to flowering mode. The vegetation switch will turn the light Blue and White. This is to help young plants grow strong.
On the other hand, the bloom switch will turn the lights Red and White which is ideal for blooming and flowering. If this is the type of feature that you happen to be looking for, then this is one of the most preferred product models to buy.
Pros
Easy to use double switch for vegetation mode and blooming mode
Comes with a strong and adjustable daisy chain for sturdy installation
Has a wattage of 1200W
Comes with a pretty good cooling system that makes use of an aluminum heat sink
Has high speed cooling fans
Cons
Not that strong in terms of light strength and lumens
If you’re looking for something that’s easy to carry around, then this is the product that you should get. It is lightweight and easy to carry as compared to a lot of other similar products. To be a little more specific, it is just 1.8 pounds.
But even if it is lightweight, it is still very sturdy which means that it won’t break down that easily. It is extremely easy to bring around from various greenhouses.
Pros
Comes with a full spectrum of light
Very lightweight compared to most other similar products
Comes with 1 to 3 dividers
Has a 1-year warranty
Comes with a good heat dissipation design
Cons
The light is not too strong
5. VanecctMosuny Dimmable LED Grow Light
VanecctMosuny Dimmable LED Grow Light. Via: Amazon.com
For those who want to save energy in their electricity bill, this one is a great choice. You can save up to 50% of your electricity bill compared to many of the other similar products in the market. At the same time, you’ll find that this light has an advanced dimming design which further helps with the energy saving feature.
Pros
Very high energy efficiency compared to many other products
Able to save 50% more energy than other products
Very efficient dimming feature
Very quiet operation
Has a 5mm aluminum board that is thick and strong
Cons
Light strength is not that high
Not very durable
Our Top Pick!
Our top pick is the MARS HYDRO TS LED Grow Light. This is the product that gives you the most bang for the buck because it is strong, robust, and durable. At the same time, it can prevent overheating and can emulate sunlight.
If you are asking the big question, “what kind of light is best for vegetative growth?” then these choices are the best that you can choose from. Along with the buying guide that we’ve constructed above, you now have a clear-cut guide on how to choose the best light for vegetative growth that you can have for your garden.
Do you think that this guide was able to help you? If you did, share it with your friends! They’ll most likely also benefit from it.
