What Type of Fluorescent Lights to Grow Plants
Lighting is one of the most important aspects of any hydroponics grow room. And it is often the biggest expense, because the cost of investing in a grow light organization and the heavy use of lighting, at 12 or more hours a day, every 24-hour interval. Only sorting out the dizzying array of grow lighting that's bachelor is a daunting task, specially if you're new to hydroponics.
So this article will consider two of the near popular systems available today: LED vs fluorescent grow lights. We'll begin with a short introduction to each type of grow lighting, then run through the pros and cons of each type, followed by a head-to-caput comparison of LED vs fluorescent grow lights.
What Are LED Grow Lights?
LED stands for light-emitting diode. A form of solid-state lighting, an LED uses a semiconductor scrap, known as an LED dice, that turns an electrical current into photons through a process chosen electroluminescence. An LED may be configured either every bit a single-die emitter that'southward mounted on a circuit board, or an assortment of dies mounted directly on a circuit lath, which is known as a chip-on-board (COB) module. An LED lamp is fabricated upwardly of an LED mounted to a heat sink, along with directional lenses and a power supply.
Today's LED abound lights are designed to emit wavelengths of light that produce the natural daylight spectrum, or they can be precisely adapted to put out ideal wavelengths for the varying needs of growing plants. They feature additional cooling systems to increase their efficiency.
What Are Fluorescent Abound Lights?
Fluorescent lamps convert electrical energy into light by running a current through mercury vapor to produce ultraviolet radiation, which stimulates the blanket of phosphor powder on the within of the lamp to fluoresce, thus producing visible calorie-free. The color of the low-cal is determined by the chemical composition of the phosphor.
Fluorescent grow lights come in two forms: compact fluorescent lights (CFL) and fluorescent tubes. CFL grow lights differ from regular CFLs in that they come in larger sizes, provide higher wattages, and put out a broad spectrum of low-cal.Fluorescent tube grow lights come in unlike sizes and varieties, although the T5 diameter high-output (HO) grow lights, which emit virtually twice as much lite as regular fluorescent tubes, are widely considered the all-time ones to utilize.Fluorescent grow light fixtures typically have built-in reflectors and anchor, which requite them a thin contour.
Benefits Of LED Grow Lights
Amid the many benefits of LED abound lights, the biggest ones are that they are free energy efficient and very long lasting.
Energy-efficient lighting is an obvious advantage for hydroponic gardening, and LED abound lights are famous for this. Their solid state technology has been a real revolution in lighting efficiency.
The impressively long lifespan that LED grow lights offer is also due to the fact that they are solid state, rather than having vacuum or gas components that deteriorate over fourth dimension. Features such as the built-in estrus sink, which pulls estrus away from the lamp and dissipates it into the air, besides help improve effulgence and longevity.
Lower running temperatures of LED grow lights are advantageous in hydroponics for a couple of reasons. The showtime is that lighting that gives off a lot of heat can hands create unacceptable temperatures in the confined space of a grow room, then y'all need a cooling system, which runs upward your electricity bill. The 2d reason is that a lower rut output makes information technology possible to identify lights closer to the plants. This is important for indoor growing because the further away from a light source a plant is, the less energy is available to the establish for photosynthesis.Therefore, the closer the fixtures, the amend the light efficiency.
Another advantage of LED abound lights is that you don't demand a ballast to limit the electric current, or directional lenses, which send light exactly where it's needed. Not needing these features saves space and besides allows you lot to avoid the hassle of having to figure out how to assemble your lighting organization. As well, you tin can plug virtually LED grow lights directly into your regular electrical outlets.
Recent LED technology such as COB modules provide growers with highly customizable lighting to fit different growing purposes, depending on the plants and the stage of growth, as well as white LED grow lights that mimic natural sunlight by putting out a wide, well-counterbalanced spectrum that encourages photosynthesis in plants.
And with companies manufacturing an increasing range of LED grow lighting features, the benefits of these lights are growing greater as costs are going down.
Disadvantages Of LED Grow Lights
The biggest disadvantage of LED abound lights is their initial cost, which is quite a bit college than other types of grow lights – although costs are falling and we're starting to see some less expensive brands on the market place. Of form, the high initial investment will soon pay off through the notably lower free energy costs and legendary longevity of LED grow lights. But if you don't have the budget for them to showtime with, and then none of that will thing.
The simple fact that so many LED grow lighting options are becoming available ways it tin can all exist rather overwhelming, and fifty-fifty disadvantageous. For example, you lot can find depression-wattage LED grow lights that actually put out less lite than other types of grow lights. So you really need to do your homework and pay conscientious attention to brand reputation and rail record.
Finally, there's an of import issue with LED fries to keep in mind: They're sensitive to heat. Loftier temperatures can cause them to fail. This is why it'southward and then important to buy quality LED grow low-cal fixtures that accept the rut sink and fan built in. But estrus sinks are heavy, so you need to make certain your ceiling is strong enough to support them, especially if yous're hanging high-powered LED grow lights.
Benefits Of Fluorescent Grow Lights
There are many advantages to using fluorescent grow lights, with the main ones beingness that that they offer swell energy efficiency and versatility for the coin.And while fluorescent grow lights have long been known for putting out a natural light spectrum that's perfect for encouraging vegetative growth, newer fluorescent abound lights are being produced for other stages of plant growth, every bit well.
Fluorescent grow lights are very popular because of their low cost, both in terms of the initial investment and their daily employ. In fact, they are the least expensive type of abound lighting to buy, making them particularly attractive to beginners and hobbyists who desire to effort getting into hydroponics without having to invest a lot of money. The scalability of fluorescent grow lights may also exist an of import factor for those who are planning to start out pocket-size and so aggrandize the size of their operation.
Versatility is another big reason why fluorescent grow lights are and then popular. They come in many shapes, sizes, and wattages, likewise every bit a range of wavelengths. With a low heat output, CFLs tin can be placed very close to plants, hung in various positions, and used equally supplemental lighting to ensure that all parts of the plants are getting the lite they demand. Fluorescent tube fixtures take that thin profile that's bang-up for tight spaces. And today's T5 HO fluorescent grow lights can be used for all growing phases of plants, from germination to vegetative growth, flowering, and fruit production.
Fluorescent abound lights are also bonny to many hydroponics growers because they're so like shooting fish in a barrel to use, since they don't require any special fixtures, sockets, or technical skills, and they're generally not as daunting to become a handle on equally other types of abound lighting that aren't already familiar from the everyday world.
Disadvantages Of Fluorescent Grow Lights
While CFL abound lights are excellent for stimulating found growth, they're not so groovy for the flowering phase, as the lite they put out doesn't have an intensity that mimics late-summertime sunlight.
High output T5 fluorescent grow lights, on the other hand, are better for most phases of institute growth; simply with their high intensity comes higher rut output, which means growers demand to be careful nigh placing them too close to plants too equally having to fence with the potential buildup of heat in their abound rooms.
Some other downside growers come across in fluorescent grow lights is that their usable lifespan is significantly shorter than much of the other grow calorie-free technology available today.
Additionally, fluorescent lights accept mercury in them, which is a toxic heavy metal. Therefore, they present a health risk, since mercury vapor is released when they intermission, and they also pollute the environment after disposal.
Comparing Of LED vs Fluorescent Abound Lights
Now, permit'south expect at the numbers and compare LED and fluorescent grow lights in respect to specific aspects:
Efficiency
When it comes to energy efficiency, LED grow lights crush out the best fluorescent grow lights, hands down. When comparing lighting efficiency, it's important to look at the calorie-free levels delivered to plants rather than merely the electrical watts. A 300-watt LED lamp is equal to a 600-watt T5 fluorescent grow tube in terms of micromole of photons per Joule of energy, thus saving about l per centum of the light energy required while providing the equivalent level of light.
Color temperature/light wavelength output/PAR
As for a comparing of light energies, some explanation of terms used to depict horticultural lighting is in society, as this tin be confusing if you're new to hydroponic growing.
Low-cal wavelength output refers to the colors of the spectrum that are present in the light emitted by a lamp, equally measured in nanometers. While sunlight contains the full spectrum of light energy, nosotros humans can but see office of the light free energy spectrum. Too, the pigments and photoreceptors in plants simply respond to certain wavelengths of calorie-free.
Color temperature offers a sense of the low-cal spectrum in terms of cool colors, which are in the blueish range, and warm colors, which are the reds.
PAR stands for photosynthetically agile radiations, which is the range usable lite energy that most plants absorb for photosynthesis.
Hydroponics enthusiasts tend to become caught up in the minutiae of light energy and its effects on plant growth. But basically, while fluorescent bulbs are now available that put out a variety of cool, warm, and full spectrum lighting, LED technology enables an unlimited variety of precision outputs ranging from broad-spectrum white light that'south remarkably shut to sunlight to lighting that growers tin utilise for intricately specific purposes, such as encouraging basil plants to develop a stronger flavor.
Oestrus Output Of LED vs Fluorescent Grow Lights
LED grow lighting puts off next to no heat, whereas fluorescent grow lamps run cool, yet growers practise demand to consider the heat put out past fluorescent lighting to some degree, particularly with high output T5 fluorescent lighting.
Lifetime Of LED vs Fluorescent Grow Lights
Here again, LED grow lights really outshine fluorescent grow lighting, with LEDs having a usable lifespan of near 50000 hours, every bit compared to most 8000 hours for CFL grow lights and 10000 to 20000 hours for T5 fluorescents.
Cost Of LED vs Fluorescent Abound Lights
Although their prices are coming down, LED abound lights are still significantly more expensive than fluorescent grow lights to purchase. However, LED lamps apply half the energy that fluorescents employ to put out the same amount of lite and tin last up to viii times longer. Then the overall cost of LEDs comes out lower in the long run than purchasing and running fluorescent abound lighting for hydroponic gardening.
Which Grow Lighting Should I Choose?
Then is there a clear the winner in this LED vs. fluorescent grow light comparison? Well, both types of grow lighting have their advantages, merely LEDs outperform on most metrics, and they're coming downwardly in toll. My favorite LED abound lights at present are the Viparspectra range. Bank check out my review of their entry level model here.
Ultimately, your decision will be based on the type of plants you will exist growing, the corporeality of low-cal you will demand for your grow expanse, the corporeality of electricity that your lighting arrangement will consume, and your budget for upwardly-front as well as the long-term costs of running your grow room functioning.
For hobbyists and home hydroponics growers, fluorescent lighting will proceed to exist attractive – at to the lowest degree until the price points of quality LED grow lighting come a chip further downwards – while it makes bully sense for anyone who has bigger plans for their hydroponic performance to take the hit and invest in LED abound lights at the commencement.
Source: https://smartgardenguide.com/led-vs-fluorescent-grow-lights/