Things prove better when we practically experience the entire growing cycle of cannabis plants indoors which, leads us to conclude which growing practice is preferable over the others, the same is true for the lighting expedition. I had this opportunity to test several lights during my last planting adventure with cannabis in the grow room that my company owns. I am a Plant Breeder and typically work on varietal adaptation studies. So, I was happy with the company owner\’s instructions, who wanted me to check the individual performance of more than one dozen lights that he added gradually while extending their grow room facility. I wouldn\’t twist facts like an ordinary blogger while my findings based on;
- Best Kelvin Scales
- Light Efficiency Vs Advertised Numbers
- Photon Efficacy
Since these three numbers together define how a grow light will behave during working in the grow room, I will keep myself stick to them;
Cannabis Light Spectrum Kelvin
First of all, let me a phrase what is the light spectrum and Kelvin that cannabis plants need throughout their growth. Let\’s divide the total Kelvin (1500K-8000K) into two halves. The first half comprising of 4000K to 8000K, and another half from 1500K to 4000K. The cannabis plants prefer growing during the vegetative stage taking their light share above 4000 Kelvin to 8000 Kelvin. Besides, the 4200K, 5500K, and 6400K are the preferred Kelvin for optimizing vegetative growth in cannabis. And yes, a 6400 Kelvin LED could optimize vegetative growth provided the selected LED is capable of delivering this Kelvin at this planting stage. LED grow light kelvin is a great contributor during all stages of cannabis growth.
Some researchers even believe that 6400K is best for triggering vegetative growth, while some others consider 5500K ideal to boost vegetative growth. Similarly, 2200 K to 4000K is the range that Cannabis plants happily absorb when it comes to flowering. However, 2700K is considered ideal for inducing more flowering in Cannabis plants in the grow room. It\’s not only that 2700 Kelvin that becomes responsible for flowering in cannabis, other Kelvin range like 5500 also complement cannabis to reach the buds at maturity. If you come across a cannabis field during summer, you could monitor excessive vegetative growth during this period. The days are long, and the light is pretty bright that enables Cannabis plants to reproduce excessively.
The cannabis plants start flowering in autumn when the days are short, the sun changes angle to produce longer nights. It doesn\’t mean that the sunlight in autumn is only red but, for the majority of hours, it is consistently bright and turns red only during the sunrise and sunset. I think I conveyed what I wanted to say about the required Kelvin that cannabis needs throughout its growth process. Cannabis Kelvin is not exactly as often manufacturers mention and advertise, it\’s only the plants\’ response that determines a grow light, Kelvin. Other Kelvin measurement equipment is costlier and needs certain skills to determine the right Kelvin after they run for a few hours.
Light Efficiency Vs Advertised Numbers
Its again a matter of deep interest about the PAR that light unit produce which is measured as PPF (Photosynthetic Photon Flux), whereas it more important how much is the PAR value that plants could receive instantaneously, and this measured in PPDF. The manufacturers often advertise high PAR and PPDF values when it comes to selling their products in the marketplace. Since there is no instant procedure to check both PAR and PPDF values that cannabis growers could utilize to determine the true values, the growers often fell prey to the selling tactics.
We analyzed both of these values and found that majority of units or fixtures were either halfway to the advertised values or below that. The majority of the brands that cannabis growers often utilize in the grow rooms were noted in the same range. However, a few extraordinary units tested 70% efficient than the advertised value, and these were the best units that often sell at a high price in the market. To overcome such issues and providing the cannabis growers the true values that they need for their plants, one of the Chinese companies took the initiative recently, and their smart light could let the growers know about the power consumption, PAR, PPDF, and Kelvin scales. I don\’t want to mention the company name and brand since they are yet, struggling with a few issues and could launch it sooner or later.
Photon Efficacy
Photon Efficacy is the true value that plants receive from any light source once it converts the electrical energy into PAR. This conversion power is what we call light intensity. Not every high-intensity light needs to consume more electrical power. Some low power consuming lights could also prove them high intensive for the process utilized in the making of such lights.
The manufacturers that use chips or Quantum boards could provide a light that is highly intensive consuming low power as well. the LED Grow Lights with multiple switches also prove economical and high intensive that could considerably maintain the high values of PAR, PPDF, and the desired Kelvin together. The wattage is nothing to tell growers anything, But, the output is important as it signifies the intensity of light about how powerful it is. Photon Efficacy measures in micromole per Joule and an established unit abbreviated as µmol/J. The higher the value of µmol/J is, the more efficient is light in transforming electrical power into photons.
It is merely a scale that I used for evaluating different lights in my grow room for cannabis. I would like to prioritize them based on their performance and economy together since these are matters of primary interest for both home cannabis and commercial growers. Some growers could like my findings while others would like to criticize but, I don\’t own any forum nor any conflict of interest and only could keep on struggling for finding the best for cannabis growers;
Top 5 best 6400 kelvin led grow light 2023
#1 Roleadro-Grow Light, 1000W LED Grow Light Full Spectrum Galaxyhydro Series (Premium Brand)
We tested this light highly efficiently. Roleadro combines blue and red wavelengths with white light and Infrared which, means more brightness during the vegetative growth and exponential flowering at the later stages of maturity for adding IR with the Red wavelength. It could effectively meet the Cannabis Kelvin needs throughout the planting. The advertised 453 micromoles per second could complement cannabis growth since a minimum level stands somewhere near 350 where cannabis could thrive.
Additional red would potentially boost flowering and add to the taste and aroma of cannabis buds as in our case. Whereas, it helped us to achieve 15% more yield than that was expected. LED beads and Zener design is also helpful that keep working other chips if someone gets out of order. The growers could consider it a more useful light for the late vegetative and flowering stages of their cannabis crop. Both the economy and efficacy place it on the top of the order according to our testing. You can link to other customers\’ here;
#2 King Plus-1500W Double Chips LED Grow Light (Runner Up)
We found King Plus-1500 an extraordinary light for the efficacy, economy, and power consumption together. The secret to its satisfying performance could be the combination of bright white wavelength with both blue and red wavelengths. Moreover, Infrared and Ultraviolet are also there to help plants activate cannabis processes that promote the taste of the buds at ripening. It is also helpful for growing different cannabis plants that are passing through multiple growth stages for the vegetative and bloom switches that could trigger together. It consumed about 300 Watts while running on a full capacity with chips at a time that was reduced to 280 Watts after running for half an hour. It also kept the temperature under 63°F which, you could consider ideal while planting in an environmentally controlled grow room. The customers\’ support, warranties, and performance are fine altogether. Here is a link to see the detailed product specs;
#3 VIPARSPECTRA-Newest Dimmable 1000W LED Grow Lights
VA-Series is Dual-Chip LED grow light with Infrared and a dimming knob that helped us to regulate cannabis plants\’ light requirement at different stages of growth. Moreover, we connect several grow lights with a single switch to make a series connection. New growers and the hobbyist could adopt this light for easy light regulating option. It consumed hardly 135 Watts with a PPDF output of nearly 400 micromoles per meter square per second while hanging it at 18 inches above the cannabis canopy. The growers could use it for 6 square feet of space at vegetative stages by hanging it 20 inches above the canopy, and 4 square feet at the flowering stage by hanging it at 16 inches above the canopy. Moreover, it proved successful for running on the 18/6 schedule during vegetative, and 12/12 schedule at flowering phase. The growers could better utilize this LED Grow light in a tight space as we experienced it. Here you could see the detailed product specs;
#4 PARFACTWORKS-RA1000w LED Grow Light (Cheapest)
One of the cheapest Grow light in our cannabis grow room but, providing a Full range of Spectrum including Infrared and Ultraviolet. Its double fans are highly efficient for keeping the fixture cool throughout its running. It can be adjusted according to the light requirement during different stages of growth and development. It hardly consumes 118 when running on full throttle. Moreover, it\’s light with a fairly larger footprint and covers 12 square feet during vegetative by hanging 36-48 inches above the canopy, and 6-9 square feet space during the flowering stage at 24 inches above the cannabis canopy. At 24 inches’ height, it effectively delivers a PPDF of up to 500 micromoles per square meter per second that you could increase up to 700 micromoles per square meter per second by placing it 12 inches above the canopy which good fits cannabis plants light needs. It\’s the cheapest, economical, and super performance but, the light fixture is not as sturdy and waterproof as it should be. Here is a link to see more details;
#5 Lenofocus-LF100, LED Grow Light (Cheapest)
Another cheapest Grow Light that we used for 5 square feet space when already installed light had a problem with its driver. It proved perfect in two ways; one that it included some 672 SMD LED in about one and a half square feet board, and secondly, it proved very power efficient for it consumed only 120 Watts. This fixture came in less than $90 a couple of months before we installed it in an emergency. LF-100 proved perfect for the selected area exhibiting desired Kelvin and PPDF throughout its working. It was equally effective when lowered to 14 inches above the cannabis canopy during the flower initiation. It greatly enhanced flowering and yield optimization was also observed in the plant under its direct coverage. A Mean Well driver installed on the back of the light allows you to dim it from 0 to 100 scale. The warranty is valid for 3-years from the date of purchase. See details here;
#6 HLG-300L Bspec 270W Quantum Board LED Grow Light (Costliest Brand)
HLG-300L is with improved design, extended coverage, brighter light but very expensive. You could buy more than 5-cheapest light at the price they offer it\’s selling in the marketplace. No doubt about the coverage, power efficiency, and durability but, the growers could utilize this costliest light for the cannabis vegetative stage only. It wouldn\’t let your plants flower so, you need to depend on another light source for flower initiation. Its quantum board uses Samsung LM301H-diodes that deliver Kelvin scale in the range of 5000, excellent for vegetative growth. You could run this fixture on only 90 Watts during seedlings growth and scale it to 270 Watts during vegetative growth. HLG is absolutely a great manufacturer and sells quality lights that perform. Here is a link to see customers\’ ratings, reviews, and detailed product specification;
