Best Kelvin for Vegetative Growth (Weed)
Being a Researcher and a cannabis grower, I always prefer to test every individual product on a limited scale, and then come up to the conclusion of how it could benefit growers regarding its performance, prices, and durability so the growers could buy them based on my personal experience. Similarly, today’s topic kept me involved with product testing initially, and then it took me 50 hours to take help from the relevant research papers to validate my findings.
This blog deals with finding the best kelvin scales for the vegetative growth of cannabis plants in both hydroponic and greenhouse environments. Though I don’t need to mention the difficulties that came upfront. However, I must share the results and the factors that largely contributed towards the successful testing of several LED Grow Lights and came up the conclusion based on the following features;
Let me have an honest review based on the following features;
- The Durability and Performance of Each Product
- Brand Categorization based on Price
- Kelvin Scale accuracy
- Growth response upon exposing Cannabis plants to right kelvin
Trust my findings, and that’s what the research says, and it could lead you to the best growing experience when dealing with cannabis indoors.
What is Kelvin?
Before going into Kelvin’s details, let me remind you of the process of photosynthesis in plants which deals with the assimilation of the entire energy needs of plants in the presence of sunlight. During this process, all light reactions occur in the Thylakoid Membrane. Thylakoids exist within the chloroplast, and light reactions take place in the stroma to make sugar. These reactions are entirely dependent on the typical temperature of blue light to enhance vegetative growth with an increased level of photosynthesis.
Since Kelvin is a priority term when we discuss cannabis plants growing, the growers might consider it as the warmth of the blue light that an LED Grow Lights emits while operating in a grow room. Overall, the light consists of discrete bands of color, and every color is responsible for directing different signals that allow the growth of cannabis plants during varying stages of growth. So, it becomes evident from the literature studies that cannabis plants receive distinct color signals during different growth stages, which means they need different lights for all 3-stages of their growth.
What is the best kelvin for vegetative growth?
Cannabis plants endure all vegetative growth during the daylight, so it’s the utmost need for carrying all the physiological processes that help them make and utilize food for their growth and development. It also observes that the Kelvin scale beneficial for the clones and seedlings are equally beneficial for the vegetative growth stages of the cannabis plants. A blue light that resembles sunlight upon when it rises is considered best for vegetative growth. The Kelvin scale of this blue light measures between 5000 to 7500. So, the optimum Kelvin scale for both seedlings and vegetative growth stages remains 6500. Generally, this scale obtains from the cool blue lights that emit the range mentioned earlier.
How many kelvins should a bulb have in the vegetative period?
Whatever light source you use for cannabis growing indoors, the source must emit 6500 kelvins. You could either use a fluorescent tube, CFL, or an LED light to complement vegetative growth kelvins. Fluorescent lights are often tubular with inert gasses and could emit a spectrum that somehow matches the sunlight. This light source is ideal for caring for clones and initial vegetative stages. However, they could not complement what plants need during the late vegetative and flowering stages.
You can place Fluorescent tubes as close as 6 inches above the cannabis plants’ canopy. A CFLs could also complement the 6500-kelvin scale in the limited space for the vegetative stage. But, you need to divide the entire power into small wattage bulbs, and could spread them around cannabis plants. LED Grow Lights are the best growth triggering source that creates very little heat and covers wide areas along with the desired kelvins up to 6500. I think it’s crystal clear now that the best kelvin for veg is 6500, and any light that gives the needed kelvin for vegetative growth is LED Grow light.
Additionally, I would like to recommend the type of fixtures that could adjust any type of light you need during the entire growth stages of cannabis plants. Some light fixtures even come with preinstalled light fixtures that allow you to run either 6500, 4100, or 2700 kelvins lights as the cannabis plants move from the vegetative stage to the flowering stages, and you could even mix the kelvins according to cannabis plants requirement. I can categorize lights in five different classes. Let’s start with premium class;
Best Kelvin Lights for Vegetative Growth Reviews
#1 MARS HYDRO-TS 1000W Led Grow Light (Premium Brand)
I found it the best performing light out of two dozen brands and covered 9 square feet area effectively. It’s kelvin scale matches with the sunlight and includes a dimming option that you could utilize easily whenever desired. TS-1000 was able to maintain a Kelvin scale between 5200 to 6800, the best range of cannabis plants during the vegetative stage. It’s easier to relocate its hanging position with a daisy chain. You can have one unit is only $135 along with a thermometer and hygrometer that help you monitoring both temperature and humidity within your grow room. Its 342 LEDs helped me achieve nearly 1.5-gram cannabis yield per wattage that overall consumed 155 Watts on 110 Volts power source. Here is a link to help you;
#2 BESTVA-1000W LED Grow Light
I also find BESTVA-1000 Watts another promising light, and the reason for placing it second in the LED lights category is that it’s a little hot in power consumption. It might be the reason that BESTVA installs a 10W chip instead of the 3W or 5W that traditional manufacturers use. They also place a separate switch for vegetative growth stages of cannabis plants that you keep on between 12 to 18 hours. It runs cool for its 3mm aluminum radiator thickness that keeps the temperature between 50-60℉. The effective Vegetative coverage remains in the ranges of 12 to 14 square feet, ideally if, you hang it 36 inches above the cannabis canopy. The product return policy and warranty are equally good. Here is a link for the detailed specs;
#3 BLOOMSPECT-Upgraded 600W LED Grow Lights
I find it a cool light under the $60 category, and its performance is way better than the costliest brands around. BLOOMSPECT uses 60 pieces of 10W chips whereas the electricity consumption remains under 140 watts, and the kelvin scale is also according to the cannKelvin’slants’ need during vegetative growth. Kelvin’s scale fluctuates between 5800 to 6500 K. However it compliments what’s it made for the purpose. If your grow space measures between 5-7 square feet, it could be an ideal and cheapest light to hang 20 inches above cannabis plants canopy. Heat dissipation is made easy with both a speedy fan and a large aluminum heat sink. They offer a 30-days product return warranty with a 2-years’ warranty on the parts. This link contains detailed product specs and customer’s reviews;
#4 iPower-GLSETX400DHMWING 400 Watt HPS-MH Digital Dimmable Grow Light
It’s a unique type of light in the HPS-Metal Halide category. So, I am interested to proceed with only one grow light in this class. It’s a stable light to maintain 6000 K even after running for longer. The only disadvantage that cannabis growers could face that HPS bulbs are famous for producing heat in the grow room that they could only maintain by installing an inline fan. However, it’s with high PAR output light and best for stimulating and maintaining the growth process during the vegetative stages of cannabis indoors. It’s digital ballast also supports dimmable options from 50% to 100%.
Moreover, the HPS bulb could use at the later stages of growth. Overall, it’s a durable light made with quality material throughout its construction. I couldn’t find even a close match to compare with this iPower production under $120. You can easily cover 16 square feet of grow space by installing only an MH bulb during the vegetative growth of cannabis plants. This Amazon link could better tell you about customers’ feedback;
#5 Hydrofarm-Agrobrite FLT24 T5 Fluorescent Grow Light System
It’s again a distinctive light in the T-5 category that finds no match with the related brands and tubes installed provide 6400 kelvins with up to 4000 Lumens for the triggering growth both during the seedlings and vegetative stages of cannabis plants. Another advantage of this fixture comes with installing them horizontally, vertically, and over the cannabis canopy to reach light from all directions.
You can confidently use this fixture to grow seedlings and take them to the next growth stage. i.e., Vegetative. However, it could limit yield potential with deformed flowering if used continuously in the later stage of cannabis plant growth. The tubes install in a steel housing and the aluminum face allows light to spread in a better way. You can use FLT24 to get double light energy compared to an ordinary light of a similar capacity in less than $40. Here is a link to see product ratings and customers’ reviews;
