1. **High-End Brands:** - **HLG (Horticulture Lighting Group):** Known for high-quality, efficient LED grow lights. Their products are often used in professional setups. - **California Lightworks:** Offers a range of advanced LED grow lights with programmable features. 2. **Mid-Range Brands:** - **ViparSpectra:** Provides cost-effective LED grow lights with a good balance of features and performance. - **Roleadro:** Known for budget-friendly options with decent quality for small to medium-sized setups. 3. **Budget-Friendly Brands:** - **BESTVA:** Offers affordable LED grow lights with decent performance, suitable for beginners or hobbyists on a budget. - **Mars Hydro and Spider Farmer:** While also considered a mid-range brands, Mars Hydro and Spider Farmer have budget-friendly options and are known for providing good value for the price. - **King Plus:** Offers affordable LED grow lights suitable for small to medium-sized grows. 1. **PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation):** - PAR refers to the range of light wavelengths (usually between 400 and 700 nanometers) that plants use for photosynthesis. Look for a grow light with a high PAR output, as this is crucial for plant growth. 2. **PPF (Photosynthetic Photon Flux):** - PPF measures the total amount of light (in the PAR range) emitted by a light source per second, measured in micromoles per second (μmol/s). This is a crucial metric for understanding a light's ability to support plant growth. Higher the better. 3. **PPFD (Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density):** - PPFD is the measure of the amount of PAR that reaches a specific area (usually one square meter) per second. It's an important metric for determining light intensity at the canopy level. PPFD is often more relevant than PPF for growers. Higher the better. 4. Kelvin: Kelvin is a numerical value that’s related to the colour appearance of the light - plants need different ‘colours’ depending on their stage of growth. But for most houseplant or tropical plant growers, look for a Kelvin reading of above 5000K - which is most similar to midday sunshine. 5. When talking about wavelength, sales ads will sometimes give a reading in nanometres (nm), usually from around 395 to 660nm, which promote various stages of plant growth. Providing you’ve chosen a light that offers ‘full spectrum’ then this reading is irrelevant to houseplant growers of established plants. 6. PPE - LEDs (AKA diodes) are sometimes given an efficiency rating in micromoles per Joule (µmol/J) - the higher the number - them more efficient they are.
Have you considered growing more exotic tropicals? I'd love some care guides on plants like climbing philodendrons. Very popular plants, but troubleshooting their issues (like bacterial spot) can be a pain!
I did try various warm-growing plants when I had the Hothouse - but the issue was 1. too expensive to run after electricity prices tripled globally and 2. It became too much to look after along with the greenhouse. So now I aim to get plants that don't mind going a bit colder during winter - but are still firmly in the 'tropical' category nevertheless.
Hi Geof, thanks for explaining this very well, for my orchids I’ve settled for some very inexpensive strips that I mounted under the shelf above and for plants on the top shelf I have the gooseneck 30cm double or triple armed types. It works well enough all considered. For the rest of my houseplants I just have gooseneck clamps with led grow light bulbs. All of these I run for about 12-14 hrs on timers. The bulbs are a bit hard on the eyes and I’d like to find some shades for them, but that can wait for now. PS. Just watched the other video and wanted to mention that I have most of my plants quite close to the lights, so hope that is of some benefit.
Thanks Renate. Sounds like you have a good setup. Even cheap lights are better than no supplemental lighting at all - and like me, sounds like you've opted for a mixture in light quality. I think many people will be in similar situations where sometimes they can afford to buy better quality and sometimes just the cheapest non-grow lights. All will help to improve growth - despite not being 'optimal'.
I've bought some cheap led grow lights on amazon and they're good for maintaining a plant, but I don't see a lot of growth. Unless I put the plant right up to it, which isn't ideal since the light can't power multiple plants. thank you for the metrics! that's really helpful to understanding all the different acronyms and nomenclature.
Great info/video as always!😊 I was so stupid to start growing cacty with normal lights, so they elongate now...not preety to say at least. Light is so underrated when it comes to seedlings etc. One of the reasons why so many fail with seeds.😅 Def looking into spider lights. Ty for reminding me.😂
I ordered a cheap LED light off Amazon and it doesnt give ANY info about kalvin or lumen, not even in the listing or peoples questions. Just says full spectrum plant light... makes me wonder if its good enough
IME, the "off brand" lights can be better than the branded. For example, I have three 600 W growlights. One is Mars, one is Spider Farmer one is the off brand called Bloomspect. The off brand was half the price, is fully dimmable (the other two are not) and can be daisy chained (the other two cannot). The growth and bloom I get under the Bloomspect is superior to the branded lights. I'm not saying all "off brand" are comparable but that one is. Sadly they don't make the 600 W anymore and 1000 W is way too much (although I could dim it and it would still be cheaper than the branded lights) because I have thought about getting rid of the Mars and Spider.
Yeah I know exactly what you mean. I've had a similar experience (like I showed in the video) with a Mars Hydro being outlasted by a cheap no-brand light. The numbers very often look great with the cheaper lights - but there are TH-cam channels out there with all the kit and the expertise to measure and test their claims, and 'usually' you get what you pay for in terms of the metrics they are claiming, and often it's the cheaper brands who inflate what their lights are really capable of. But...ultimately most of us 'houseplant' growers aren't after optimal crop yield - in which case the cheaper lights very often make an excellent addition to our plant care. Given that my Mars Hydro TS600 lasted just short of 4 years, I'm more inclined to buy a bunch of cheaper ones rather than an expensive (to me at least) replacement.
I've read several comments on other pages about different types of roots & that if a plant is in water, it won't do well in soil, & vice versa. Do you have any insight about that??
I'm not a botanist, but I understand that when growing in water, the roots are naturally more delicate and have more fine hairs than when growing through a 'solid' media - purely as a result of the water offering less resistance. Therefore on transplanting to a more traditional media, the roots can get easily damaged or suffer from 'transplant shock'. In my experience it's not a huge problem - simply transplant them into something very loose and airy first, like perlite, vermiculite, moss or a mixture of those. Or better still, root your cuttings directly in whatever they're going to grow in, in the first place. Hope that helps.
Thank you, thank you, thank you iv been wanting to get grow lights for a while iv tried reading about them watching outher you tube videos.In the end i just thought i had the IQ of a snail😅 all these letters and number so confusing, finally a video i got to the end of and understood so i will be shopping for growlights shortly
Fantastic! That's the response I was aiming for Stephanie and you've made my day. Good luck with your search and do let me know what you opt for in the end.😁
Thought I'd let you know I bought wolezek 2ft T8 growlights for my shelves we paid 38.24 pounds.We did find some a few quid cheaper but with the help of your video we figured these were the best in my price bracket.They seem sturdy have decent length wire comes with 2 wires with plugs so I can use 2 lights in one area and 2 in another or 3 and 1theirs 4 lights in all. I had been leaving getting some growlights for ages as I felt it to complicated and did not want to waste money so thanks very much for your helpful video.
Such details wasn't the aim of the video - I was trying to simplify things. Ultimately, ANY full spectrum grow light is an improvement on none at all. If you're after absolute maximum yield from whatever you're growing, then those details are something that might be worth looking into, and there are channels dedicated to nothing but grow lights - believe it or not!
1. **High-End Brands:**
- **HLG (Horticulture Lighting Group):** Known for high-quality, efficient LED grow lights. Their products are often used in professional setups.
- **California Lightworks:** Offers a range of advanced LED grow lights with programmable features.
2. **Mid-Range Brands:**
- **ViparSpectra:** Provides cost-effective LED grow lights with a good balance of features and performance.
- **Roleadro:** Known for budget-friendly options with decent quality for small to medium-sized setups.
3. **Budget-Friendly Brands:**
- **BESTVA:** Offers affordable LED grow lights with decent performance, suitable for beginners or hobbyists on a budget.
- **Mars Hydro and Spider Farmer:** While also considered a mid-range brands, Mars Hydro and Spider Farmer have budget-friendly options and are known for providing good value for the price.
- **King Plus:** Offers affordable LED grow lights suitable for small to medium-sized grows.
1. **PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation):**
- PAR refers to the range of light wavelengths (usually between 400 and 700 nanometers) that plants use for photosynthesis. Look for a grow light with a high PAR output, as this is crucial for plant growth.
2. **PPF (Photosynthetic Photon Flux):**
- PPF measures the total amount of light (in the PAR range) emitted by a light source per second, measured in micromoles per second (μmol/s). This is a crucial metric for understanding a light's ability to support plant growth. Higher the better.
3. **PPFD (Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density):**
- PPFD is the measure of the amount of PAR that reaches a specific area (usually one square meter) per second. It's an important metric for determining light intensity at the canopy level. PPFD is often more relevant than PPF for growers. Higher the better.
4. Kelvin: Kelvin is a numerical value that’s related to the colour appearance of the light - plants need different ‘colours’ depending on their stage of growth. But for most houseplant or tropical plant growers, look for a Kelvin reading of above 5000K - which is most similar to midday sunshine.
5. When talking about wavelength, sales ads will sometimes give a reading in nanometres (nm), usually from around 395 to 660nm, which promote various stages of plant growth. Providing you’ve chosen a light that offers ‘full spectrum’ then this reading is irrelevant to houseplant growers of established plants.
6. PPE - LEDs (AKA diodes) are sometimes given an efficiency rating in micromoles per Joule (µmol/J) - the higher the number - them more efficient they are.
Thinking of you and your health.
Thanks Violet - and yeah I can't wait to get out of the house and back to work! The money has run out and I'm sick of making TH-cam videos...🤣
Have you considered growing more exotic tropicals? I'd love some care guides on plants like climbing philodendrons. Very popular plants, but troubleshooting their issues (like bacterial spot) can be a pain!
I did try various warm-growing plants when I had the Hothouse - but the issue was 1. too expensive to run after electricity prices tripled globally and 2. It became too much to look after along with the greenhouse. So now I aim to get plants that don't mind going a bit colder during winter - but are still firmly in the 'tropical' category nevertheless.
Thank you VERY much. This was definitely helpful.
Great to know!
Hi Geof, thanks for explaining this very well, for my orchids I’ve settled for some very inexpensive strips that I mounted under the shelf above and for plants on the top shelf I have the gooseneck 30cm double or triple armed types. It works well enough all considered. For the rest of my houseplants I just have gooseneck clamps with led grow light bulbs. All of these I run for about 12-14 hrs on timers. The bulbs are a bit hard on the eyes and I’d like to find some shades for them, but that can wait for now. PS. Just watched the other video and wanted to mention that I have most of my plants quite close to the lights, so hope that is of some benefit.
Thanks Renate. Sounds like you have a good setup. Even cheap lights are better than no supplemental lighting at all - and like me, sounds like you've opted for a mixture in light quality. I think many people will be in similar situations where sometimes they can afford to buy better quality and sometimes just the cheapest non-grow lights. All will help to improve growth - despite not being 'optimal'.
I've bought some cheap led grow lights on amazon and they're good for maintaining a plant, but I don't see a lot of growth. Unless I put the plant right up to it, which isn't ideal since the light can't power multiple plants. thank you for the metrics! that's really helpful to understanding all the different acronyms and nomenclature.
Yeah I think definitely 'something is better than nothing'. Perhaps you can consider upgrading when funds allow.
Great info/video as always!😊 I was so stupid to start growing cacty with normal lights, so they elongate now...not preety to say at least. Light is so underrated when it comes to seedlings etc. One of the reasons why so many fail with seeds.😅
Def looking into spider lights. Ty for reminding me.😂
Thanks! I've never grown Cacti but I imagine they're very high light plants, which your experience appears to underline.
I ordered a cheap LED light off Amazon and it doesnt give ANY info about kalvin or lumen, not even in the listing or peoples questions. Just says full spectrum plant light... makes me wonder if its good enough
IME, the "off brand" lights can be better than the branded. For example, I have three 600 W growlights. One is Mars, one is Spider Farmer one is the off brand called Bloomspect. The off brand was half the price, is fully dimmable (the other two are not) and can be daisy chained (the other two cannot). The growth and bloom I get under the Bloomspect is superior to the branded lights. I'm not saying all "off brand" are comparable but that one is. Sadly they don't make the 600 W anymore and 1000 W is way too much (although I could dim it and it would still be cheaper than the branded lights) because I have thought about getting rid of the Mars and Spider.
Yeah I know exactly what you mean. I've had a similar experience (like I showed in the video) with a Mars Hydro being outlasted by a cheap no-brand light. The numbers very often look great with the cheaper lights - but there are TH-cam channels out there with all the kit and the expertise to measure and test their claims, and 'usually' you get what you pay for in terms of the metrics they are claiming, and often it's the cheaper brands who inflate what their lights are really capable of. But...ultimately most of us 'houseplant' growers aren't after optimal crop yield - in which case the cheaper lights very often make an excellent addition to our plant care. Given that my Mars Hydro TS600 lasted just short of 4 years, I'm more inclined to buy a bunch of cheaper ones rather than an expensive (to me at least) replacement.
I've read several comments on other pages about different types of roots & that if a plant is in water, it won't do well in soil, & vice versa. Do you have any insight about that??
I'm not a botanist, but I understand that when growing in water, the roots are naturally more delicate and have more fine hairs than when growing through a 'solid' media - purely as a result of the water offering less resistance. Therefore on transplanting to a more traditional media, the roots can get easily damaged or suffer from 'transplant shock'. In my experience it's not a huge problem - simply transplant them into something very loose and airy first, like perlite, vermiculite, moss or a mixture of those. Or better still, root your cuttings directly in whatever they're going to grow in, in the first place. Hope that helps.
Thank you, thank you, thank you iv been wanting to get grow lights for a while iv tried reading about them watching outher you tube videos.In the end i just thought i had the IQ of a snail😅 all these letters and number so confusing, finally a video i got to the end of and understood so i will be shopping for growlights shortly
Fantastic! That's the response I was aiming for Stephanie and you've made my day. Good luck with your search and do let me know what you opt for in the end.😁
Thought I'd let you know I bought wolezek 2ft T8 growlights for my shelves we paid 38.24 pounds.We did find some a few quid cheaper but with the help of your video we figured these were the best in my price bracket.They seem sturdy have decent length wire comes with 2 wires with plugs so I can use 2 lights in one area and 2 in another or 3 and 1theirs 4 lights in all. I had been leaving getting some growlights for ages as I felt it to complicated and did not want to waste money so thanks very much for your helpful video.
@@stephaniehirst2600 Glad to hear you're all sorted - I'm sure your T8s will make quite a difference to growth - light is such an important factor.
Ok but what stages use the different colors more?
Such details wasn't the aim of the video - I was trying to simplify things. Ultimately, ANY full spectrum grow light is an improvement on none at all. If you're after absolute maximum yield from whatever you're growing, then those details are something that might be worth looking into, and there are channels dedicated to nothing but grow lights - believe it or not!
do pothos can survive in growlight?
Pothos can tolerate low to medium light but will thrive in brighter light conditions. But not full sun behind glass.
@@Grow_Up_Man55 so i can use growlight?
@@Grow_Up_Man55 i have my pothos near window and i have growlight aswell