LED lights are becoming the most popular trend in Indoor growing. There are many reasons behind the justifiable popularity of LED lights including durability, cost effectiveness, energy saving and reduced water usage.
If you are new to growing medical plant with LED lights, here is a quick guide to help you in the procedure.
Using LED lights to grow weeds
If you’re growing weed indoors for the first time, it’s important to remember that weed has two growth stages, the vegetative stage and the flowering stage.
If you don’t use LED lights, you will have to buy two types of lights such as metal halide lights for the vegetative stage and high pressure sodium lights for the flowering stage.
How to grow weed with LED lights?
The first rule of thumb for growing weeds under LED lights is that there should be one light for every 1.5 square feet. Following this calculation, you can harvest 6 ounces per plant
If you are a small-scale grower who only wants to grow 1 or 2 plants, you can choose a single 75-watt LED light. However, if you are looking for a large-scale setup, choose a larger LED bulb or install multiple smaller bulbs.
If you are using small LED bulbs, make sure your plants are spaced equally and correctly so that they get enough light.
Using fewer lights will cause stretching, while using additional lights will cause light burns and result in higher electricity bills due to more energy consumption. For large-scale production, choose a 350-400 watt LED operation.
Don’t place LED lights too far from your plants. You can place a 300-watt LED light about 30-70 cm away from your plants. If you use a light above 300 watts, keep it about 70 to 80 cm away from your plants.
However, gradually reduce the distance as your plants approach flowering. LED lights of 450 watts or more should be placed at least 31 inches away from your plants.
The shortcoming of LED lights
If you have been using HID lights previously, you will notice that with LED lights your plants are growing a little slower. It is because HID lights produce more heat which leads to the flowering face quickly.
However even though LEDs do not EMIT much heat yet the plants are still susceptible to light burn. To avoid this, make sure to keep a proper distance between the plants and place them just according to their type and growth qualities.