Yes! You do need grow lights even if you’re flushing your weed plants with nutrient water in a hydroponic system. Just because they may not be in an enclosed ecosystem, you still need artificial light to spark their growth.
Why artificial? – Because artificial light can be focused entirely on the plants without affecting the water reservoir. Too much light in the water can lead to algae or an increase in temperature which won’t agree with your ideas of a fruitful yield.
So how do you go about picking the best LED grow lights for weed? – Follow our reviews for our favorite picks and learn the differences between certain setups. After that, you can apply your own parameters to the reviews and see what sparks your attention in best LED grow lights for weed - complete reviews and comparisons.
Comparison Chart
Best LED Grow Lights for Weed Reviews
1. Relassy LED Grow Light
Unlike most LED grow light units, this one is designed for small hydroponic systems or indoor gardens with small individual containers.
Review
Relassy puts out a pretty solid, albeit limited-use, dual-head LED lamp. It has 88 LED chips that can cover a wavelength spectrum between 380nm and 800nm (nanometers). This is enough to cover blue light and red light, both of which are very important to have when growing weed without the benefit of sunlight.
The lamp has a 120-degree beam angle. This is due to the flexibility of its 18” stainless steel gooseneck and the rotatable bulb design. This is a very nice feature to have as it compensates for the lack of power to cover a proper grow tent setup.
What’s even more interesting is the aluminum heat sink used in the bulbs. Most people think that LEDs don’t get all that hot. But the reality is the opposite. LED bulbs (the big ones used as lighting, not the tiny ones used in electronics) release so much heat that they must come with a heatsink – that’s why LED bulbs have a relatively massive base.
The lamp also comes with various overcurrent, overvoltage, and overheating protections as well as CE, PSE, ad FCC certificates. The lifespan of the LED chips is rated at a standard 50,000 hours. However, after about 18 months, there will be signs of luminous decay.
The lamp can be secured with a solid standard table clip. This is what allows you to play and adjust the gooseneck to whichever position suits your plants best. But, even so, the unit is lightweight so there shouldn’t be any cause for concern.
The energy consumption is rated at around 20W which is equivalent to a 45W incandescent bulb. It is both powerful enough for small plant containers and energy efficient.
As an investment, it’s not too expensive to begin with either, especially given the level of flexibility you get from the gooseneck in terms of beam angle, coverage, and height adjustments.
PROS
CONS
2. Roleadro Reflector Series LED Grow Light
Roleadro’s Reflector Series has two very powerful LED grow light units – 600W and 1000W. Only the price, area of coverage, and light intensity set them apart because both have the same features.
Review
The LEDs are encased in a white flame-retardant plastic case. They also feature a 60-degree reflector cup that helps enhance the brightness. Due to the design, the light dispersal is also optimized to be directed at the plants inside the grow tent for maximum harvest yield.
The unit doesn’t look super durable. However, it does use some quality materials and there is a one-year warranty on the table. The unit also features cooling fans and aluminum heat sinks. This helps with the heat dissipation when you have so many LED lights in a cluster.
Still, when it comes to growing weed, you should know that every degree counts. A maximum of 72 degrees is generally agreed upon as the absolute top temperature limit.
Back to the Reflector Series LED grow lights, both the 600W and 1000W units can be daisy-chained. Though keep in mind, if you connect a 600W and a 1000W unit together, you may not get the best results unless you have a special grow tent setup.
The lights cannot be dimmed. This means that the positioning will be key if you don’t want to burn your plants and if you want full coverage for your tent or hydroponic garden.
PROS
CONS
3. MIYA LED Grow Light Bulb
Who says you always need complete lighting systems? Maybe you just need some bulb replacements or single bulb setups to get the job done.
Review
If that’s the case, then maybe the MIYA LED bulbs are just what you need. You can find them in ratings of 30, 50, 80, and 100W. Each bulb is fully capable of tapping into both blue and red wavelengths to give weed plants what they need through all stages of growth.
The setup of LED chips will differ slightly from one bulb to another. The lowest-rated bulb, the 30W model, has the following LED setup: 22 Red, 12 blue, 2 white, 2 IR, 2 UV. These ratios are somewhat maintained throughout the entire series.
This means that although MIYA has full-spectrum coverage, the bulbs show better results when paired with mature or flowering cannabis plants.
In terms of durability, the bulbs seem to come with an aluminum finned heat sink. This provides decent heat dissipation and some protection from dust. There’s also a one-year warranty on the bulbs and a CE certification to back up the long life claims.
PROS
CONS
4. Philzon 1200W LED Grow Light
This model is a serious step-up from its predecessor. Not only does it have double the power, but it also has wider area coverage and some very nifty accessories to go along with it.
Review
The Philzon 1200W LED lighting system comes with a thermometer, humidity monitor, wavelength spectrum switch, and its own adjustable rope. This unit allows you to monitor a wide range of factors that determine the health of the ecosystem you’ve created for your weed crop.
The unit covers the full spectrum. This means your plants get access to blue light, necessary during its early growth stages, and red light, which is essential when the plants reach maturity. Both types of light are important if you want to maximize your harvest yield.
The thermometer displays readings in both Fahrenheit and Celsius. On the same monitor screen, you can check the level of humidity. And you can also check the time.
The unit has a cool spectrum switch. The two settings are Veg and Bloom. The Veg switch will allow the unit to focus on emitting blue and white wavelengths. The Bloom setting gives you red LED and white LED lighting for the blooming stages of your crop.
The entire system has a maximum power draw of 305 watts. But, make no mistake – it is powerful. It also has very good area coverage. Its optimum placement ensures total coverage for a 3 x 3ft tent from 24” above the plants.
It also comes with a daisy chain function which allows you to connect multiple units together. This should come in handy with large tents or hydroponic indoor gardens. The 2-year warranty on the system is also a nice touch.
PROS
CONS
5. Venoya LED Grow Light
This system is designed to cater to a wide range of plants, including sensitive ones such as microgreens and hard-to-grow veggies like tomatoes. Due to its wide range of applications and spectrum coverage, Venoya’s solution also applies to growing weed.
Review
The system provides the wavelengths required by cannabis during all stages of growth. Most importantly, it does this at all times, so you don’t have to bother switching between different modes or losing effectiveness.
A PMMA clear front is used to protect the LEDs from damage, heat, or humidity. The housing is airtight so there’s no need to worry about dust or drips getting in. This makes the Venoya LED grow light suitable for grow rooms, grow tents, and hydroponic gardens.
289 LEDs are used in a single unit. This adds up to a maximum wattage of 45W. It is equivalent to HPS grow lights of between 100 and 150 watts.
Now, although you can’t switch between different wavelengths, you can dim the lights. This should come in handy since the unit doesn’t have an adjustable hanging kit. It does, however, feature a protective sheet on the back that provides some cooling as well as water, mist, and dust protection.
PROS
CONS
FINAL VERDICT
Are you still finding it hard to pinpoint the best LED grow lights for weed? – Each of the five reviewed here has some very specific features that apply to certain situations. Now that you know what different LEDs can do, it’s time to take another look at your grow tent or hydroponic garden and figure out the best course of action.
Nice post to help us who want to grow at home. Lighting is a problem if it means a big electricity bill. I have shared your website in my social networks!
Hey Delfina,
Lighting is super important for your grow-room or grow-tent at home.
Getting the light source and level right can mean a difference in the rate of growth and plant health, especially where you are reliant on an artificial source.
LED (Light Emitting Diode) is a cooler and more efficient source than incandescent lighting (your common old fashioned light bulb).
HPS (High-Pressure Sodium) is an alternative that may be less efficient but with LEDs you may need more bulbs for the same amount of light. Energy lost through heat is not only an issue of increased electricity consumption but you also don’t want that heat to increase in your grow-tent too much. You need to control the temperature as well as light levels.
At some point soon I will create a post with a comparison chart on energy consumption and unit cost for the different lighting option for the same amount of light output to help make a considered choice easier.
The cost of electricity is an issue that should not be overlooked for growing in times when we must all budget carefully, so thanks for raising this important point!
Cheers 🙂