CHOOSING YOUR LED LIGHTING SYSTEM
Just 10 years ago, LEDs had yet to find a place in the
indoor gardening market. The high price tag, teamed
with disappointing results, made most serious gardeners avoid LEDs like the plague. Today, things are much
different. Horticultural LEDs have found a solid place in
the market and continue to increase in popularity. Much
of this has to do with the numerous benefits offered by
LED technology. Cooler operating temperatures, longevity and the ability to customize spectral outputs are some
of the benefits of using LED grow lights. And there are
now many companies offering these lights at an affordable price. The more-affordable price, combined with
all of the other benefits of growing with LEDs, has both
novice and professional growers turning to LEDs as their
primary light source.
Unfortunately, it is not always easy to distinguish a good
LED lighting system from a bad one. Many variables
must be considered when determining the effectiveness of an LED grow light. If you’re hoping to find the
best and brightest LED on the market, you will need to
take a close look at the components that most affect the
lighting system’s efficiency. For example, an HID lighting
system has three components that affect the lighting system’s overall performance: the bulb, the ballast and the
reflector. An LED lighting system has four components
that significantly affect the system’s overall performance:
the driver, the lens, the heat-sink and the LED itself.
Let’s look at each component in some detail.
Photo by Tyler Nienhouse via Flickr
“Many variables must be
considered when determining the
effectiveness of an LED grow light.
50
Maximum Yield USA | November 2015