TABLE OF CONTENTS
If you're in the market for energy-saving LED lights for your cannabis garden, check out our list of the top 10 marijuana LED grow lights. Whether you're a first-time or experienced grower, our guide on the best LED lights for cannabis compares wattage, yield, durability, spectrum, and other critical factors to help you grow the best buds.
Types of LED Lights
When shopping for LED lights, you'll run into a few different styles to choose from. The following 3 types of LED grow lights each have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Spread Style
The spread style of LEDs offers bulbs spread out over a large area.
- Quantum Board: Quantum boards offer relatively low-wattage LED lights with high energy efficiency.
- Spider LED: Low-wattage lights are spread out over several “arms” coming out of the main spine. These are a bit more expensive than quantum boards but offer tremendous results.
Traditional Panel
Traditional panels are the most common type of LED lights. This standard set of lights use medium-wattage diodes on a compact board (compared to spread style boards). For large gardens, multiple standard panels are needed.
COB Style
Chip on Board (COB) LED bulbs are larger than the standard small diodes found in spread style and traditional panels. COB style LEDs provide a more intense light compared to other styles. COB panels usually come with a few large COBs for maximum light penetration.
Auto COBs work similarly to COBs but rely on a single bulb. Auto COBs can be plugged in standard light sockets. Each has a different light spectrum, which is helpful if you have plants with different lighting needs.
LED Lighting Considerations
Before you buy LED lights for your cannabis garden, there are a few considerations you must keep in mind.
Space
How big is your garden? Can the LED lights you are considering cover the entire space? Make sure you accurately measure the size of your garden. Each type of LED light covers a specific range of space. Check the customer reviews to see if the manufacturer’s listed range is accurate.
Brand/Budget
Of course, higher-quality LED lights will come with a steeper price tag. For first-time users, start off with a lower-priced option to get the ball rolling. For experienced users, a higher-quality light is in order. Pay attention to the brand’s reputation and quality of lights. Check on customer reviews to get a good idea of their durability, efficiency, and ease of use.
Spectrum
When buying lights for your garden, you’re going to need certain light spectrums for different stages of growth. A full-spectrum LED light can meet all of your growing news. Full-spectrum lighting provides the red and blue spectrums you need, as well as infrared and UV lighting. Full-spectrum lighting can run cool and save tons of energy over time compared to other lights.
Energy-Efficiency
In general, LED lights provide a higher energy efficiency than fluorescent or HID bulbs. When searching for a grow light, consider its total wattage output. Higher outputs mean more power and energy efficiency.
Light Control
As mentioned above, plants need different light spectrums during different stages of growth. Additionally, they need certain light cycles during each stage.
- Seedling: 16 hours of light, 8 hours of darkness
- Vegetative: 18 hours of light, 6 hours of darkness
- Flowering: 12 hours of light, 12 hours of darkness
1. Electric Sky 300 V2 Wideband LED Grow Light
Electric Sky’s LED lights provide a powerful and wideband spectrum to supercharge your garden. Its signature wideband LED diodes can provide deep canopy penetration. Plus, its light runs significantly cooler than traditional HID and fluorescent lights.
Enjoy a 3-year warranty and a 90-day money-back guarantee. Its linear optic lighting provides more lighting coverage than traditional circular lenses.
2. Advanced Platinum Series P600 600-Watt 12-Band LED Grow Light
Available in 300 or 450-watt versions, these 600-watt LED lights feature a 12-band spectrum with the highest PAR/Lumen output per watt on the market. Replace your standard 800w HPS grow lights with this LED that only uses 345 watts of power. These grow lights provide all the UV and IR light your plants need. Plus, its cooling system barely makes a peep.
A 60-degree and a secondary 90-degree focusing lens allow the lights to penetrate deep within the canopy. Its powerful 3w LEDs are replaceable, so you can keep growing despite a broken LED. A handy switch allows you to switch from its vegetative to its flowering spectrum. These lights come with a leading 5-year warranty and a 90-day money-back guarantee.
3. Galaxyhydro 1000-Watt LED Light
If you want premium-grade lights at a reasonable price, opt for the Galaxyhydro 1000-watt LED light. Galaxyhydro is Roleadro’s signature grow light collection with lights ranging from 75w to 2000w. The 1000w lights offer a balance of powerful output and budget prices. For budget shoppers, the Galaxyhydro 300-watt LED light is an affordable option with plenty of power.
Its 2 high-speed cooling fans keep your garden temperatures down. Connect up to 3 lights at once as your garden expands. While this is a great LED light for beginners, it lacks a dual light mode for vegetative and flowering stages. It’s a decent upgrade if you want slightly higher wattage and power with a solid warranty. Roleadro offers a 30-month warranty.
4. ViparSpectra 450-Watt LED Grow Light
ViparSpectra’s V450 lights offer some of the best return-on-investment on the market. At an affordable price, you can reap tons of lighting power throughout every stage of your plant’s growth. A full spectrum of light can save you energy during the vegetative and flowering stages. Pulling just 200 watts from the outlet, these lights are comparable to 300w HIDs.
On top of all its heating power, these lights have an efficient cooling system featuring upgraded aluminum cooling and high-speed quiet fans. UL-certified for maximum lighting safety, these lights have fire-resistant reflectors to keep you safe without compromising efficiency. Libra Spectra offers a 3-year U.S. warranty and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
5. Horticulture Lighting Group HLG 550 V2 R Spec
Replace your single-ended 1000w HID with the HLG 550 V2. Each grow light uses 4 of HLG's custom-designed full-spectrum quantum boards. After developing “quantum board” technology for LEDs, they’ve perfected the art form.
Its 550 watts are dimmable down to 200 watts to meet different lighting needs. Its grow lights are ETL-certified to ensure safety in your grow room. HLG offers a 3-year warranty.
6. BESTVA DC Series 3000W LED Grow Light
Bestva’s 3000w LED grow lights offer great value and lightning power. These grow lights offer optimized full-spectrum lighting for year-round growing. A veg/bloom switch can easily alter the lighting spectrum for the different growth stages while saving you money. Its super-efficient and quiet fans can keep heat levels down.
Best of all, it’s dual-chip (10w) technology offers the highest PAR/Lumen output per watt. Bestva offers a 3-year warranty plus a 90-day money-back guarantee.
7. King Plus 1200W LED Grow Light
King Plus’ 1200-watt LED grow lights feature some of the highest intensity chips on the market. Its 10w double chips have wider coverage and a longer lifespan than the standard 3 or 5w LEDs. Full-spectrum Heading includes red, blue, yellow, white, IR, and UV to simulate natural daylight.
King Plus offers a 3-year warranty and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
8. MORSEN 2400W Full Spectrum Grow Light with 2 Dimmer
Morsen’s 2400w full-spectrum grow lights feature 3 lighting modes to cover your plant’s growth from seedling to flowering plant. This grow light uses only 450 watts from the output and replaces a standard 2400w HPS light. Enjoy up to 50,000 hours of full-spectrum lighting, ultra-quiet cooling, and low energy consumption.
“
There are over 300,000 jobs in the cannabis industry. CTU trained me for one of them!
- Johanna Rose
Makes $24.50 @ THC +
Wattage options include 1500w, 2000w, 2400w, and 3000w lights. Morsen offers a 3-year warranty and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
9. California Lightworks Solar System 550 LED Grow Light
California Lightworks’ Solar System 550 is one of the more pricey LEDs on the market. However, you're paying for the latest high-efficiency LEDs and a versatile control system. A fully programmable spectrum control allows you to fine-tune your lighting wavelengths. These lights can replace a 600w HPS and use 40% less energy.
California Lightworks Offers a 5-year warranty on these lights.
10. Apollo Horticulture GL60LED 180W
Apollo Horticulture’s 180w LED grow light may be small, but it produces a lot of light. Use it as a supplemental light placed close to the plant canopy. These lights come with a single quiet cooling fan, stainless steel hanging kits, and a power cord. Its compact design is super easy to mount.
Master Cultivation Training
Now that you know which LED lights are the best for your cannabis garden, you can get started on planting your seeds or clones. For a comprehensive breakdown of the art of cannabis cultivation, enroll in CTU’s online marijuana classes. Learn from master growers with decades of experience. What are you waiting for?