Growing indoor plants with LED grow lights is one of the most popular topics. There are only a handful of growers who are using LED lights, though, but their numbers are increasing rapidly with each day. With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that there are all kinds of questions about them and people wonder if they really are better than HPS lights. Do they save money? Do you make up for the high cost of setting up LED lights when it comes to electricity bill savings? Do LED lights even flower Summer crops when you need them to? It seems that LED lights might be better for both your wallet and the environment, so why not take a closer look at LED grow lights Vs HPS lights? A lot of people think that it sounds too good to be true, but the truth is that there are very good reasons to choose LED lights. Regardless of what the manufacturers say with their overhyped claims, there is a central truth that I can show you.
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The Trouble
It is expensive and time consuming attempting to grow plants indoors. Artificial light sources can drive up the price dramatically. Attempting to replicate the July sun in your home isn’t easy, after all. Before the recent LED light trend, HPS lights were the standard and they were always very power hungry. For that reason, it’s always been a race to find the most power effective lighting source, while also producing more light. Electric ballasts were the first large innovation and they brought a lot more power with the same wattage. They changed the game. So LED lighting is now promising twice the change in results that the addition of ballasts. If they are that powerful, why haven’t they completely taken over the grow world in the same way?
The Results
Compared to HPS grow lights, LED grow lights shine in every way. In particular, the light intensity and heat that they put out is something to be admired.
- Light Intensity. A lot of people worry about the kind of intensity that LED lights can provide. Compared to HPS lights, the intensity is near even. What stands out is that LED lights can’t compete when measured based on standards for these kinds of lights. LED lights, in tests, out perform HPS lights every time, even if they don’t seem to actually produce a more intense light. When testing them, LED grow lights were able to produce an even yield and seem to show that future advances in the technology will help increase the yield even more, especially when compared to HPS lights.
- Heat. If you are using HPS grow lights and have to constantly battle heat, LED lights offer an incredible advantage. Rather than spending extra money circulating air and attempting to cool it enough to not burn your plants, LED lights can nearly touch your plants without harming them in any way. Of course, if you grow in cold weather, HPS lights might still be beneficial, although it might often be easier to simply heat the grow room, rather than run the risk of using HPS lighting systems. The heat output of LED grow lights might increase as they grow larger and larger, but the current kinds used by many growers are warm to the touch, with none of the burning heat that conventional grow lights offer.
- Yield. LED lights have been tested on yield time and time again. Overall, most indoor growers that use HPS lights achieve a yield of .5 grams per watt. For comparison, LED lights usually achieve 1g to 1.5g per watt, making them up to three times more effective. With each harvest, you will have three times the product that you would otherwise!
- Lifespan. The average HPS setup lasts for around 10,000 hours. That is a long time when it comes to growing, but LED lights take it so much further. An LED light setup can last you 50,000-100,000 hours. That works out to 15 YEARS of quality indoor growing that is cheaper, more efficient, and easier than ever. A lot of people try different combinations of red and blue to get the perfect blend for their own purpose.
- Versatility. LED lights, compared to HPS lights, are much more versatile. The bulky HPS lights don’t offer much in terms of versatility. LED lights, however, can be positioned around your plants and relatively close, due to the lack of heat that comes off of them.
- Type Of Light. The type of light that LED lights put out as well is specifically tailored for the flowering and vegetative stages of growth. HPS lights put out the entire wavelength, but LED lights focus on blue and red spectrums that fit the needs of the plant and makes sure that every bit of light is used specifically for a phase of the growth process.
LED VS HPS Cannabis Harvest Results Video Demo
Check out this video that compares the harvest results from LEDs vs HPS.
LED vs HPS vs Kind LED Grow Lights Video Demo
Here you can see the comparison of LED grow lights vs HPS and vs Kind LED grow lights.
The Verdict
LED vs HPS Grow Lights: It should go without saying, but if you look at the above aspects there should be no doubt that LED lights are miles ahead of the current HPS lights. Of course, there are people who trust their old HPS setup, and have a lot of success with it, but if you can afford to make the switch, it is well worth the trouble. More efficiency, effectiveness, and overall product are easily found with these light kits.
>> Click here to find out more about buying LED Grow Lights online <<
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19 Comments
Quality LEDs will outperform HPS, I agree. But they get a bad reputation, because there are so many low quality lights out there that don’t perform as advertised. Also, there’s a bit of a learning curve when switching to LED. I think a lot of growers don’t get the results they expected on their first grow with LED and quickly decide LEDs don’t work.
Hps color spectrum goes out in 2to3 cycles how long does led spectrum last