Welcome to this post ,In this post You will learn what is Hydroponics ,what equipment need for running a Hydroponics system and what are the best led grow lights for Hydroponics .I hope you will enjoy the article. We picked here the best led grow lights in 2022 for your hydroponics system.
Table of Contents
An Overview Of Hydroponics
What Is Hydroponics?
Hydroponics is the process of growing plants without soil. You might raise plants in liquid nutrient solution. You could have plants in an artificial rock bed with nutrient solution flowing through it. And hydroponics systems may have plants floating in the brown water tank of a wastewater processing plant.
Airponics is a variation of hydroponics where moist air carrying nutrients is blown through pipes. In every case, hydroponics allows you to raise more food in a smaller area, because you control the growing environment.
Hydroponics is a popular choice for raising seasonal crops year-round; this includes lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and herbs. Hydroponics often results in plants growing far faster than they would even if raised in rich organic soil because you’re delivering the ideal amount of nutrients in a form the plants can readily absorb.
What Equipment Do You Need for Hydroponics?
The first thing you need for a hydroponics setup is a system for delivering nutrients to the plants. This is generally done by putting plants in trays that will let the nutrient solution flow past the roots of the plants, though you can put plants in trays where their roots hang down into the nutrient solution.
This solution is similar to fertilizer but contains far more nutrients than fertilizer, since it has to replace the nutrients found in soil, as well. Growth media supports the plant as it grows. This could be pearlite, polyurethane foam, gravel or some other neutral material.
You’ll need a water pump to move the nutrient solution along with a reservoir to hold the nutrient solution and water. We won’t recommend airponics, because most plants don’t handle it well, and it is much more difficult to maintain than a hydroponics system.
In most hydroponic systems, you need a timer. It will control the water flow and lights, and it may control the ventilation, too. LED grow lights are essential to successful hydroponics projects. The goal of every hydroponics system is to increase crop yield. That is only possible when you provide the ideal light spectrum for plant growth as many hours a day as possible. Let’s look at some of the best led grow lights for hydroponics.
Top 5 Best Led Grow Lights for Hydroponics Reviews
01.Bestva Brand 2000 Watt LED Grow Light
This LED grow light contains a number of 10 watt dual chip LEDs. This reduces its energy consumption compared to other LEDs. It has a very high lumen output per watt. However, while the manufacturer describes it as a 2000 watt LED grow light, it is really equivalent to a 1400 watt HPS bulb. This is still rather energy efficient, since it uses as much power as a 400 watt HPS light.
You can set this grow light to “veg” for growing leaves. The “bloom” setting is perfect for seedlings as well as flowering plants. You can also turn on both switches to get full-spectrum light. There’s no complicated control board to make this change.
This grow light puts out less heat than average. That makes it ideal for heat sensitive plants, and it is a good choice for grow tents with limited ventilation. It is made to cover a 7 foot by 7 foot grow area at 24 inches.
These grow lights cannot be daisy chained. On the other hand, the manufacturer provides almost everything you need with the grow light. For example, it comes with power cables and the hanging kit as well as protective eye wear.
One issue with LED chips in general is that you can lose an entire row of lights if there is a short. An issue with this model is that minor electrical glitches and material imperfections can turn the red LEDs orange over time. That prevents it from putting out true red light.
Defective bulbs are impossible for the average do-it-yourselfer to replace, though that’s common for chip LEDS. A problem specific to this one is that the lights tend to start failing after just a few months of use, and you can’t get replacement parts or customer service. Not all owners experience this, but perhaps five percent do. Just don’t expect it to last two years of continual use. The lifespan is even shorter in a humid environment.
This is the best LED grow light for those who want to maximize growth at various phases, whether you want roses to grow tall, straight stems or leafy greens to come in fast.
Pros:
- Energy efficient
- Low heat output
- Covers a large area
- Can quickly switch from full spectrum to red light to blue light
Cons:
- Light output less than advertised
- Problems with lights changing color or dying
02.Mars Hydro Brand TS 1000 Watt LED Grow Light
The Mars Hydro grow light is designed to provide full-spectrum light to a hydroponics system. The manufacturer says it puts out 1000 Watts of light but consumes less than 200 Watts of power. This model is usual for being able to draw power from both 120 volt and 240 volt AC power outlets.
This grow light is designed to cover a 3 foot by 3 foot growing area at most. It is ideal for replacing natural light for plants in a 2.5 foot by 2.5 foot growing area. However, its light spectrum is best for vegetative growth. You can’t set it to mostly blue spectrum growth, such as when you want plants to grow tall or accelerate seedling growth.
The manufacturer provides everything you need in one kit. It comes with a hanging kit, power cables, thermometer and timer. The last two on that list typically have to be bought separately. You can dim the lights via the controller in the power supply. Note that it isn’t made to be daisy-chained.
This is one of the quietest grow lights on the market. It doesn’t need a fan to keep cool. However, it does put out some heat. This unit is not suitable for heat-sensitive plants. This is the best led grow lights for hydroponics systems that are small and full of heat-loving plants like tomatoes and peppers.
Pros:
- Full-spectrum light
- Quiet
- Energy efficient
- Can use both residential and industrial power plugs
Cons:
- Small coverage area
- Heat output
- Can’t have just blue light
03.Review: Giixer 1000W
Giixer is a company specialized in led grow lights, and does not present itself other than by the reviews from their customers. This says quite a lot about their confidence in their products. The offer is very good and the prices are super low.
What you’ll receive:
- Led power: 1000W
- No. of leds: 100 pieces
- Power: 110W
- Main led chip spectrum: 410nm-800nm full spectrum
- Input power: 100-240VAC 50/60 Hz
- Power factor: >0.9
- Dual switch & dual chips full spectrum plant light
- RED light: increases the plant yield up to 35% – 50%
- BLUE light: supports the growing speed up to 30% higher than sunlight
- WHITE light: optimum plant development during all the plant’s life stages
- Size: 31 x 21 x 6cm
Pros
The new Dual-Chips 10w led lights system proves to be bigger, brighter, more efficient, and cost-effective, by consuming only 110 watts.
There is a Double Switch, to choose between Veg and Bloom, which are two different operation modes. The Veg mode includes blue led and white led. This is the optimum light for seeding and sprouts growing, and generally for the entire period of plant’s youth.
The bloom mode generates the red led and the white led. This is the function dedicated to the flowering, blooming stages. You can choose to use the Veg mode alone, or just the Bloom mode, or both modes simultaneously.
The Leds have a protective glass panel together with two cooling fans, which render it very efficient and capable to provide a continuous 24/7 use.
Giixer 1000W doesn’t generate a lot of heat. Its size is moderate thus being very good especially for beginner growers or for those who need this type of Led grow lights just on a seasonal basis.
All types of plants, citrus, orchids, vegetables and so on, seem to be thriving under this light.
Cons
The pully seems difficult to adjust, and it cannot be hanged down from the support point more than a foot or so. They are, also, quite noisy.
Please remember that this product is a low budget one, it does the work very well, however it is not the top of the market when it comes to light intensity.
04.Review: Viparspecta 2020 New Pro Series P1500
This is a professional led grow light for big crops and especially commercial use. The manufacturer, Viparspecta has more than 10 year experience in this area. The products bring in a reliable material and high quality in all their features.
What you’ll receive:
- Led Chip: High Intensity SMD leds
- No. of leds: 450 pieces
- Input: AC100-240V, 50-60Hz
- Lifespan: 100.000 hours
- Size: 13.7 x 11 x 2.6 inch
- Vegetative coverage at 20’’: 3×3 feet
- Flowering Covering at 16’’: 2.5×2.5 feet
- Average power draw: 150W±3%
Pros:
Viparspectra Pro Series P1500 led grow lights provides high levels of par. This makes them highly efficient and recommended for indoor horticulture plants of various types, from tomatoes to medicinal plants.
The light spectrum is designed to optimize plant cycles and increase crop output with a low consumption of energy and little operating costs.
The Pro Series P1500 is recognized as the most durable led grow lights on the market.
The model is dimmable, and you can choose the various par values at the same height of hanging.
It has a super bright white light, no fan noise, which ensures a quiet environment for your plant development. There is a large aluminium heat sink which ensures heat dissipation.
Cons
Though the Viparspectra led grow lights do their job very well, all year-round, the results are not as remarkable for the flowering stage, as compared to the veg one.
05.Review: Wills 600W
This is the upgraded full spectrum led grow light, double switch, for indoor plants hydroponic growing. Willis is a specialized led grow lights manufacturer, dedicated to designing all types of full spectrum lights of high quality. They render your planting efficient and easier.
What you’ll receive:
- Led angle: 120
- Led chips: 10W double-chips of 60 pieces each
- Working voltage: AC85-265V
- Working environment: -20C – 40C, 45%RH – 90%RH
- Lifespan: over 50.000 hours
- Consumption: average 135W, energy saving
- Size: 12.5 x 8.3 x 2.4 inch
- Germination & Growing stages: at 24-30 inch height, 18 On/6 Off (Veg On mode)
- Flowering & Fruit stages: at 18 – 24 inch height, 12 On/ 12 Off (Veg & Bloom On modes)
- The package includes: 600W grow lights, thermometer, power cord & adjustable rope, hanging hooks kit
Pros:
Wills 600W provides an upgraded full spectrum led system, scientifically engineered to grant the best par output, coverage and yield boost. This is a very versatile led grow light, for all indoor hypodronics applications, for all plant stages, having the two options Veg and Bloom, that you can turn on separately, or at once.
It excels at energy saving, with a consumption of only 102W. Wills is designed with a robust heat dissipation system which expands the leds’ lifespan. It has a Daisy chain with 2 cooling fans.
Cons:
Some items may stop operating after only a few months of use, due to manufacturing issues, most probably. You may also find sometimes, that Wills service does not respond with the promptness that you could expect. Anyway you should not forget that Wills 600W is a product in the low price category.
06.Review: Growstar 1200W COB LED
This is the Growstar Reflector Series 1200W led grow light, with a high par value CREE COB full spectrum light. It is a product ideal for all types of indoor plants. The manufacturer, Growstar has been on the market for 9 years, and it is specialized in researching and developing environment-friendly and user –friendly led grow lights.
What you’ll receive:
Full spectrum lights for all plants stages: veg and bloom
- Led angle: 90
- No. of leds: 112 pieces with high intensity double-chips of 10 watt + 4 pieces of 20w CREE COB
- Input voltage: AC85 – 265V
- Frequency: 50-60Hz
- Core coverage: 5.6×4.9 feet at 12’’ height
- Maximum coverage: 9.2×10.5 feet at 24’’ height
- Lifespan: 50.000 hours
- Size: 15 x 13 x 2.5 inch
- The package includes: 1200W led grow lights for hydroponics, power cord, hanging kits and yo yo hanger
Pros:
Growstar 1200W offers the optimal full spectrum from 380nm to 780nm. It uses the 4x3000K high par value COB, designed for indoor plants during veg, flower, and fruit stages, for increased speed in crops. The CREE COB leds are one of the best led chips on the market.
They come together with their own designed and 3000K COBs. Growstar 1200W delivers energy saving and simple use. It has an energy consumption of 250 watts, which is pretty good for this market. The product is equipped with speed cooling fans, with a built-in aluminium heat-sink and aircraft heat-conducting iron shell, which increase leds’ life by keeping them cool, all the time.
Cons
After a period of a few month the Growstar 1200W tends to cloud in its clear cover, so it’s not anymore able to run full-time, and the coverage area gets reduced. This becomes an issue due to its cheap materials.
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07.Review: Morsen 2000W
The Morsen 2000W is a full spectrum led grow light is dedicated to greenhouse hydroponic indoor use. It is a high efficiency, energy-saving leading technology on the market. Morsen company invests continuously in research, design, development, production and testing. Thus you can have the guarantee to receive the best on the market.
What you’ll receive:
- Led chips: 200 leds, double-chips
- Coverage area: 4.5 x 5 square feet
- Led angle: 120
- Lifespan: 100.000 hours
- Certificates: CE, ROHS
- Actual power: 365w
- Size: 24.33 x 8.46 x 2.48 inch
- RED light: 144 leds
- BLUE light: 36 leds
- WHITE light: 16 leds
- IR: 2 leds
- UV: 2 leds
Pros:
The lighting area and height of Morsen 2000W are changeable. It can be set differently for each plant stage, and different breeding environments.
It is generally considered that Morsen 2000W has a state of the art cooling system. It comes with 4 UL certified cooling fans, high level of heat dissipation, an isolated power supply and low noise production.
The par value is determined by the height of the hanging point. The closer the distance the higher the par value. For plant growth cycle the optimum height is 12 – 24 inch.
All greenhouse plants and crops will thrive under this led system.
This is a very robust led grow light.
Cons:
Morsen 2000W is not water-proof. After approximately 6 months, some of the led lights stop functioning, thus the equipment’s performance is diminished to the point that it becomes unfit for plant growing.
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Summary
Understand the needs of the plants you’re growing to identify the right equipment for growing them hydroponically. Choose the right grow light for your hydroponics system if you want to maximize yield as well as crop quality. These above lights are suitable for your hydroponics garden. These lights are very good for the plants.