Are you new to the world of LED growing? If so, the charts below will help you determine how much energy (by wattage) your plants require for flowering.
PPFD (umol/j/m2) and DLI is the correct metric for measuring useful light intensity over a given area. Coupled with the correct spectrum for your plant type and phase of growth, PPFD (and spectrum) are the keys to a successful grow. However, for the purpose of estimation, we will report wattage calculations in this article.
When we talk about wattage inthis article, we are referring to the wattage drawn at the wall, not what the manufacturer states as “LED wattage” – which is typically the product of the maximum LED wattage and the number of LEDs. For example, 300 x 3-watt diodes would be a 900 watt LED grow light. However, the LED grow lights might only draw 500 watts at the wall.
PPFD (umol/j/m2) and DLI is the correct metric for measuring useful light intensity over a given area. Coupled with the correct spectrum for your plant type and phase of growth, PPFD (and spectrum) are the keys to a successful grow. However, for the purpose of estimation, we will report wattage calculations in this article.
When we talk about wattage inthis article, we are referring to the wattage drawn at the wall, not what the manufacturer states as “LED wattage” – which is typically the product of the maximum LED wattage and the number of LEDs. For example, 300 x 3-watt diodes would be a 900 watt LED grow light. However, the LED grow lights might only draw 500 watts at the wall.
Grow variables
It is important to understand that the number of actual watts that you need for your grow will vary depending on:
- Plant type (high light or low light)
- Growth phase – Seedlings, vegetative, and flowering plants all require a different amount of light
- Total area of your grow – A larger grow area will require more power
What Size LED Grow Light Do I Need?
To work out what size of LED grow light you need, you first need to calculate the exact size of your grow space.
The Size Of Your Grow Space
When growing cannabis, a good rule of thumb is to use a minimum of 50 watts of light per square foot of grow space. We want to flood our plants with light ( food ) so that they have lots of energy to produce big potent buds.
Therefore, we need to calculate the square footage ( length x width ) of our grow space. We’ll then multiply this number by 50w to give us the rough wattage of light we require.
EXAMPLE: I have a grow space that is 2ft long and 3ft wide. This gives me a square foot grow space of 6 ( 2ft x 3ft ). I then multiply this number by 50w, which gives me 300w. Therefore, in this example, I would require an LED grow light that was at least 300w.
How Many Plants Can I Grow?
In general, each cannabis plant you grow requires at least 1sq ft of space.After germination, I like to pot one plant in a large 5 gallon fabric container, which has a diameter of roughly 1 sq foot. My plant will stay in this pot until it flowers.
This allows the plant to grow big and strong without other plants or tent walls obstructing its progress. Using this as a guideline, I would be able to grow between 1-6 plants in my example above.
Most led grow lights for marijuana usually be able to cover about 1- 6 plants. If you want to grow any more plans than this, I’d purchase multiple lights to hang side by side ( called daisy chaining ) to cover the canopy and ensure each plant is getting enough light.
The table below shows how the power of grow light you require increases with the size of your grow space. I’ve also included how many plants each size of grow light will be adequate for.
Note: 1 sq ft grow space = 50 watts LED grow light
You’ve probably heard about PAR. In simple terms, It’s the part of the light spectrum that your plants use for photosynthesis. So It’s a pretty big deal. The higher the PAR output of your light, the more edible light your plants receive. Take a look at the table below for the optimal ranges of PAR for each stage of your plans life:
Seedling: 200-400 (μmol/m2/s) Seedling
Veg: 400-600 (μmol/m2/s) Veg
Flowering: 600-900 (μmol/m2/s) Flowering
Ideally, you want to pick a grow light that outputs PAR in the ranges above. This pretty much rules out any LED grow light below 300w, as they simply don’t have enough power to generate the required levels of PAR. That said, keep in mind that these are optimal levels of PAR. Using a grow light that has less PAR output than these ranges will not be a disaster, you just won’t max out the potential of your plant.
If you’re still unsure which LED grow light to go for, then I’ve written a detailed guide to the best LED grow lights which you might find helpful.
Alternatively, the three LED grow lights below are perfect for a small grow set up of between 1 – 4 plants inside a 1 sq ft – 4 sq ft grow space.
Perfectly help you to save the energy and improve the environment of plant growing. DOUBLE SWITCH– Veg and Bloom button have different function. Veg switch: It’s blue led and white led. For seeding or young vegetative growth,you can use Veg switch only. Bloom switch: It’s red led and white led.for flowering/blooming,you can use both Veg and Bloom switches.
Full spectrum: the light include red,blue,yellow,white,and so on etc. which is similar to the sunshine,ideal for all kinds of indoor plants veg and flower at all growth stages.
Eco Farm 60w DIY LED full spectrum grow light adopt the humanized design, can be freely combined according to your needs. Each 60w grow light can supply the lighting for one plant. If you have more than one, you can use our free connection device to DIY , combined the grow lights together and adjust the position of each lamp freely according to your needs to ensure that the plants have perfect lighting effects.
The final takeaway
Ultimately, the size of LED grow light you’ll need depends on numerous criterions including your budget, crop type, grow space size, cost of maintenance and type of LED grow light. You should research the different brands of LED grow light products and their various sizes available to see which ones meet your growing requirements so that your garden can grow healthily and efficiently.
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