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What Size Advance Spectrum LED Grow Lights Do You Need?

Choosing the right advance spectrum LED grow light during the planting process is a key decision, but many people find it confusing. This article will help you understand how to select the advance spectrum LED grow light that suits your needs.


Understanding the Power Requirements of Advance Spectrum LED Grow Lights


Advance spectrum LED grow lights are widely recognized for their high energy efficiency, durability, and full-spectrum characteristics. These features make them the indispensable lighting choice in modern agriculture, providing an ideal spectrum close to natural sunlight to promote healthy growth and enhance disease resistance.


When selecting the advance spectrum LED grow lights, an important guideline is to ensure that at least 50 watts of light energy are output per square foot of planting space. This can not only ensure that plants receive sufficient photosynthesis energy but also help improve yield and quality.


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To determine the size of the LED grow light you need, you first need to calculate the exact dimensions of your planting space.


When growing cannabis, a good rule of thumb is to use at least 50 watts of LED grow light per square foot of planting space.


We want to flood our plants with light (food) so that they have enough energy to produce strong buds.


Thus, we need to calculate the square footage of the grow space (length x width).


Then we'll multiply that number by 50w to get the rough wattage of the grow lights we need.


Example: I have a grow space that is 2 feet long and 3 feet wide. This gives me 6 ( 2ft x 3ft ) square feet of grow space, then I would multiply this number by 50w to get 300w. Hence, in this example, I need a 300w advance spectrum LED grow light, at least.


Ensuring That the Advance Spectrum LED Grow Light Can Cover All Plants


Most LED grow lights typically can only cover about 1-6 plants. If you plan to grow more plants, you will need to purchase multiple lights to be hung side by side to ensure each plant receives the same amount of light.


The following table illustrates how the wattage you need increases with the size of your grow space and includes how many plants each size of grow light is suitable for.


Note: 1 square foot of grow space = 50 watts of LED grow light

Grow Space

Minimum Required LED Grow Light Wattage

Number of Cannabis Plants

2 sq ft (2×1)

100w

1-2 plants

4 sq ft (2×2)

200w

1-3 plants

6 sq ft (2×3)

300w

1-6 plants

9 sq ft (3×3)

450w

1-9 plants

12 sq ft (3×4)

600w

1-12 plants

16 sq ft (4×4)

800w

1-16 plants

20 sq ft (4×5)

1000w

1-20 plants

* In these cases, the size of the growing space will require you to purchase multiple plant lights hung side-by-side to ensure that the entire canopy receives light.


Matching Optimal PAR Output to Plant Growth Stage


PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) output is a key metric for evaluating the spectral performance of advance spectrum LED grow lights. At different growth stages, plants require different PAR values to optimize photosynthesis. For example, a PAR value of 200-400 μmol/m2/s is required during germination, while 600-900 μmol/m2/s is required during flowering.


With the guidance in this article, hopefully you will have a clearer understanding of how to choose the right advance spectrum LED grow lights for your growing project. Selecting the right advance spectrum LED grow lights for your grow space and the amount of light power you need will be simple and straightforward.