As lighting technology continues to advance, cultivators are starting to witness the benefits of replacing archaic HPS grow lights with intelligent LED grow lights. Beyond a reduction in energy consumption and utility costs, ambitious cultivators are actively looking to do more than just replace HPS with LED, they’re looking towards LED to advance product quality, increase yield and drive efficiencies in their supply chain.
For those growers that have bought already or are interested in taking the next step we have lined up 6 tips for maximizing your LED grow lights:
1. Keep an eye on your water consumption - A common mistake often made when growers switch from HID fixtures to LEDs is overwatering. HID lighting generate heat and contain high levels of Infrared light (IR) which helps dry out the soil and plants. As LED grow lights don’t generate the same amount of heat and no IR light, you as a grower need to be observant so you don’t overwater your plants.
2. Turn up the heat? - Growers using HIDs often rely on the heat coming from traditional grow lights. After switching to LED grow lights these growers (if not taken into consideration during installation) often experience a drop in temperature as LEDs don’t generate the same amount of heat as HIDs. This means that growers might have to increase the temperature in the growth facility for their crop to thrive. But don’t let this discourage you, thanks to LEDs energy efficiency the net savings of energy will still be positive.