If you’re looking for the best-LED lights for growing microgreens, then look no further! In this blog post, we will discuss the benefits of using LED lights for growing microgreens, and we will provide a list of the top LED light fixtures on the market.
Microgreens are becoming increasingly popular among health-conscious consumers, and with good reason! They are nutritious, delicious, and easy to grow.
LED lights are a great choice for growing microgreens because they produce little heat and consume very little energy. This makes them an ideal option for indoor gardening. In addition to being energy-efficient, LED lights are also long-lasting and durable.
They can last up to 50,000 hours, which is significantly longer than the lifespan of traditional incandescent light bulbs.
If you’re looking for the best-LED lights for growing microgreens, then check out the list below! These LED light fixtures have been specifically designed for growing plants indoors, and they offer many benefits that other types of lighting systems do not.
The Best Led Lights for Growing Microgreens:
About this item
- Full Spectrum – Barrina LED grow lights 4ft provide indoor plants with full-spectrum sunlight replacement.
- Super Bright and Hight PPFD – Consuming only 252W with 1152 LEDS totally, replace 1400w general plant lights. Over 95% light energy can be absorbed by plants.
- Easy Installation – With included tape, clips and cable ties, you could install the lights by yourself in minutes.
- Eyes protection – This grow light are suitable for planting plants in any indoor application. Sunlight white color makes your eyes feel comfortable.
- What You Get – 2 years warranty. 6 x Barrina LED Grow lights, 3 x Power cords with ON/OFF switch, 5 x Connecting Cords(48”), 6 x Small Connectors, 6x Installation Clips, 12 x Tapes, 24 x cable ties
About this item
- INSTANT ENERGY SAVINGS – Save more than 60% on your lighting and HVAC bill versus traditional fluorescents.
- READY TO GROW – Comes with (8) Active Grow Ballast Bypass 25W T5 High Output LED tubes designed specifically for horticulture use with a high total PBAR (280-800nm) output of 416 μmol/sec.
- SUN WHITE PRO FULL SPECTRUM – Professional grade production spectrum formulated to promote healthy vegetative growth, root development, tight internodal spacing and phytochemical production.
- DAISY CHAINABLE – Connect up to 4 fixtures on one 120V circuit to make for an easier and cleaner installation.
- LONG LIFE & GUARANTEE – Lamps feature an extra-long 30,000 hour lifetime & fixtures feature a 3-year warranty.
About this item
- LED Grow Light, 6 FT Grounded Power Cord, Hanging Chain, All Included in Package
- Save 50% electricity with 4 by 1 foot 200 watt LED Grow Light
- Only 200W can Retrofit 400W T5 Fluorescent Grow Light
- Convenient Outlet on Fixture; Can Power 5 Similar Fixtures with Only One Outlet
- UL Safety Certified
About this item
- Full Spectrum + Red + Blue. 3 packs LED grow light bars contains 96 pieces of efficiently growing LED Chips that provide perfect spectrum for indoor plants. 76 pieces of 3500K full spectrum LEDs provide sunlike light for plants, make plants grow just like in the nature. 10 pieces of red LEDs contribute to photosynthesis, germination, flowering and results. 10 pieces of 6500K LEDs help plants with chlorophyll synthesis to intake more energy for better germination.
- Dual Channel & 10 Brightness Levels. Our LED plant strips have 10 adjustable brightness levels: 10% to 100% to meet each plants lighting requirements at different stages. Dual channels can control one light bar ON, two light bars ON, all light bars ON, different kinds of plants or growth states, which require different irradiation time, which is convenient for you to control. You just need to press the middle button to select to open the specified channel or open all channels.
- 3H/9H/12H Auto Cycle Timing. The timer of led grow light allow you to turn it on and off at a pre-set time, which has 3H, 9H, 12H 3 timing modes, 3 color lights correspond to the 3 modes. When the indicator is off, the timing function is off. ATTENTION: This timing function is 24H cycle timing. In the case of continuous power, the cycle will work, and it will be invalid after power off.
About this item
- Optimal Full Spectrum – Kihung T8 led grow lights are full spectrum between 400nm-800nm, infinitely close to sunlight, to improve growth performance for all growing stages of the plants(Germination to flowering). These plants growing lamps also have Ra95+ and 3000K color which is eye-friendly.
- V-Shaped with Reflector – These 2ft grow lights come with the reflector, which increase the light efficiency 17~20%. Reflectors make the light more concentrated and provide more PPFD value for indoor plant. If you would like a large area grow lighting, just need to remove the reflector, these full spectrum grow lights will has 270° beam angle.
- Easy to Mount – These led grow lights are easy to mount. You can easily hang the light up by included zip ties, or using the clips to fix these grow lights to the ceiling.
- Safety & Energy Saving – These T8 grow lights are tested for safety. The surface temperature will not exceed 60 degrees. Aluminum’s characteristic quality is that heat dissipates quickly but the inside is flame retardant.
- Package include – 8 x 2ft led grow light, 4 x 59” power cord, 8 x 48” connector cable, 8 x small connector, 32 x zip tie, 16 x ring buckle, 16 x screw, 8 x end cap.
We Recommend Led Lights for Several Reasons
- Lightweight making them easy to mount
- They come plug and play – no wiring
- You can drop them, and they don’t usually break – no glass
- Less heavy metals
- Cause no electrical interference
- Last 40,000 to 50,000 hours with no change in spectral wavelengths
- Prices are dropping
- Low heat output means plants can be grown in close proximity to the light source without fear of burning or scorching
- Little electricity consumption means low operating costs
- Long lifespan means bulbs do not need to be replaced often
- Intense illumination provides the perfect environment for growing healthy and vibrant microgreens
Additional Information and Essential Requirements
The essential requirements are as much wattage as possible and a light temperature of at least 4,000k but preferably higher, such as 5,000 to 6,500k. The light temperature, or K for Kevin, is the light temperature or color. The higher the number, the closer it is to sunlight or natural light.
How Many Watts of Light Does a Microgreen Need?
Metrics | Recommendation |
Watts | 20 watts per light |
Lumens | 1700-2000 |
Colors | Full-spectrum |
Kelvin (color temperature) | 4500K, preferable closer to the range of 6000-6500K. |
How Many Hours of Light Do Microgreens Need?
Plants are just like humans. They also need to rest. That’s why we use this method – simulating daylight – as long as it is daylight, we have lights on. When the dark was coming, the lights went out. Of course, you don’t do this by yourself every day. At least here, you can use an electric timer. We are using a similar one to this because it fits our needs.
FAQ
Well, you need to cover your seeds to prevent moisture from going out. So the germination phase is taking place in the dark. With the faster varieties, this phase will be just a few days. With some herbs, you will have a much longer period in the dark.
Microgreens do best with fluorescent lighting, especially T8 lights, at 1,700 to 2,000 lumens and 4,000K to 6,500K, which is their color or light temperature. Besides fluorescents, you can also safely use sunlight and LEDs for illuminating your microgreens.
This depends on the light source being used because the heat generated by the lights can burn microgreens if placed too close. Most LED strip lights do not generate enough heat to cause problems and do well 6-12 inches from the surface of the growing greens.
At least 2000 lumens. That’s all there is to it. Microgreens need a large enough light fixture (or a combination of smaller ones) to cover the space in which they’re growing. Fluorescent (including the “ice cream” CFLs) or LED lights will both work, although there may be cost differences
Well, in the beginning, you need to cover your seeds (our method is to cover with another tray, but you can use anything else), to prevent moisture to go out. So the germination phase is taking place in the dark. With the faster varieties, this phase will be just a few days. With some herbs, you will have a much longer period in the dark. To help you when to expose microgreens to light, we have gathered 20 of the most common varieties in a table, see below. In general, when seedlings are approx. 2-3cm tall (0,79”-1,18”) in the dark period, you can expose them to light.
With our setup, we have installed lights 22cm (8,67”) above the top of the containers, where microgreens are sown. We found that this is the ideal distance for all of our varieties, that I grow.
The light categories are incandescent, fluorescent, LED, and what we call metal vapor lights. The types of lights are regular (non-labeled), full-spectrum, and grow lights. Grow lights can be further broken down to red bloom and sun white.
For all intents and purposes, these types of lights are extinct. The world is going LED so don’t expect incandescent light bulbs to be available for purchase very much longer. They use too much energy, put off a lot of heat, burn out quickly, and their spectral wavelength isn’t that great for plants anyway.
These lights work by ionizing a mixture of gases in an electric arc. The different metals i.e., mercury and sodium, create the color intensity. Commercial growers use metal vapor lights because they are very powerful, and the spectral wavelengths are great for plant growth.
Metal vapor lights are expensive to buy and to operate. They also burn quite hot. For these reasons, vapor lights are not recommended for the home microgreen grower.
Fluorescent lights are commonly used by gardeners and microgreen growers. Although, most are now switching over to LED lights. Still, some growers swear that fluorescent lighting is the preferred light. Though more economical than incandescent and metal vapor lights, there are drawbacks to using fluorescent bulbs. The bulbs are made of thin glass and break easily. Also, they contain heavy metals and need to be disposed of properly. The two most significant drawbacks, though, are that they lose their brightness, and the ballast that powers the light can cause interference with electrical devices.
Conclusion
The best-led lights for microgreens are the ones that provide light quality similar to natural sunlight. This means they should have UV, blue and red wavelengths in them. It is important for these plants because it helps produce chlorophyll which absorbs green hues from other spectrums of light so their leaves can turn a vibrant green color. Yellow or orange-colored LEDs will not be as effective at this task since there is no spectrum overlap with greens.
Some people think you need to go out and buy expensive LED grow lights but really any good fixture with all three colors will work just fine! We’re leaving out natural sunlight, but don’t forget, microgreens placed in a southerly facing window (in the northern hemisphere) will grow just fine. I hope you found this article
I also think, when growing microgreens just for your own food, you really don’t need any light, if you have the option to have a window sill with daylight or some other space with direct daylight. But this depends on what you are trying to achieve.
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