How to choose the right indoor marijuana grow lights

Growing marijuana inside your home requires excessive care. The most important thing that you need to keep in mind is the light and water. It is evident that if you grow marijuana inside, you need to set up proper lighting with marijuana grow light. There are various advantages of growing marijuana indoors. It is because indoor-grown cannabis has better quality than outdoor ones. That is why indoor-grown cannabis plants are used for medicinal and recreational purposes.

There are different types of marijuana grow light that you can use to them inside. The best quality of lighting will improve the THC level that enhances the weed quality. Another advantage of growing marijuana inside is that you can control the amount of lighting according to your need. These are some advantages for using marijuana grow lights compare to the natural light:

• To provide safety : When you grow marijuana outdoors, there is a huge risk for protecting them from pets and animals. While growing them with grow lights, you can monitor their growth and ensure safety.
• Cost-Effective : You may find that indoor marijuana grow lights are expensive, but that’s not true. There are different types of lights which you can opt for. For example, the LED grow lights are expensive, but they withstand several years which makes them a cost-effective option.
• Consistent Lighting : with the LED grow lights, you will provide consistent lighting to the plants at the right amount. You can adjust the lighting accordingly so that every part of the plants grows properly.
• Number of lights : You can choose the number of lights according to the size of your cultivation. Cannabis requires adequate lighting to grow properly. You can decide how much lighting you shall give to the plants.

What Do You Need To Know Before Buying Indoor Marijuana Grow Lights?

In the past few years, indoor marijuana cultivation has become very popular. For that, marijuana grow lights are an important component for cannabis. There are various types of grow lights for different purposes and capacities. If you buy the wrong type of grow light with different units of wattage, you will harm their growth. Firstly, you need to keep in mind that you are using the correct light by doing all the calculations.

If you are a beginner and trying your hands for growing weed inside for the first time, lighting is very important. Usually, there are three types of indoor marijuana grow lights- fluorescent grow lights, HID lights, and LED lights. These lights have different effects and consume different wattage. While choosing a light, you should know there are several factors while choosing a grow light. Also, different types of marijuana plants require different environments and lighting.

Factors to consider before buying a grow light

Before buying a grow light, there are several factors which you need to keep in mind. Improper knowledge of marijuana grow light can degrade the quality of the weed. These are the important points you need to think about before buying a marijuana grow light.

Colour spectrum of lights

When choosing indoor marijuana to grow lights, you should know about the color spectrum of lights. The cannabis plants require different types of lighting at different stages. During the vegetative stage, the plants require light with a blue spectrum. During the flowering stage, the red spectrum of light is efficient. Hence, you should choose lights that have a wide spectrum of lights.

Proportion of grow area and plants

This is the most important factor when selecting lights for grow weed. The lighting should be done in such a way that it properly distributes the lights to each and every plant equally. Thus, the size of your grow room will play an important role. You need to design your grow room in a certain way that every plant gets an equal amount of light, water, and ventilation. Also, no space and light should get wasted.

Adjustment of height

As it is mentioned, cannabis plants need different amounts of lighting at different growing stations. If you keep the lights too close to the plants, it can burn their leaves. Also, if the height of the marijuana grow light is too high, it will affect the THC levels of plants. You should regularly shift the plants accordingly to prevent the burning of leaves.

Maintenance

The maintenance of indoor grow lights is an important step to ensure adequate growth of cannabis. The power stability to control the voltage is an important step. Sometimes, the quality of grow lights such as HID and others may degrade. Also, the power of lights gets low. Therefore, you need to change the lights when they don’t emit proper lighting.

Schedule of lights

Do you know that along with the lights, plants also require darkness for some rest? They need a complete darkness duration of 4 to 6 hours daily. When you adjust your lights to maintain the daily consumption of the lights, a small mistake in the lighting schedule can affect the quality of weed. Thus, providing them with adequate lighting at different growing stages is crucial. 

Heat emission

There are many marijuana grow lights such as HID and MH lights that emit heat along with the light. The extra heat can affect the quality and texture of marijuana plants. It is because cannabis plants also need the correct temperature of heat. So, if you hand temperature and humidity separately, you should adjust that accordingly.

PPE factor

The full form of PPE is "photosynthetic photon efficacy." It is a measurement that is used or comparing the effectiveness of various light sources. It means the marijuana grow lights that have higher PPE than the ones with lower PPE capacity. With the knowledge of PPE capacity in different types of grow lights, you can also save your electricity.

PPE is a photon flux that is divided with the power of the electricity. Generally, photosynthesis occurs when a photon is being absorbed with the photo-pigment. A chemical reaction occurs even with a signified wavelength of the photons.

For example, a single hood HPS light with 400 watts has PPE measurement of 0.9 μmol·J–¹. Another HPS light with double end has 1000 Watt energy, then its PPE measurement will be 1.7 μmol·J–¹. So, you should choose the light which has higher PPE.

You can easily grow marijuana at home. If you have the right equipment and follow the procedure, you can become an expert easily. Through indoor cultivation of the weed, you can give attention to the growth of plants, their quality and note the slightest changes. You can also tweak the changes according to your choices. 

Weed obtained from indoor cultivation are fine quality and generally used for medicinal purposes. While growing marijuana inside, you have to create an artificial environment for your plants. Providing them with perfect lighting, temperature, humidity, and ventilation are crucial tasks. Hence, it should be done carefully. Otherwise, your efforts will go in vain and you may have to suffer loss.

Marijuana grow lights play a great role because it is not easy to provide lighting as outside cultivation. Also, growing marijuana inside is more expensive than growing outside. The electricity bill soars up due to the usage of different electrical components such as fans, lights, temperature, humidity, etc. So it is important that you take all the necessary precautions to reduce the risks and yield high-quality weed.

What kind of lights do you need for growing Marijuana indoors?

With the innovation of technology, the manufacturers are now producing efficient lighting options. These lights should be used appropriately. The indoor marijuana grow lights have different wavelengths and wattage. We have collected all the information that you need to know about various types of grow lights and their advantages.

LED lights - A cost Effective Option

LED lights are the best options among marijuana grow lights. They don’t emit any heat that can affect the quality of plants or soar up your electricity bill. The cost of setting up LED lights can be expensive, but it pays off all the money for its effective capability. You will find various forms of LED lights such as bulbs, panels, etc. which you can choose according.

Advatantages of the LED light

• LED lights have the best efficiency.
• Integrated cooling system
• Can produce more resin heads than other lamps
• Available in ultra-high power range options
• Does not always require ballasts

Disadvantages of the LED light

• LED light categories can be confusing
• Light must be kept above the plants
• High cost wihout energy saving mode

HID Lights - Effective and Budget Friendly

The full form of HID is "High-Density Discharge." If you have some budget constraints and want super-effective lighting, HID is the correct light. HID lights are made up of a hood that reflects lights from the two nodes of the bulb. The HID lights are found in two forms such as lights and filaments. HID bulbs have been largely used for the cultivation of marijuana indoors. 

Advantages of the Fluorescent light

• Ideal for growing in small areas.
• Can be placed close to the plants.
• Affordable electricity
• Easy simple to change.

Disadvantages of the Fluorescent light

• Can be far to the plants.
• Not strong enough to support all type of plants
• Lower cannabis yield per watt
• Low canopy penetration power

Fluorescent Bulbs - A Cheaper Option

Just like the HID lights, there are various types of Fluorescent bulbs available in the market. If you are opting for Fluorescent bulbs, then the capacity of the 100-watt bulb is efficient for the flowering stage. Also, 60 watt CFL bulbs are efficient for the plants in the vegetative stage. One of the disadvantages of Fluorescent bulbs is they are not efficient as compared to other mentioned bulbs. Along with that, every bulb will require a different socket that will make the task difficult.

Advantages of the HID grow light

• Low start-up cost
• Good canopy coverage
• High yields, generally high-quality buds

Disadvantages of the HID grow lights

• Must be kept away from plants (require high ceilings)
• Consume a lot of electricity.
• Bulbs require a lot of maintenance.
• Require ballasts, reflectors, and vents

How many grow lights do you need?

Other than installing and fixing indoor marijuana grow lights, you also need to do adjustments. These adjustments should be done according to the space of your grow room. The marijuana plants need proper lighting, ventilation, and temperature. You should design your room in such a way that no space and lights get wasted. Hence, you should always keep in mind about the type of growth you want to achieve. 

Proper ventilation will not only promotes plant growth but provides strength to the branches and maintains a consistent balance of humidity and temperature. Along with that, when the cannabis reaches the flowering stages, they release an unbearable pungent smell. By maintaining a good space and environment you can eradicate the smell too. 

Designing the grow room along with lighting is a crucial part. While doing that, don’t forget to maintain a specific distance, and lighting with proper wattage and other electrical components. 

Grow light for other plants

These different types of marijuana grow lights can also be used for growing other types of plants. Lighting factor is crucial. Lack of adequate lighting can make the plants turn pale green and white. Even you are growing different plants other than cannabis. After knowing which type of plants you are going to grow indoors, you can slowly add some supplementary lights.

There are various advantages of growing other plants indoors. Such as you can control the pests and control the weather as per the need. You can use different reflectors to increase the quantity of light. The marijuana grows lights should be kept above 12 inches. But, you should adjust the height regularly according to the plant's growth.

How to estimate

First, you need to calculate the amount of watt of your grow lights (it depends on low light and high light). The wattage should be calculated on an area per square foot. If you are growing in a larger area, you will require lights with more power wattage. You can also use grow light calculator for calculating and compare different types of grow lights. To install a grow light, you need to evaluate the indoor space and the type of bulb. Generally, plants need around 30 Watt light on every square foot.

How much does a grow light cost?

It is very important to use the indoor marijuana grow lights in the most efficient way. Every square foot and light should not get wasted. Excessive grow lights can affect the quality of the plants and can increase the electricity bill as well. The costs of grow lights depend on how you use them regularly. The LED lights are the most efficient lightings which you can opt for. As grow lights don't use that much energy, you can just ensure that your main power circuit is capable of handling different types of lights for a long period. 

If you are getting confused about how much energy will absorb your money, grow light calculator will help you out. The grow light calculators are helpful by calculating the information about the type of lighting, and energy hours. 

• Cost of energy in your area: You can easily search for grow light calculators online and simply fill in some information that required. You will be able to get the result according to the costs of electricity in your local area. 
• Growing stages: You will require different types of lightings at different stages of growth. Hence, the costs of grow lights also depend on plant growth. 
• Number of lights: It is evident that you would use several marijuana grow lights. Hence, the total wattage will be determined according to the number of lights. 

There are several other factors that will add up to the total costs of growing marijuana inside, such as fan, reflector, and so on. Proper ventilation is important for marijuana plants. Installation of exhaust fan regulates the temperature inside and strengthens the plants to grow. Reflectors are very costly, but also very useful. Hence, the final costs can be expensive that can affect your monthly budget.

Are house lights good for plants?

The house lights can be helpful for growing plants, but they cannot replace the effect of sunlight. You can use different types of lights at a large amount to ensure proper growth at a particular time. Another factor that comes along with the light is temperature. The temperature and humidity of the room will affect the THC level in the plants. Last, you need to maintain a suitable environment for plants.

Where is the better place to grow weed?

If you don’t choose a good place for growing cannabis, the plants will lose their effectiveness. As a result, you have to face losses. Factors like temperature, relative humidity, ventilation, and regular watering are crucial for any plant. Using marijuana grow lights are not enough for indoor cultivation. You should make sure that they are healthy and no pests are harming them. Indoor marijuana cultivation has advantages and risks. So, taking good care of the plants is very important.

Some tips and tricks for improving the marijuana growth

These are the following tips and tricks to improve the use of marijuana grow light and yield high-quality weed :

1. Choose the best quality of marijuana seed: Genetics of weed is very important. If you are cultivating marijuana in your grow room, always ensure that you choose the high-quality seeds.
2. Trimming the plants: Constant lighting can improve the growth of plants. It is also important to trim the plants to improve their vegetative stage. This will provide improved strain with better quality.
3. Be careful with the fertilizers: Some fertilizers can make plants lose their quality. Giving the plants to many nutrients can affect the taste and smell that will lower the THC content.
4. Don’t provide excessive water: It is said that if you want your cannabis to have a healthy growth, water them occasionally. Excessive moisture especially during the flowering stage will have a negative effect on the plants. Given too much water will decrease the THC percentage in your plants. 

There are various types of indoor marijuana grow lights that you can opt for according to your choice. Use our grow light calculator before buying these lights to have a better understanding results.