Lumens, Watts, Power Draw, PAR, Grow Area Coverage

Many growers ask us about the Lumen output of our full spectrum LED grow lights. Lumens is a measure of how bright a light will appear to the human eye, not how well a light will grow plants. Trying to rate a LED grow light by its Lumen output will not accurately describe the growing ability of the LED grow light. LED grow lights target specific wavelengths of the light spectrum needed for plant photosynthesis. Since the human eye is most sensitive to colors plants don’t need such as green, and least sensitive to colors plants prefer, Lumens can’t be used to accurately compare the plant growing capability of LED grow lights.

Wavelengths of Light necessary for plant growth

Here is an example that brings this idea to light. In movie production many scenes are filmed with a “green screen” background which later is filled in with whatever landscape is needed. The reason the screen is green is because this is the color most easily seen by the human eye. On the other hand, green plants reflect the green wavelength of the visible spectrum of light. G8LED lights sold by Dorm Grow LED do not have any green wavelength diodes as these are not the optimal wavelengths needed for photosynthesis of plants.

What is the best way to measure the strength and effectiveness of LED grow lights? The strength or intensity of the light can be roughly measured by the total power draw of the LED grow light. The higher the power draw, the more intense the light will be. Another measure is the photosynthetic action radiation (PAR) output of a grow light which measures the effectiveness of a grow light for photosynthesis or growth. PAR is measured in micro mole units or uMol which is also known as the photon flux density of light per meter squared per second. Effective PAR ratings should be above 600uMol to be highly effective in photosynthesis or the growth of the plant. G8LED grow lights have PAR ratings of 1200-3600 uMol which means they are very effective in growing plants! If photon flux density of light per meter squared per second is too confusing for you, we have simplified the specification and provided the recommended grow area coverage for each LED grow light. For example, the G8-240 will provide 6 +square feet of coverage, the G8-450 will provide 12+ square feet, the G8-600 will provide 18+ square feet and the G8-900 will provide 24+ square feet. If you have any questions regarding Dorm Grow LED’s line of full spectrum LED grow lights by G8LED please email us at info@dormgrow.com

Most of our clients ask us can we grow tomatoes indoor with LED grow lights?  The answer is yes.  This video is a time lapse of almost 3 months of indoor growing with our very own 450 watt G8 LED grow light.  The tomatoes came out perfect and they were very juicy.

We get a lot of emails from customers asking us “what is the best way to flower with LED plant lights?”  The question we ask them is “Did you complete your vegetative state with the LED?” Many people start growing under metal halide lights. They decide that they don’t want to deal with the heat and electricity expense anymore, so they turn to LEDs when it comes time to flower.  Switching to LED in the middle of a growing cycle will not yield the best results. Changing your lighting system is like changing the properties of the sun and expecting the plant to thrive. This is too stressful for any plant.  If you start with a HID system, finish up with a HID system.  The best way to grow and flower with a LED system is to START and FINISH with LEDs.

High power LED grow lights are designed by G8LED for vegetative growth AND flowering, so it is best to use them as they are designed. It is ok to take clones and put them under a LED system, but once the plant has gone through its vegetative state and has matured, changing its environment to a different lighting system is too stressful on the plant. If you introduce a clone to a LED system, it can adjust well because it has yet to go through its life cycle of vegetative growth and flowering. You can even grow from seedlings with LEDs.  The important thing is to minimize stress on the plant so it can thrive in your grow room.  Start with LED, finish with LED.   If you want to maximize your yield even further, add an all Red LED UFO grow light when you start to flower!