Grow Tips - LED Grow Lights for Indoor Plants

Now that you have your LED grow light, you must use it properly for optimum growth and yield.  The biggest mistakes people make with LEDs are not having enough light and not placing the light at the proper distance. If you do not provide your working area with enough light coverage, you can expect less than robust growth. Similarly, incorrect light placement will not have optimal results. Placing a light too close will stunt growth, too far will cause stretching. Follow the recommended coverage areas listed on the Details Page of each light for optimal light penetration and coverage. Keep I mind that there are many variables to indoor growing, so you may want to add or remove some light depending on your own specifics.

Keeping the proper distance between your LED grow lights and your plants is important to robust photosynthesis and growth.  Your LED grow light provides the wavelengths of light your plants need for growth and flowering. G8LED grow lights are formulated to the photosynthetic activation radiation (PAR) wavelengths necessary for plant growth.  Plants will reach for the much coveted light source just like they grow towards the sun in outdoor conditions. The general rule of thumb is to increase the distance between the top of the plants’ canopy and the light source as the light becomes more intense. This means that hydroponic LED grow lights of different power ratings will perform best at different distances. A smaller, less intense light like the 120 Watt LED Grow Light can be lowered to 18-24 inches from the top of the canopy. Larger lights such as the 450 Watt LED Grow Light should be lowered around 30-36 inches from the top of the canopy. More intense lights such as the 600 Watt LED Grow Light should be kept 36-42 inches from the top of the canopy of your plants.

Since LEDs do not emit great amount of heat like MH/HPS systems, you can better regulate the room temperature and the temperature immediately below your light. Ambient room temperature can be 82 degrees instead of 72 degrees during lighting and can go as low as 60-65 degrees when the lights are out. Be sure to use less water than you would normally use as LED lights emit much less heat than conventional methods.  Wait until your soil is a little bit dry before watering again. You should also use 30% less nutrients as compared with MH/HPS when growing with LEDs

Do not work in your grow room when it is supposed to be dark in the OFF cycle. The plants need the dark time to rest and light intrusion will negatively affect their growth. If you must work during the OFF cycle, use green light bulbs for lighting as the green light is reflected by the plants and will not disrupt their sleep schedule.

Vegetative State

During the vegetative state is when you will start to reap the benefits of your LED grow lights. During this period you will save on your electricity bills and get superior growing results if you properly follow the general tips listed in this section. In the vegetative stage, plants need less intense lighting than in the flowering stage.

Turn your LED grow light ON for 18 hours a day and then turn the light OFF and leave your plant in the dark for another 6 hours. Your plant will need up to 6 weeks of this cycle to be ready to start the flowering stage. Before flowering, give your plant 24-48 hours of complete black darkness.  This will trigger flowering.

Flowering

Now that you have successfully completed the vegetative state and then given your plant 24-48 hours of complete darkness, your plants are ready to flower. Keep the same dawn time or the same start time for the day. Even though the flowering stage requires a shorter ON schedule, the start of that schedule should be at the same time as it was during your vegetation stage. For example, if you started your day at 5am for vegetation and kept your lights on for 18 hours, keep the 5am start time during flowering but only keep your lights on for 12 hours. This mimics natures shortening day schedule as the season changes to the autumn harvest period.

Remember that the vegetative state requires more nitrogen and during flowering you need more phosphates. Don’t give nutrients too often as this can cause your plant to get nutrient burned. You should use about 30% less nutrients with LED grow lights as compared to MH/HPS systems. Do not overwater and do not harvest too early.

Cloning

LED grow lights are great for cloning plants. Proper usage of LED grow lights will multiply the number of plants you have in a methodical and environmentally friendly way. Cloning require only 2-3 weeks in the vegetative state.  Use an 18-20 hour ON cycle for your clone and spray it with water intermittently. As with the vegetative state, when your plants are seedlings the light can be lowered to within a few inches of the top. As the plants start to grow adjust the light upwards a few inches at a time.