The Best LED Grow Light Bulbs for Vertical Gardening

Best LED Grow Light Bulbs

If you’re new to indoor gardening, you’ll find many LED grow light bulbs on the market. But, keep in mind that they may not all be suited to the demands of vertical gardening. Vertical gardening has grown leaps and bounds, as more people occupy apartments, condos, townhouses, and other smaller homes with limited space for planting and growing food.

Vertical gardening gives the grower the opportunity to utilize a minimum of available space to grow a maximum of plants. By using walls, stairs, fences, cages, shelves, and home-made racks, the modern urban farmer can still produce a decent crop for themselves in this limited amount of space.

Why Vertical Gardening?

Along with space considerations, vertical gardening is also going strong because it’s inexpensive, easy to maintain, and produces excellent results.

Think about that mostly unused balcony or patio of your apartment with the rusty lawn chairs and the small barbecue grill. Perhaps there’s an unused corner in your small backyard. Just imagine it coming alive with color and life and food and flowers. Now, instead of ignoring it, you’re checking the progress of those food and flower plants, grown by your hands. And sometimes, you get to snip off a few leaves of basil, a pepper, or a tomato to brighten up tonight’s dinner.

A simple rack or cage placed over a small pot can be all the real estate you need to grow vine plants such as cucumbers, grapes, kiwis, tomatoes, and melons. A simple set of drawers or small boxes can produce greens and herbs. There are also those plants that seem to do just fine growing from hanging plant pots such as tomatoes, peas, beans, eggplants, and peppers.

The idea is to utilize the available gardening space we have at our disposal in the most efficient way possible and plant items that can thrive using that space. The use of grow lights can even bring this practice indoors, allowing you to protect your precious plants from predators, insects, and other agents that can have a damaging effect on them.

Why LED Grow Lights Bulbs?

It’s very simple: You can’t grow anything without light. While some plants can grow successfully near a sunny window, growing garden plants indoors requires something a bit more specific to the task. You can have perfect soil and fertilize until the cows come home, but without adequate and proper lighting, 

plants with light
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you’ll fall short of your expectations. You need the right grow light to produce healthy, full blooms and a well-developed, juicy harvest.

Whether indoors or outdoors, LED grow light bulbs use far less energy than fluorescent or filament grow lights. Add to this the fact that they also produce almost no heat, last about five times longer, contain no mercury, and will not shatter if you accidentally bump them. Then, the LED light becomes even more attractive for growing in limited indoor spaces.

Some Things to Consider When Choosing a Grow Light

There is more to the growing indoors than just picking out an LED grow light, plugging it in, pointing it at your freshly planted seeds, and waiting for your bounty to spring forth. Different types of plants and planting conditions require different types of light.

Intensity

New seedlings will need lots of bright light. If they don’t get it in the beginning, they can get weak and thin as they struggle upward to find a light source. They will require a brighter light to get a good start. This can be achieved by either increasing the brightness of the bulbs or physically moving them closer to the seedlings. Because they produce little or no heat, you can move LED grow light bulbs can be moved very close to the seedlings without fear of damaging them.

Keep an eye on your new seedlings and adjust the light, so it remains a few inches above the foliage as they grow.

Duration

Vegetables require from 14 to 18 hours of light per day when using artificial lighting, so using LED grow light bulbs with an automatic timer will serve you well. Since LED lights cost so much less to operate, the time they are producing light will cost you a fraction of other lighting costs. Remember that plants also need to rest for healthy growth, so six hours of darkness will also help to keep them healthy.

Color

No one argues that natural sunlight will grow your plants better than any artificial light because it offers a full spectrum of light waves. However, with full-spectrum LED grow light bulbs, you can get as close to natural light as possible. LED full-spectrum bulbs can produce the proper balance of both cool and warm light that adequately replicates natural solar spectrum light.

Choosing the Right LED Grow Light Bulbs

Now to get down to the nitty-gritty: selecting the LED grow lights for your vertical garden. As usual, the primary considerations come down to cost, features, and quality. As with any product, the cheapest unit will probably not perform as well as a more high-end model. With that thought in mind, here are some of the best in no particular order.

Ledgle 300W LED full-spectrum grow light

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If you’re new to indoor gardening, you might want to begin with a capable but less expensive quality LED grow light. This 300-watt light from Ledgle has two modes. One for vegetables and one for flowers. It has a coverage area of 6 square feet and an 11-band full spectrum wavelength. Quite impressive for an entry-level lighting system.

It also boasts of two interior fans for heat dispersal and can be connected to other compatible lighting systems (called daisy-chaining). The protector diodes assure that all other lights keep working if one should go out. This is an excellent starter lighting system for those who want to experiment to see if indoor vertical gardening is for them. It has most everything you will need for a reasonable price.

Pros

  • Two cooling fans
  • Factory-produced spare parts are available
  • Suitable for indoor potted landscape or vertical garden
  • Inexpensive
  • 1-year warranty

Cons

  • Compared to most other 300W LED’s, it has a short optimal working time.

MEIZHI 450W LED Reflector Series grow light

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This MEIZHI full-spectrum LED grow light combines intensity and wavelengths to produce fuller, more robust plants in an indoor environment. Using only 195 watts, it still provides all the light power necessary for normal photosynthesis.

Easily switchable from veggie to flower mode, it alters its spectrum and intensity depending on the setting to provide better lighting and save power and money. The two internal fans keep any ambient heat away from your precious plants.

This unit has a coverage area of 16 square feet, making it perfect for limited growing areas. You can also daisy-chain it, which allows you to connect lights for a larger growing area. Every light unit is tested for 48 hours by the company before packaging. The MEIZHI proves an excellent choice for those more experienced gardeners who are ready to move up to a better-quality light.

Pros

  • Dual switch light for veggie and flower stages
  • Extensive coverage area for the price
  • Inexpensive
  • Very quiet (only 53dB)
  • Can be daisy chained
  • Energy saving

Cons

  • Runs a bit warmer than expected
  • Short warranty period (only three months)
  • Not a true full-spectrum light

Roleadro 300W Galaxyhydro Series LED grow light

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Roleadro designed this unit made up of red and blue grow lights. More red and blue lights create a condition that promotes increased plant development to make your plants greener, sturdier, and more productive. While not desirable in every plant growing situation, those green, leafy vegetables will benefit greatly.

The Galaxyhydro series is perfect for those types of plants. It has more blue and red lights than white ones. There are 3W chips to save power while continuing to provide brightness and glow. It comes with a 2-year warranty, and the company offers lifetime free consultation to deal with your questions. Not bad for what can be considered a budget lighting system.

Pros

  • Energy saving
  • Won’t overheat
  • Durable
  • Optimal spectrum for healthy and robust plants
  • Zero maintenance
  • 2-year warranty

Cons

  • Somewhat small coverage area
  • No provision for manually controlling the spectrum

TaoTronics LED grow light bulbs

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These low-price LED grow light bulbs from TaoTronics serve perfectly for those of you who are still deciding if they want to jump into indoor gardening with both feet. Easily the best LED bulb available, this model runs on nine red and three blue LEDs. This provides perfect lighting for plants requiring less or indirect sunlight. And it uses just enough energy to try one or two plants to see if you have the knack for indoor growing. This bulb needs no unique base to perform and can even screw into a typical desk lamp.

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • Fits any conventional socket
  • Long service life
  • Energy efficient
  • Very low heat
  • Very portable

Cons

  • Small coverage area
  • Only suitable for smaller and shorter plants

VIPARSPECTRA V1200 1200W LED grow light

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A high-quality light at a low price, the VIPARSPECTRA 1200W is a powerful, reflective, full-spectrum light with six internal cooling fans. Producing 1000 watts of lighting power but only using 524 watts of raw power, this light is perfect for growing in a 4-foot by 4-foot garden area. It comes with a 3-year warranty and also has a 30-day money back guarantee.

Pros

  • Full-band spectrum
  • Greater power at a low price
  • Light requires no ballast
  • 3-year warranty
  • 30-day trial

Cons

  • Not very durable, but a 3-year warranty increases desirability
  • Power consumption fluctuations reported by some users

Phlizon Newest 1200W LED Plant Grow Light

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Until now, we’ve discussed growing plants and veggies indoors for fun and personal use. Now, let’s touch on what lighting you might need if you are considering growing indoor plants for a living. The G8LED 900-watt MEGA has a coverage area of a staggering 24 square feet. Made and tested in the US, this system boasts of an eight-band spectrum including both infra-red and UV light. The G8LED may be a 900-watt system, but the internal fan system is so effective that it is still cool to the touch after 24 hours of continuous use.

Along with a powerful lighting system, you will also get superior customer service and a 2-year warranty. The components are top quality, drawing LEDs from the top names in the business, such as Epistar, BridgeLux, and Optotech. Quality is not an issue.

Pros

  • Uses the same lights for vegetables and flowers
  • Quality LEDs used
  • Stays cool
  • Extensive coverage area
  • Eight-band spectrum providing UV and IR.
  • 2-year warranty

Cons

  • Not recommended for beginners
  • Cannot be daisy-chained
  • Very expensive

Product

Details

Rating

Price

Ledgle 300W LED full-spectrum grow light
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Ledgle 300W LED full-spectrum grow light

  • 50 LEDs with 6W each, 300W in total
  • Adjustable socket
  • 3 switches for differentiated functionality
  • 11-band full spectrum wavelength
  • Coverage area of 6 sq. ft.
  • Two interior fans
  • Daisy-chaining compatibility

4.0 out of 5.0

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 MEIZHI 450W LED Reflector Series grow light
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MEIZHI 450W LED Reflector Series grow light

  • 195 Watts
  • Switchable from Veggie to Flower mode
  • Two internal fans
  • Coverage area of 16 sq. ft.
  • Daisy-chaining compatibility
  • Energy saving

4.3 out of 5.0

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Roleadro 300W Galaxyhydro Series LED grow light
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Roleadro 300W Galaxyhydro Series LED grow light

  • 100 LEDs with 10W each
  • Coverage area of 3 x 3 ft.
  • Two internal quiet fans
  • Full spectrum layout
  • 120 degree lens

4.5 out of 5.0

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TaoTronics LED grow light bulbs
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TaoTronics LED grow light bulbs

  • 12 LEDs with 3W each
  • Dissipation with umbrella design
  • Any conventional socket compatibility
  • Energy-efficient

4.4 out of 5.0

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VIPARSPECTRA V1200
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VIPARSPECTRA V1200 1200W LED grow light

  • 240 Leds with 5W each
  • LEDs angle of 90 degrees
  • Coverage area of 3.5 x 3.5 ft.
  • Advanced high speed quiet fans

4.4 out of 5.0

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G8LED 900W MEGA LED grow light
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Phlizon Newest 1200W LED Plant Grow Light

  • 900W veggie and flower light
  • Coverage area of 24 sq. ft.
  • Power draw at 540 Watts
  • 8-band full spectrum wavelength

4.4 out of 5.0

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Some Final Thoughts on Vertical Garden Lighting

While growing a modest amount of food in your home will not cut your grocery bill in half, there is a certain amount of pride and satisfaction in producing a part of your own meal. Since it’s a fact that the fresher your fruits, veggies, and herbs are, the better they will taste, it only stands to reason that those veggies and herbs you have grown yourself will add considerable improvement to the flavor of your salads, soups, and side dishes.

Ranging from very inexpensive lights to high-end costly LED large coverage systems, there are many sizes and types of LED indoor garden lights from which to choose. If you are just dabbling in the idea of indoor gardening and don’t want to make a substantial investment to start out, you may lean toward the Ledgle LED grow light or even the TaoTronics LED grow light bulbs. Both will allow you to get a feel for growing plants indoors without a significant startup cost.

If you have a bit more experience, the Roleadro LED Grow Light is an excellent medium-range LED light that will serve you well as you grow your veggies for your table or flowers and plants for decoration.

Perhaps you have developed your indoor gardening skills to the point that your hobby becomes both productive and potentially lucrative. In that case, you may want to consider the G8LED G8-900 LED grow light. At that point, you may be interested in nothing but the best.

But don’t just take our word for it. Always do your research before starting your indoor garden project. As much fun and as productive as it may be, don’t let an uninformed choice take all the joy out of this exciting and satisfying endeavor. Lastly, remember to research carefully before buying LED grow light bulbs, as every model has different capabilities.

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Last update on 2022-01-27 at 20:02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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