For many, the main reason is that they are relatively inexpensive when compared to the much pricier HID setup. This is especially true if you are growing a smaller number of plants. Our cannabis grow lights at a Pot for Pot are specifically designed for growing a small number of cannabis plants and are priced well under $200 – proof that high-quality lighting doesn’t need to be expensive. This was not always the case.
Affordability
When LEDs were first gaining momentum among growers, the technology was still fairly new and had not entirely been perfected. Think about how expensive and inconvenient cutting-edge technology.
Energy Savings and Privacy
Another thing to consider is how much money LED cannabis grow lights will save you on your energy bill. HID lights are good at what they do, but the amount of energy they use will cause your energy bills to skyrocket. This not only hurts your pocketbook, but it can also draw unwanted attention in your direction either by a landlord, a nosy neighbour, and/or the police. When people had to keep their cannabis growing activities under wraps, spiking electricity bills often gave them away. While cannabis is legal in more areas now, this does not necessarily mean that you want the whole neighbourhood knowing what you are up to.
Reduced Water Usage
As you are now aware, HID cannabis grow lights use a lot of energy, which in turn produces more heat. This dramatically increases the temperature of the grow room, causing your plants to consume more water. Cannabis is already quite the water hog when compared to other plants and growing even just a small amount of plants uses a lot of water. Any way to reduce water consumption is great for the environment, not to mention great for your utility bill.
Durability
Finally, LED cannabis grow lights last longer than HID or CFL bulbs, ensuring many years of good use before they need to be replaced. The conventional cannabis grow lights last for only 20 thousand hours give or take. In contrast, LED bulbs last more than twice as long, for up to 50 thousand, or sometimes even 100 thousand hours. That’s five times the life of HID lights!
Choose the correct lighting
CMH or ceramic metal-halide has come on the scene and the 315W CMH bulb is impressive, but a rather expensive upgrade for a standard MH or metal-halide lamp. Moreover, 315W CMH is not quite as high performance as a high-end dual spectrum/agro 600W HPS or high-pressure sodium lamp. Similarly, CFL shows some promise, but always runs a distant second to the tried and trusted HID. LED or light-emitting diode is the up-and-coming breakaway technology that looks to end the reign of HID for cannabis cultivation.
Conclusion
The latest generation of LED systems are now capable of producing comparable, and in some cases, superior quality marijuana than the average HID set-up. PAR or photo-synthetically active radiation is the metric that LED zealots to consider most important. For the many growers who are unable to cultivate cannabis outside in the free abundant sunshine, the cannabis grow lights are necessary to successfully grow cannabis indoors.
