Raising crops outdoors, in natural soil with sunlight is still the best way to go when growing plants. Ask any farmer and they’ll likely agree. Growing cannabis is no different. But it doesn’t always work that way, as climate conditions and other factors tend to force growers indoors. As cannabis and other plant technology continues to advance, the difference in the product grown outdoors compared to indoors continues to decrease.
As you might already know, the thriving cannabis industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and growing quickly. One sector of the cannabis industry that has seen impressive growth has been that of grow lights. Both the technology of grow lights and the bottom lines of grow light manufacturers has seen a significant boom within recent years.
Perhaps the main reason for the advancements in grow lights can be summed up with only 3 letters: LED. Light emitting diodes are taking the indoor cannabis grow scene by storm. LED lights can be much more cost effective, energy efficient and accurate than they old school counter parts. This, in turn, has helped breeders and growers improve the quality of their indoor cannabis.
Highly efficient LED’s are so interesting and profitable that even national tech publication Wired magazine did an entire feature story on them.
According to the article in Wired, “LEDs offer two main advantages: One, they give off specific wavelengths of light that can be fine-tuned to the plant and its stage of growth. That’s why you see so much blue mixed with red, or magenta, light. Two, they use much less energy than traditional bulbs. Indoor marijuana farms are a notorious energy suck, and stories abound of illegal farms getting busted by their electric bills. Legal growers can save money and burnish their eco-conscious reputations at once.”
We won’t dive into the best wavelengths of light for each cycle of growth, but you get the point. LED grow lights will let the grower precisely tune the wavelengths for each plant. The inventor of Blue LEDs even won a Nobel prize last year. As technologies continue to improve and strains better understood, there could be recommendations for best wavelength strategies for optimal health and growth of each and every strain.
How about that for understanding where your medication comes from? Compare these amazing technological advancements in legal cannabis to that of the black market, where you’re lucky to know exactly what you’re getting, let alone know you’re getting the same quality product a second time.
We want to hear your thoughts! What do you think about LED technology?
LED’s still suck and way way way way way overpriced. I know what’s in their little box. what a ripoff.
The science of light emitting diodes has been around for years. There is no magic in creating LED devices. You just need to listen to the people who know the spectrum.
I’d like an update on the 3 watt vs 5 watt LED heat and productivity if anybody is looking for subject matter for an article. A few years ago 3 watt LED bulbs were much better, the heat waste in the 5s did not justify the extra light.