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To avoid misunderstanding LED grow lights before you buy LED grow lights, besides knowing the terminology of grow lights, here are 8 things you should know.

Grow light models do not represent the actual wattage of the light

If the title of an LED grow light you see on Amazon or eBay assumes "Pro 4000W", this number does not represent the actual wattage of the LED. You can often find the actual wattage of LED lights in the product's specification description. And "Pro 4000W" is just one model of LED lights.

This figure is also not the equivalent wattage of HID grow lights. This does not mean that the Pro4000W LED grow light can replace the 4000W HID grow light.

Grow lights emit heat, and so do LED lights

All lamps emit heat when they are in operation. LEDs are just more efficient at converting electrical energy into light than HID lights, but that doesn't mean LEDs don't generate heat. Because LED lights cannot 100% convert electrical energy into light energy, according to the law of conservation of energy, energy can neither be created nor be destroyed, but it can be transferred from one form to another form, or from one object to another object. The total amount of energy in the process of transforming remains the same. So the remaining capacity is in the form of heat. 

LEDs generate less heat than HID grow lights. Why? The HID tube is filled with gas and metal, the gas aids in the starting of the lamps. Then, the metals produce light once they are heated to a point of evaporation, forming a plasma. HIDs require more electricity to produce the same amount of light as LEDs, so HIDs generate more heat. 

Power consumption is directly related to heat output

Lamps convert electrical energy into light energy and heat energy. The higher the power of the grow light, that is, the wattage, the more electrical energy is converted into light energy and heat energy. Of course, the lights are brighter and generate more heat. Excessive heat can shorten the life of LED grow lights. LED lights will adopt some heat dissipation design to prolong their life. For example, the Bestva Pro series and BP series grow lights use a smooth-finned aluminum heat sink on the back, which can dissipate the heat inside the lamp and keep the lamp cool.

There is no direct relationship between LED wattage and light output

Wattage (actual wattage) is not directly related to LED light output. The wattage only represents the power of the LED grow light, and the light output (PPF) should take into account the efficiency of the fixture. Different efficiencies, lights with exact same wattage may have different light outputs 

We can not be able to see all of the light emitted from LED grow lights.

LED grow lights are composed of many light-emitting diodes. If they contain far-red light and ultraviolet light, then when these lamp beads are running, we can see that these lamp beads are not bright. Because far-red light and ultraviolet light are invisible light. If your LED plant light contains both lights, it is normal for some diodes not to emit light.

Are brighter LED lights better?

For plants, LED lights are not as bright as possible. Lumens are a measure of the brightness of light seen by the human eye, but this does not apply to plants. What affects plant growth are light intensity, photoperiod, and light quality. So lumens are not the standard for judging the quality of LED grow lights.

Furthermore, plants need only enough light to grow. It doesn't make sense to provide too much light indefinitely, because plants don't increase their growth rate indefinitely.

The quality of the crop is most relevant to the light spectrum

The red and blue light in the spectrum are the most important for plants. Red light encourages plants to bloom and bear fruit, and the more red light means plants can have higher yields. Blue light encourages the growth of stems and leaves in plants, and more blue light means plants can have strong, healthy stems and leaves. 

Is the full spectrum better than the red and blue spectrum?

Full-spectrum grow lights have become a trend in the LED industry. Many LED brands are producing high-quality diodes that emit white light. So the full spectrum must be better than the red and blue spectrum? First of all, we need to know that red light can promote plant flowering and fruiting, and blue light can promote plant growth of stems and leaves. The red-blue spectrum contains only red and blue light; while the full-spectrum plant light simulates sunlight. The spectrum is the same as that of sunlight, and the light emitted is white light. Both of them have the effect of supplementing light to promote plant growth, but different crops should pay attention to choosing the most suitable one when choosing the spectrum.

For flowering and fruiting, it is better to use red and blue plant lights; for leafy crops, you can choose full-spectrum plant lights.

Whether to choose a full-spectrum plant light or a red-blue spectrum plant light depends on the plant's spectral requirements, light efficiency, power, growth stage and other factors. It is most important to find a formula solution suitable for plants.