Hydroponics growers in the twenty first century have several more options than hydroponics growers had a generation ago. One of the newest and most exciting developments is the advancement of LED grow lights for hydroponics. These lights have the promise to not just provide bigger yields and faster harvests, but also cause less heat related damage and bring some relief to growers electricity bills. But if you decide to make the jump to this newer method of growing, you simply can’t use all of the same techniques you used while growing with metal halide and high-pressure sodium lights. While most of the skills you have picked up as a hydroponic grower are transferable, growing with LED lights still has some unique conditions that require special instructions. If you follow these simple steps, you can be assured that you will get the most from your LED grow lights.
Don’t Allow Your Grow Room to Become to Cold – If you live a chillier part of the world, you may have been relying on the heat that comes from your traditional grow lights to keep your grow room at an optimal temperature. After you make the switch to LED grow lights, you will probably notice a significant drop in temperature. This might mean that you will have to purchase a heater attached to a thermostat to keep your grow rooms sufficiently warm. Don’t worry though, even though you will need to use an extra piece of equipment, you still will be making a net savings in energy if you factor in how little energy LED grow lights use.
Be Careful Not to Overwater – You may have a spent a long time finding the optimal watering conditions for you plants. But many find that after they make the switch to LED lights, the exact same watering regiment leads to overwatering. This is because the lower heat levels cause less of the water to evaporate from your medium. After you start using LED grow lights, make sure to look for the signs of overwatering. If you suspect that your plants might be suffering from root rot, you may want to try foliar feeding so your plants get sufficient nutrients while you correct the problem.
Don’t Be Afraid to Situate the Lights Close – The closer you place the lights, the more intense the light will be for the plants. If you have been using bulbs with a particularly high heat output in the past, you might have some reservations about placing lights close to your plants for fear of causing heat damage. But since the heat output of LED grow lights is significantly less, this is much less likely to happen. So you should feel free to experiment with placing the lights more closely than you have before. You may find that the increased intensity can increase photosynthetic activity and plant growth. You should also make sure to place the lights closer when you are using a CO2 generator. The higher concentrations of carbon dioxide mean that there is an increased demand for nutrients and light.
