Before you buy your first LED grow light, you should consider these factors and how they will affect your purchase. Remember that the best grow lights for your friend’s garden may not work in your garden.

What Kind of Plants Are You Growing?
Different plants have different light requirements and will therefore need different LED light types. You want to pick the right grow light for your plant’s particular needs. Some plants will need a strong light, while others may need a light with more reds than blues – it all depends on the type of plant you’re growing.

Take for example flowering plants. Most flowering plants need a low light spectrum so the blossoms will not be damaged. On the other hand, green, leafy vegetables need a higher spectrum with a more balanced amount of blue and red to produce vibrant and healthy leaves. How effective your LED grow light use will be, depends on choosing the correct light for your plants.

How Big is Your Grow Space?
The size of your indoor grow space is also an important factor in the type and number of grow lights you’ll need to buy. LED grow lights come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, wattages, and spectrums designed for a variety of spaces and plants, so it’s important to carefully measure your space (including height) and choose the light that’s right for you and your garden so everything fits comfortable, you do not damage your plants, and they can thrive and be healthy.

There are dozens of websites that will tell you how powerful of a light or how many lights you need based simply on the square footage of your grow space. These grow light calculators or lists of recommendations typically don’t take enough variables into consideration such as plant height or the goals of the grower.

Answering the question, how many grow lights do I need for a 3’ x 3’ space, for example, is similar to asking how much food does a teenager need or how long is a piece of string? There are many, many more variables to consider, such as, where is the grow space placed in relation to the sun, heat, etc.., are the plants in just one box; how big do you plan for the plants to grow; among many others.

The best option when deciding how many lights you need and how many watts, is to refer to the footprint recommendations for the light you’re considering. Rightbud, for example, puts this information front and center on their website to make it easy to shop for and compare different LED grow lights. Their expert support staff can also help determine the best light for you quickly over the phone.

What’s Your Budget?
There are countless places to buy cheaply designed lights made from subpar materials from companies that don’t know an LED from a black light, so it’s always best to buy from reputable, established stores such as Rightbud and buy the best light you can afford. As it is with most things in life, with LED grow lights you get what you pay for. If your budget is tight, there are numerous grow lights that will work for any budget.

What Growing Style Will You Use?
You will also want to think about how you’re going to grow your crops. Are you looking for the best hydroponic grow lights? Do you want the best grow lights for seedlings or for flowering plants? Are you looking for the best LED to grow plants with the sea of green (SOG) method? The answers to these questions is another factor in determining what LED grow light is best for you.