One benefit of the trend toward marijuana legalization is that professional and commercial cannabis cultivation facilities have been freed up to focus on crop quality and consistency. The need for better quality cannabis plants is further driven by consumer demand and by new regulations that have been enacted in states that have legalized medical and recreational marijuana. Those regulations variously call for written standard operating procedures and commitments to follow good manufacturing practices. As cultivators adapt their operations to meet new regulations, they will need better tools to achieve high quality standards and improved yields. Advanced LED grow lights give cultivators a direct and immediate tool for that quality control.

The Advantages of LED Grow Lights

A majority of indoor plant cultivation facilities have already switched to LED lighting for economic reasons. An LED grow light system will typically generate the same or better illumination than a traditional indoor system with less than half of the electrical energy input.

Moreover, LED grow lights are more durable and require less routine maintenance than other systems. Because old technology like Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium lamps (bulbs) have rapid depreciation curves, the effectiveness of those lamps will lessen almost immediately, negatively affecting crop yield. The combined cost savings from lower utility bills and fewer maintenance obligations allows growers to devote budgetary resources to cannabis crop improvements, including for example, more effective fertilizers and better hydration systems.

A significant added advantage of advanced LED cannabis grow light systems is that they allow a cultivator to fine-tune the wavelengths of light to match the plant’s needs at different stages of the growing cycle. Cannabis plants derive their green color from chlorophyll A and B, two forms of chlorophyll that manufacture food for the plants and that react differently to different wavelengths of visible light. With color-tunable advanced LED grow lights, and SpecGrade’s Full Life Cycle color spectrum, a cultivator can encourage leafier cannabis growth during the plant’s vegetative stage. Deploying the optimal wavelength concentration in this manner results in stronger, leafier plants that generate larger crop yields. This level of specificity has allowed advanced growers to ratchet up the available THC and CBD yields from their plants, breaking records for potency and concentration.

LED fixtures also operate at substantially lower physical temperatures than other commercial grow light systems, which allows cultivators to mount advanced LED fixtures in closer proximity to the plants without exposing those plants to excess radiative heat. The lower physical operating temperatures of advanced LED grow light systems also simplify the temperature control processes in large indoor growing facilities. Consistent growing temperatures will also contribute to larger yields and better quality plants.