Ultra Efficient LED Grow Light Kit (240 watt)

This chart represents the PAR (“photosynthetically available radiation” or plant-available light output) over a 90 degree field of light dispersion measured perpendicularly to the longest axis of the grow light. As seen in the data, the output is impressively uniform averaging about 85% (144 PAR) of peak output (170 PAR) across a 90 degree field. This wide, even radiation pattern combined with the 46.5″ length of the grow light array is ideal for the Garden Tower® 2 application. The under-driven LEDs in the array boost efficiency, resulting in a very high effective PAR efficiency which creates more useful light with less power consumption (80 watts).

Q: How many 80w Grow Lights can I plug into a standard wall outlet?

A: Normal United States household wiring supports 15 amps of resistive load, this means you can run loads up to 1,650 watts continuously. That equals (20) 80 watt Garden Tower® Grow Lights. However, we recommend a maximum of 16 Grow Lights per circuit to provide a greater margin of safety (1,280 watts).

For maximum growth per watt of electricity consumed, three (3) 80 watt Garden Tower® Grow Lights is optimal.  For higher rates of production at a higher cost of energy, four (4) lights can be used effectively.

Q: Why should I buy more expensive LED Grow Lights instead of common florescent fixtures?

A: Several reasons:

1. Energy efficiency / cost of electricity.  High quality LED grow lights are much more efficient than T5 florescent fixtures and bulbs.  Our 4′ 80w LED Grow Light produces 44.9% more light (PAR) per watt of electricity consumed than a high efficiency 6.4k T5 florescent grow light.  In other words, the energy cost of operating florescent grow lights of equal effective light output (measured as PAR) is 44.9% higher than using this system.
2. Florescent grow light bulbs have a typical useful life (before they get too dim) of about 7,000 hours or about 18 months of heavy use. Compared to a rated life of 50,000 hours before LEDs dim to 80% of original output — the cost of the LED fixture is actually much lower than the cost of a florescent system with several replacement bulbs.
3. LED’s provide peak efficiency in the blue spectrum and red spectrum. These are the two areas of the sun’s radiation spectrum most used by plants to make energy through photosynthesis. This fundamental alignment of the LED emission spectrum to the PAR (photosynthetically available radiation) region of the visible light spectrum means that LEDs the MOST efficient at turning electricity into useful light for plants! This means faster growth, stronger plants, and lower energy costs.
4. Greater efficiency means less heat. Furthermore, the heat that is produce is pulled out of the back of the LEDs and into the aluminum case where it is radiated away from the plants; unlike traditional grow lights which all radiate water heat towards the plants.

Q: Why are these lights superior to other LED Grow Lights on the market?

We've listed a lot of information above, but the main reasons we are selling this fixture with these specifications are:

1. These are true 80-watt fixtures. That means they are pushing 80-watts of energy through 192 LEDs.  A lot of LED lights are advertised as high wattage, but if you test their power draw they are often misrepresented.
2. The diffusion pattern of these lights is ideal for close range use and they waste very little light spilling outside the 120 degree beam pattern.  From 0-90 degrees (45 degrees from the center in both directions) they have excellent output.
3. These lights feature rectified circuitry which means they have a constant output that is easier on the eyes, flicker free, and more efficient than lower cost LED fixtures. 
4. Our manufacturer back their lights against manufacturing defects for three (3) years from the date of purchase.  This is a commitment to quality that goes well beyond the industry standard of one (1) year.
5. These lights are designed for vertical and horizontal applications. That makes them flexible for everything from seed starting, growing plants to maturity in flats, lighting the top, sides, or corners of grow tents, or Garden Towers®.
6. The spectrum provided by these lights is balanced at 6.4K.  This is an optimized general-purpose balance that is very appropriate for vegetative growth as well as providing energy for flowering stages of growth as well.  For herbs and greens, this spectral balance is ideal.  For maximizing yields of flowering and fruiting plants (example: tomatoes), additional red light can be supplemented during the budding stage of the life-cycle to help force the maximum density of blooms.

Q: How much does it costs to run these grow lights?

A: These grow lights use 77 watts of electricity on average.  To calculate energy costs for a day of operation, just use the formula:

(0.077 kilowatts) x (12 hours) x ($0.15 KWh) x (1 light) =

$0.14 per day per grow light

or $0.42 per day for a set of 3 grow lights

Just adjust the formula for differences in photoperiod (length of light use use per day), differences in cost of electricity, or differences in the number of grow lights.

Q: How many hours per day should grow lights be on?

A: The day length or number of hours of light per day used by plants is called the photoperiod.  Different plants are sensitive to different photoperiods.  Some plants move towards a flowering stage of their life cycle based on short or long photoperiods, and others are neutral and flower based primarily due to other factors such as light spectrum or color.  For vegetative growth crops (lettuces, most herbs, other greens), your goal it to keep them in a vegetative state of growth for the fastest and largest production before bolting.

In very general terms, this can be usually be accomplished by not exceeding a photoperiod of 16 hours which provides 8 hours of rest for the plants. Most plants need a minimum of 6 hours of darkness or their health will be negatively impacted.  We suggest a few minutes of web research on the plants you plan to grow with the term “photoperiod” to find specific information for optimizing the performance of your indoor grow! Eventually we will put together an infographic with more information here on our site.