These are our Plant lighting reviews of 3 of the best LED lighting systems available
If you’re like me, when you think ‘hydroponics’ you think water – not light. Unless you’re growing your plants in a windowless room it can be really tempting to try to wing it and just let the Sun’s power take care of rest. Yet, when we see results from successful hydroponics systems, we know light is an integral part of the system.
So, in today’s LED grow lights review, we’re going to take a look at some affordable lighting that you can add to your setup risk-free to see the difference yourself: A pro-level hanging full-spectrum system, a much smaller system utilizing bulbs that shine from all parts of the usable spectrum, and a table (or counter) clamping system with built-in light control and quick timer setup.
Lastly, at the very bottom, I have a specially-selected complete system built with lighting in mind. It has everything you need to be growing plants under LED light for the next three months and requires no planning. A truly buy it today, start this weekend system. Whether you have a system you’re looking to add lighting to or not, I still hope you’ll check it out!
We tested 3 products and found Monios-L T8 LED Grow Light to be the best Plant Lighting system in our review for the money.
So this is it! Our LED Grow Lights Review. No matter where your system is, including a greenhouse or on a windowsill, we could all use a bit more light in our lives, yes? No matter your budget, there is a lighting system that will fit it. However, the Monios -L T8 was our number one overall pick due to its universal T8 size, modularity, and easy plug-and-play setup.
3 Best Plant Lighting Reviews
- Monios-L T8 LED Grow Light 2FT, 144W(6×24W) High Output Plant Grow Light Strip, Full Spectrum Sunlight Replacement with Reflectors for Indoor Plant, 6-Pack – Best Overall
- LED Grow Lights, Full Spectrum Grow Lamp with IR & UV LED Plant Lights for Indoor Plants,Micro Greens,Clones,Succulents,Seedlings,Panel Size 12×4.7 inch– Best for Small Systems
- GrowLED 10-Pod Indoor Garden Germination Kit, Hydroponic Growing System, Food Grade Material Indoor Herb Garden, Nutrients Pre-Set Smart Soils Included, Automatic Timer, Height Adjustable (No Seeds)– Best price
1. Monios-L T8 LED Grow Light 2FT, 144W(6×24W) High Output Plant Grow Light Strip, Full Spectrum Sunlight Replacement with Reflectors for Indoor Plant, 6-Pack – Best Overall
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- Cost: $$
- Maintenance: Minimal
- Key feature: Best overall LED grow lights.
- Includes: 6X LED Grow Light Strips, 12X Reflectors, 3X Power Cords, 6X Connecting Cords, 6X Connectors, 6X Clip and Screws Pairings, 24X Double-Sided Stick Pads, 12X Cable Ties
- Assembly required: Plug and Play lights, but light frame mounting required.
- Shade Material: Aluminum
- Style: Modern
- Power Source: Corded Electric
- Best for: Large Plants
- Cool factor: Connected light strips give total freedom in design.
- Meh (Cons): Stick pads option not very good for dirty/dusty greenhouse environment.
The Monios-L is a fantastic all-rounder that no LED grow lights review would be complete without. This is the kind of light that professionals buy en masse due to the flexibility and staying power of the lights. Each of the six strips comes in heavy duty aluminum framing. There are multiple ways to mount them (hanging, cable ties, stick pads, and ceiling installation) included in the packaging. You don’t have to choose now and can, indeed, change your setup around by season or crop with little additional work.
This will help you easily take advantage of the great flexibility of the Monios-L’s six strips. As they can either be used in a classic, connected, rectangular style supporting dozens of plants or as individual strips growing smaller plant collections.
The lights themselves are full-spectrum, warm-white LEDs with a special V-shape to give wide coverage. The 24W bulbs are powerful, and sure to create some heat, but rest-assured that the aluminum housing is built with this in mind.
One small word of advice – don’t rely solely on the stick pads to support the lights. Greenhouses tend to get dirty, dusty, and wet. These three are the enemies of adhesives’ integrity! Clean and dry any areas using stick pads thoroughly before attaching… but, also go ahead and use a zip tie as backup before calling it a day.
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2. LED Grow Lights, Full Spectrum Grow Lamp with IR & UV LED Plant Lights for Indoor Plants,Micro Greens,Clones,Succulents,Seedlings,Panel Size 12×4.7 inch – Best for Small Systems
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- Cost: $
- Maintenance: Minimal
- Key feature: Best LED Grow Lights for Small Systems
- Includes: Grow Light (12X4.7 inch), User Manual, Power Cord, Hanging Kit (w/ 4 ropes)
- Assembly required: Quick assembly
- Shade Material: Plastic/ABS
- Style: Hanging Panel 12.2X4.7 Inch
- Power Source: Plug & Play with Corded Electric
- Best for: Small Plants, Succulents, and Seedlings
- Cool factor: 75 individual lights of varying colors.
- Meh (Cons): Could be bigger, but highly effective.
This is the super small, lightweight kit you’ve been waiting for to boost the growth of your seedlings, microgreens, or those 4 to 5 small succulent-in-a-jar wick systems you’ve been neglecting for ages.
One really fun thing about this system is that it has so many lights of various kinds. You have white light, IR, UV, blue light, and red light all coming from different tiny bulbs. When doing your own LED grow lights review for your setup, you can go through and block off lights at your leisure and get a keen understanding of how different types of light truly affect your plants.
Two things to pay attention to before buying this system – size and bulb brightness. This system is truly tiny at around half a square foot in size. That doesn’t mean it isn’t powerful (it really works) but it’s easy to imagine it being bigger before buying. Luckily, there are bigger models available if you like it!
The bulb brightness comes into play for the UV and IR lights. These lights appear really dim to our eyes, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t working or that plants can’t “see” them. Too many people are fooled by the darker lights – don’t be one of them!
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3. Plant Grow Light , Full Spectrum Clip-on Plant Growing Lamp with White Red Blue Bulbs for Indoor Plants, Dimmable Brightness & 3 Light Modes,Auto On/Off Timing 4 8 12Hrs – Best Indoor Light
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- Cost: $
- Maintenance: Minimal
- Key feature: Best Indoor Light
- Includes: Light with gooseneck wire, table clamp, and USB adapter.
- Assembly required: None
- Shade Material: Iron & Plastic
- Style: Strong Clamp with 3 color modes
- Power Source: Corded Electric with Adapter
- Best for: Indoor tabletop plants.
- Cool factor: Quickset timer and options.
- Meh (Cons): No computer memory.
This is the light that you want for your plants on the edge of the kitchen table or counter. In your personal LED grow lights review you will see many different kinds of lights with timers and color options, but you’ll rarely find one so simple. Just clamp the light on the edge of a table, bend the flexible arm into the right position, and turn it on. Within a few button presses to choose timing and light color you’ll have everything set up!
My advice for these lights is to install them in an area where you won’t want to move them. Just set them up in minutes and leave them doing what they do best! Why? They aren’t “smart” like many products you likely have nowadays and “forget” their settings as quick as your microwave in a power outage. If you unplug it during dinner time to make room for an extra chair, you’ll have to reset it again when you plug it back in. Not hard, but can be frustrating if you have to do it again and again.
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Plant Lighting Reviews Buying Guide
When selecting a plant lighting System you’ll need to pay attention to several factors.
Cost
Is cost a factor? Fully packed and featured systems are not always the best system.
Maintenance
How much attention will you need to give your system? Will it need weekly or daily water changes? How difficult is it to clean?
Key features
- Automation- Are you always working and never home? Is automation important for you to have in your system?
- Looks, labels, Markers
- System Size for your location
Includes
Do you need a complete system or can you figure out how to add the missing pieces?
Does it come with enough wire to reach the outlet?
How will you plug in multiple lights?
Assembly required
This is a big consideration for some and it may be why you are here trying to buy a system instead of making one for yourself.
Container Material
If you have kids or pets you understand that this is a big consideration, dependent on the location of your setup.
Reusable
How important is the sustainability of your system? Would you like to be able to reuse all the components each time you grow another round of plants? Is it important that the components are free of chemicals or pathogens? Is the manufacturing process of your new system eco-friendly?
Best for
Do you already know what you want to grow in your system? This is very important to keep in mind when selecting your new system as it will not be possible to grow some vining plants in any of these systems mentioned above.
Cool factor
Is the system going to be highly visible to house guests? Do you want to be able to brag about your cool new Kratky Hydroponic System when they come over or hide it in the pantry until they leave!?
Meh
All systems have cons. Keep a watchful eye on this category as it can easily be a purchase killer!
Installing Your Plant light system
Buy this system
