5 Best LED Grow Lights South Africa – Full Spectrum, Quantum Boards and DIY

LED lights are commonly used for growing marijuana indoors. Why is that? If you’re running an indoor or hydroponic grow operation at home, you could definitely benefit from these LED Grow Lights in South Africa. They will deliver high-quality plants and produce the best yields.

Below, we explain in more detail why you should use LED lights for growing cannabis and where you can find the best LED Grow Lights South Africa has to offer.

Grow Lights For Sale in South Africa

In the last 5 years, LED lighting has really stepped up. Our recent research showed that a 320W LED grow light gives off the same light output as a 600W HPS grow light. This difference helps saves a chunk on electricity, but it’s not the only benefit of these lights.

We have reviewed some of the best LED grow lights for sale in Durban, Cape Town and the rest of South Africa, to help you make an informed choice.

If you’re looking for more information on how LED grow lights work, and what to look out for, we’ve got an in-depth guide after these reviews which explains every aspect of LED lighting you could imagine. You’ll also find some other types of grow lights as well as a few accessories.

Full Spectrum LED Grow Lights in South Africa

Apart from saving electricity, the best LED lights offer full-spectrum lighting, like the products we’re about to review. The idea of giving plants only one light spectrum (blue or red) is old-school.

Full spectrum LED lights gives your plant a wider light spectrum, incorporating blue, red, and other colours into one light source. This is closer to what the plant would be experiencing in nature and allows you to use one light throughout the plant’s life cycle (veg and flowering).

Below are some amazing full spectrum LED grow lights in South Africa that can be fitted into any home grow situation. Some of these grow lights need a power connection and a little set-up before your bud can benefit.

 

California Lightworks SolarSystem 275

The SolarSystem 275 Grow light from California Lightworks is one of the strongest horticulture LED light you can get. Not only is it full-spectrum, but you have the option to purchase the accompanying remote control to program the light spectrum yourself – talk about controlling plant growth.

You can turn the spectrum to your deep reds and blues to allow for accelerated growth or set it to ‘view’ to jump in and work with your plants. The larger SolarSystem 550 and SolarSystem 1100 provide much more power and also have a third ‘white’ spectrum option to incorporate a mode of colours.

This grow light will cover just about 1㎡ of the plants in the bloom stage and 1,5㎡ in vegetative stage. This makes it perfect for small home-growing projects. You can also link up multiple California Lightworks SolarSystems 275 lights to cover larger growing areas.

The grow light controller allows you to take full control by setting custom light recipes or by using the digital clock and built-in calendar. This is great for mimicking seasons and making sure you don’t forget to turn your lights on/off without needing to worry about buying a separate timer.

This grow light is made in the USA but is now available in South Africa. It also comes with a 5-year warranty.

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Quantum Board LED Grow Lights in South Africa

Quantum boards for growing offer a supercharged LED fixture that produces a higher lumen output, has a lower energy usage and distributes heat better than other high-end LED grow lights.

Most quantum bards are made using full spectrum white lighting. However, there are some that offer supplementary red, UV, or IR lights which can help enhance certain phases of plant growth.

LED Quantum Board Grow Light 100W

The Samsung LED Quantum Board grow light is made up of a combination of Samsung’s LM301H and Osram 660nm diodes. This grow light is a white light, meaning it’s full spectrum and offers a highly efficient light with a whopping 15,000 lumen.

To ensure minimal heat is produced by the grow light, a trusty passive cooling system (heat sink) and diffuse light have been integrated into the design. These features allows you to bring the light much closer to your canopy than with other high-powered lighting.

This quantum board provides enough light to cover 1,5㎡ during vegetation and 1㎡ during flowering. The rig uses 100W of power and is very efficient with a rating of 2.8 μmol/j. It uses a Meanwell XLG 100 unit that can convert AC100-240V.

To top off a great grow light, this rig has an estimated lifespan of 50,000 hours, that’s over 4000 days of light for your plants!

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KingBrite J-Series Quantum Board LED Grow Light

The KingBrite 204W Quantum Grow Light has state-of-the-art horticultural LM301H LED chips and Epistar IR and UV chips. This LED grow light can be used for an extensive range of indoor plants, including marijuana.

It comes with supplementary LEDs to increase the available red, UV, and IR light. This combination of Samsung LED and Epistar LED lights is what helps make these lights so special.

Because of the heatsink and LED technology, this quantum bar produces very little heat and is able to have a no-fan design. This allows for quiet operating that won’t get your neighbours or housemates upset.

This ready-to-use grow lamp can cover over 1 square meter or 2 plants. The array of full spectrum light will ensure the most efficient photosynthesis and flowering in your plant.

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Green Houston LED Quantum Board

This 320W LED Quantum Board has recently been upgraded to include LM301H Samsung diodes and a far-red CREE XP-E2 to enhance the red light spectrum. On top of this, the overall aesthetic has been improved by tucking away wires, removing old connectors and making the grow light more sustainable and water-proof!

Green Houston created this quantum board with the grower in mind. The Samsung diodes and large aluminum heat sink produce less heat, resulting in a cooler grow room, less energy consumptions and even greater yields. What more could we ask for?

Although this Quantum grow light can cover a large space of over 2 square meter, its sleek design gives you the freedom to hang it in the best possible place. This light includes all you will need, as well as two hanging ratchets.

 

Other Kinds of Growing Lights and Accessories

While LED grow lights are the most sought after, there are various other kinds of grow lights, like the HPS and Metal Halide lights. The latest technology improves the energy consumption and makes them perfect for indoor growing.

630W Lumii Solar Fixture

The Lumii Solar Fixture comes in two wattages, 630W or 315W. However, the 630W is just made up of two 315W bulbs, each with its own on/off switch. This is beneficial for when you are growing different yields or need to alter the amount of light your plants are getting.

This light consists of a reflector and ballast with gradual start technology. The light emits extremely high PAR levels, allowing plants to maximize growth through photosynthesis.

These 315W Solar CDM grow lamps can be fitted into the fixture. These good-quality lamps have low power consumption and heat output. This lamp can be used for both supplementary lighting, alongside your other grow lights, or stand-alone lighting.

 

CFL Imitation LED Grow Light

While CFL grow lights in South Africa are sought after, they have a lower lumen output to LED lights, aren’t as effective for adult plants and can release harmful chemicals that could destroy your plants.

This 4U CFL Imitation LED bulb offers the same advantages but without all that negative energy. They are great for dotting around in the areas you need extra light or replacing old CFL grow lights.

12V DC Digital LED Light Timer

Digital LED light timers will help keep your lights on the correct on/off schedule in your grow environment. It can be used on many other appliances, but for convenience and accuracy, we would recommend buying a digital timer for your grow operation.

It’s a huge help to be able to leave your grow alone for a few nights, for whatever reason. It’s a real plus knowing that your light cycle is staying perfectly in sync even if you’re not there to check up on it.

Here are some of the features of this LED light timer:

• This digital timer is user-friendly and easy to operate
• It has a built-in rechargeable battery – this means you won’t lose your real-time clock or programmed settings in the case of a power failure
• 17 Program settings
• Day, Weekday, Weekend and 7-day settings

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The Popularity of Cannabis Grow Lights in South Africa

Now that it’s legal to grow weed in South Africa, many people want to start growing their own bud to the best of their ability. If you want to grow high-quality marijuana, you need to make sure that you understand how LED lights help with growing weed. When you properly understand how to use LED grow lights, Cape Town and South Africa’s blistering sun can’t even keep up.

We’ve heard that LED lights are the future of growing indoor cannabis. So let’s get started and cover the A-Z of growing marijuana with LED lights.

6 Benefits of Using LED Grow Lights to Grow Cannabis

Using an LED grow light can be beneficial to the growth cycle of your plants. There are many benefits to using these lights for growing your buds, and here are some of them:

• Switch up the colour spectrum which is beneficial for your plants
• LED grow lights are energy efficient
• Lower exposure to heat
• LED lights have a better longevity
• Save on water usage
• Digital timers for growing weed
• LED Grow lights can be used for both soil and hydroponics setups

Manipulate the Colour Spectrum of Your LED Grow Lights

Plants benefit from different colours in the spectrum at different stages in their growth cycle. During the initial growth stage, blue LED grow lights are the best to use. Red lights are used when the time has come for your marijuana to begin flowering or budding.

To avoid using two different types of lights for different stages in the growing cycle (metal halide bulbs and high-pressure sodium bulbs), you should consider switching over to LED grow lights. This means that you’ll have the best of both worlds in one product – blue and red spectrum lights!

The use of LED grow lights will give your marijuana plant the right colour spectrum at each stage of the growth cycle. Normally, you can switch different bulbs on or off at different times in the growth cycle.

LED Grow Lights are Energy Efficient

Using LED grow lights to grow your buds is much more economical than using traditional lights. LED lights can produce the same wattage as traditional lights, but the energy output of LED grow lights are half that of traditional bulbs.

The use of LED grow lights will have the same effect on your sweet Mary-Jane’s growth, but your electricity bill won’t go through the roof.

Lower Exposure to Intense Heat

Marijuana is known to produce a lot of heat during its growth time. Metal Halide or high-pressure sodium bulbs also produce a lot of heat. The heat coming from the traditional bulbs and the cannabis create a high-exposure heat environment, which quite frankly, can ruin the yield of your cannabis crops.

LED grow lights produce a very low amount of heat. So, the combination of very little heat from the LED lights and a lot of heat from the growing marijuana balances each other out. LED lights are a growing revolution and will protect your weed from potential overwhelming heat exposure.

This can be a huge advantage if you’re finding it hard to keep temperatures under control using a grow tent in South Africa’s climate.

The Longevity of LED Grow lights

LED lights will last you for years. Traditional lights are known to not last longer than 20 000 hours, whereas LED grow lights can last between 50 000 and 100 000 hours. You can do the calculations. LED lights will be the best cost-effective option. A good investment goes a long way.

Save Water, Save the Plant

Since South Africa has recently had a lot of water restrictions, we still want to use as little water as we possibly can. Growing marijuana can take up a lot of water, especially in a grow space with HID or CFL grow lights in South Africa. With LED lights, which gives off less heat, there isn’t a huge effect on the moisture in your growth room or on the soil of your plant.

Using LED lights will reduce the amount of water you use. All the moisture you will add to your growth operation will actually be used by your plants – reducing your water usage and ultimately saving you money.

Digital Timers for Home Grows and Grow Tents in South Africa

You need the best tools possible if you want your growing operation to be successful. Digital timers are great for indoor growing. A digital timer is essential if you’re not at home all the time, because it will allow you to monitor your lights.

One of the best benefits of using a digital timer is that it’s convenient. Using a digital timer means that you don’t have to frequently monitor your lights and turn them off and on your own.

It’s also the most accurate way of setting a specific time schedule for your plants. You can set the timer to follow the program you prefer, and it will automatically turn off the lights when necessary.

During the vegetative stage, it’s recommended that you turn on the lights for 18-24 hours.

During the flowering stage, you should have 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. Using a grow tent kit in South Africa can also give you extended control over your lighting, making sure no outside light is getting in.

LED Indoor Grow Lights, South Africa – Factors to Consider

Now that you know why LED lights are the better choice for your indoor cannabis-growing operation, we can consider the important factors for setting up your lights. We’ll be looking at the following factors:

• LED grow light wattage determines the distance from the top of the plant
• Your light schedule during the different growth stages
• Watts per plant for growing with LEDs

Distance of LED Grow Light from the Plant:

While LED lights don’t produce as much heat as normal lights, you still have to determine the right height of your light to not burn your plants. Different power ratings (watts) will perform best at different distances.

When you have a lower-powered light, like a 250 watt LED grow light you should keep it between 30 – 60 cm above the top of the canopy. Medium-range lights -between 600 and 900 watt- should be kept 35 – 65 cm from the top of your plants.

Last, but not least, high-powered lights, such as 1500, 2000 or 3000 watt LED grow lights, should be raised 60 – 90 cm from the top of your canopy. When in doubt, further away would be the best rule to follow. This is especially important for hydroponics in South Africa, as you want the utmost control over your environment down to the finest details.

Guideline: LED Wattage vs Distance from the top of the canopy

• 250 W | 30 – 60 centimetres
• 450 W | 35 – 75 centimetres
• 600 W | 35 – 90 centimetres
• 900 W | 40 – 90 centimetres
• 1500W + | 60 – 90 centimetres

Cannabis Grow Light Schedule for Different Growth Schedules

What do you need to know about the light schedule when using your LED lights in the vegetative and flowering stages of the growing process?

These light patterns mimic seasons which means that you can control when the flowering stage should start. Your cannabis plants won’t start flowering until they receive 12 hours of darkness each day.

This means they will continue staying in the vegetative stage until you add darkness to the grow space. You can keep your plants in the vegetative stage forever, as long as they will get more than 13 hours of light every day.

In the vegetative stage:

• 18 hours of light (some growers do 24 hours)
• 6 hours of dark

These are more commonly referred to as an 18/6 schedule. Some growers decide to give their plants 24 hours of light a day, because a lot of light means they will reach their maximum potential quite fast.

During the flowering stage:

• 12 hours of light
• 12 hours of dark

The flowering stage is referred to as a 12/12 light schedule.

Marijuana Grow Light, Watts and Grow Space

You want to make an informed decision before you buy LED grow lights for indoor usage. They can be quite expensive, so it is important to determine the size of your grow space. 400-600W per square meter is more than enough light for when you’re growing at home.

For a home-scale operation, you could even use LED lights with a wattage of between 250 – 300 watts. This will definitely affect your yield, but we all know how expensive LED lights can be. This will still work in a small space, so it will still be worth it to get a light with lower wattage.

Commercial growers might use 1000W+ to get a maximum yield. Just take note that the more lamps you add, the more heat will be produced. This is not great for the quality and growth progress of your cannabis crops.

Advertised wattage (LED Watts) is determined by multiplying the number of diodes by theoretical wattage. Let’s use an example: 192 X 5 Watt diodes = 960 LED Watts.

The actual wattage (actual power, power consumption or power output) you will get from your LED light will be listed under the product’s power output specification. In this example, the actual wattage for this product is listed as 450 Watts.

Why You Should Invest in Full Spectrum LED Lights South Africa

You might see people advertising grow lights referred to as full spectrum LED lights. Why are these specific LED lights important to use when growing weed?

A lot of people grow their plants (and their cannabis) outside with exposure to natural sunlight. Sunlight includes all the various spectrums of light needed for the process of photo-respiration to take place – like ultraviolet and infrared.

Full spectrum lights are specifically designed to imitate natural outdoor sunlight so that you can grow happy, healthy plants that will help yield better harvests. They are made to include most wavelengths needed for plants to develop to their full capacity. This allows you to grow popular outdoor strains in a better-controlled environment, giving you a better end product.

The best full spectrum grow light would replicate the light spectrum of the sun and allow you to adjust the light intensity to your needs. A full spectrum grow light would be the best to buy, because you can use it through the whole plant life cycle instead of switching between different grow lights for each stage.

Should you use COB LED in South Africa?

COB stands for Chips-on-Board, and is a new type of LED where multiple LED chips are combined as one module, essentially creating a lighting panel. COB Grow Lights are more energy-saving than normal LEDs, have a longer life, and produce a far better light quality than standard HID or halide bulbs.

As such, if you can afford to spend a little extra, COB LEDs are a great addition to any grow room or grow tent setup, whether you’re growing using hydroponics or growing in soil.

Grow Lights Suppliers in South Africa

Cannabis grow lights in South Africa are quite hard to find at grow shops in Cape Town and around. We’ve compiled a list of South African online stores above where you can find the best grow lights to fit your needs.

We hope you’re now a bit more clued up on the benefits of using LED grow lights in Durban, Joburg or anywhere else. They are energy-efficient, offer low heat-exposure and they’re a great long-term investment. All you need know is to find a grow tent for sale in South Africa and then you’re ready to go.

For greater cannabis yields and high-quality cured bud, LED grow lights are the way to go. With LEDs, you’ll be winning all the way – happy growing!