Aeroponics is typically done indoors for better climate control. As such, artificial lighting is an important component of an aeroponics farm.
In this article, we’ll look at aeroponics lighting along with rounding up some of the best products on the market.
Do You Need Grow Lights For Aeroponics?
The sun, of course, is the most powerful and natural source of light. However, if you are unable to supply an adequate amount of natural light for your aeroponics plants (such as in the case of indoor aeroponics), you will need artificial aeroponics lighting to compensate for that.
Depending upon the kind of plant you are cultivating, the cultivation stage, and the plant’s photoperiod requirements, aeroponics plants need very particular spectrums of lighting, color temperature, and luminous efficacy.
Aeroponics lighting operates through electricity, and can be used in the following situations:
- To provide all the light that an aeroponics plant needs for plant growth
- To supplement natural light, especially during winter months when daylight hours shorten
- To increase the daily ‘light’ hours, to trigger particular flowering or growth
Best Aeroponics Lighting
For the most part, aeroponics lighting can be standard grow lights used for any indoor setup. So, here are our top picks for the best aeroponics lighting.
This LED light can be found in two versions: a basic, reflector version, and an advanced version with dimmable features.
Being a full-spectrum panel, this LED light set covers the entire spectrum, ranging from blue light and red lights to IR.
The system allows users to daisy-chain the various panels together without requiring a larger number of power outlets.
This aeroponics lighting setup also comes with a cooling system consisting of fans, as well as an in-built aluminum heat sink.
The user feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, which shows that these LED lights perform as per expectations. They deliver a balanced and an adequate lighting situation, without producing excessive amounts of heat. The system is desirable for plants in both bloom and vegetative states.
This aeroponics lighting bar has a diameter of 4’ x4.5’ and a similar coverage footprint.
This product is effective across the complete footprint (regardless of height), which makes it better than many older grow light models, providing real value for your money.
In addition, you get ratchet clips and ropes for the installation.
The unique structure of this grow light makes it extremely suitable for vertical farming, personal greenhouses, and grow tents.
The light can also be folded into half, making it considerably smaller and easier for one person to carry and handle. The folding feature also makes it easier to store the light when it is not being used.
Also, the dimmer is not present on the light, but on the power cord. Besides, the length of the cord is in excess of 6 feet, meaning that you can place your light pretty much anywhere and still be able to control its intensity without physically having to enter your greenhouse, backyard, or grow tent.
The dimmer provides 10 different levels, along with an ‘off’ button that allows you to turn the dimmer off without having to disconnect it.
Last but not the least; the light has an aluminum frame containing an in-built cooling system, which helps maximize the life of both the aeroponics lighting and the frame. Moreover, the presence of a cooling system eliminates the need for a fan.
This is another very popular LED aeroponics lighting setup, boasting excellent ratings and reviews. Not only is it budget-friendly, but it fulfills almost every requirement that a small- or medium-scale grower might have.
Recently, the manufacturers introduced a second-generation variant of this light, offering stronger Epiled chips (5 watts, as opposed to 3 watts in the earlier model), higher spectrum range, improved cooling sinks, and a pair of cooling fans.
The panel is rectangular, containing full-spectrum LED lights. Each panel comes with Epiled LED chips of either 5W or 3W, depending upon the model. The two cooling fans and the large heat-sink manage the heat, and the panel also comes with hangers and a long power cord.
The lights are available in 600W and 300W rated panels. If you are a smaller-scale grower, we recommend going for the 300W panel, as it provides excellent lighting for both flowering and vegetative plants.
Spider Farmer is a brand that is synonymous with durability.
The LED aeroponics lighting are contained in an aluminum board, which means that the entire system remains cooler and produces less heat.
Moreover, the lights have been coated to create water resistance, and this step enhances the useful life of the board.
At $150, the Spider Farmer SF-4000 is far cheaper than many other light boards, but still manages to deliver reliability and durability for indoor aeroponics farmers, using Mean Well drivers and Samsung LED diodes.
The board is also 5’x5’ inches, and therefore larger than the boards of many other comparable models. You get a 2’x2’ footprint for flowers, and a 3’x3’ footprint for vegetative plants.
As part of its commitment to energy efficiency, Spider Farmer promises that the SF-4000 will require half the energy than what other LED SMD grow lights require.
Also, since the system uses such low amounts of energy, it is easier for it to stay cooler and not overheat. This means that you do not need to get a fan and endure unpleasant noises (and increase the energy consumption).
Advanced Platinum is one of the most renowned LED light brands, especially within the aeroponics and hydroponics communities.
The LED aeroponics lighting contains a quiet fan that can allow them to run for lengthy periods of time without overheating. You can find lights ranging from 150W all the way up to 1200W, which means that you are almost certain to find a light size that suits your growing requirements.
The product offers a full-spectrum 12-band output, ranging from ultraviolet to infrared lighting. For this reason, these lights can help plants at any and every stage of growth.
Since this brand is fully manufactured in the USA, it is slightly more expensive than some of the other products discussed in this section. However, the important thing to consider is the value for money, where Advanced Platinum certainly scores a 10/10. Alongside quality and durability, consumers also get to benefit from tremendous peace of mind provided through a 90-day money back guarantee and a 5-year warranty.
The Vivosun VS 1000 LED is effective and attractive in equal proportions and, at a very reasonable price of $150, it also offers tremendous value for money.
An 11.8’x11.8’ diameter means that this LED light is only slightly smaller than other similar brands. In addition, it has about the same coverage, which means that you do not lose a lot in terms of surface area.
In fact, an advantage of the light’s smaller size is that even a 2×2 grow tent can easily fit two panels.
Sosen drivers and Samsung diodes enhance the reliability of the product, especially for smaller-scale growers.
The unit is accompanied by rope hangers and a pair of UV-protective grow-room glasses.
The smallness of this aeroponics lighting unit means that it is more desirable for people who are only just starting off with aeroponics, or make use of shorter growing tents. Other than that, the competitive price means that the Vivosun VS 1000 LED light is also very appealing to growers on a tight budget.
Kind LED offers another high-end LED option for aeroponics lighting. The product has been created in California, and is one of the leading grow lights available on the market. It offers 12 spectrums, ranging from Ultraviolet to Infrared.
The thick aluminum 2CM heat sinks minimize heat and make sure that the system operates efficiently. Kind LED offers two types of LED lights: the K3 contains 3 diodes, while the K5 offers a mixture of 3w and 3 diodes.
The K3 is more effective for growing tents and indoor growing, and is primarily targeted towards small-scale growers. The K5 is a more premium version, offering more advanced features along with greater intensity and power.
Although the price is on the higher side, the company has a lot of faith in its product. This faith is evidenced by the 90-day money back guarantee and 3-year warranty offered to every Kind LED grow light buyer.
LED for Aeroponics Lighting Agriculture
The use of LED lights in greenhouses is common, and these lights typically use HPS (high-pressure sodium) lamps. HPS offers a long life and high luminous efficacy, both of which are high priorities for greenhouse gardeners and farmers. However, the one drawback of HPS is that its spectral intensity and wavelengths cannot be tailored for different types of plants. Moreover, the HPS luminous efficacy is determined through the human visual system, but plants might require different kinds of lighting efficacies.
On the other hand, LED lights can be tailored or ‘tuned’, which makes them more versatile and applicable. You can control and optimize the spectrum and intensity of LED lights, according to the requirements of the plant species that you are growing. Low heat radiation and better light uniformity, along with timed light exposure, can enhance the crop quality and yields for leafy greens as well as other types of produce.
Final Thoughts on Aeroponics Lighting
Aeroponics lighting is extremely useful in indoor farming, and can be used to either replace or supplement natural sunlight. If you were considering getting artificial lights for your aeroponics system, we hope that this guide was useful for you.
