High Bay LED Grow Lights: Do They Work?

Grow lights for plants are useful tools in both commercial agriculture industries as well as residential gardens. They allow for plants to grow in low-light and indoor areas. If your space has little to no access to natural light, grow lights are a great artificial alternative.

Grow lights are capable of mimicking natural sunlight to facilitate the growth of plants. They contain similar qualities to sunlight, such as its particles and wavelength. These devices use sunlight replication to promote photosynthesis in plants.

Some grow lights, called full-spectrum lights, imitate the sun’s full range of wavelengths. Others only emit certain color light spectrums like blue or red.

Blue and red lights are the best for inducing photosynthesis. Blue light is better for vegetative and structural growth, while red light is better for flowering. For the best results, lights with both blue and red wavelengths inspire the most balanced and healthy plant growth.

Natural sunlight is always going to be the most effective light source for plants. However, if used properly, grow lights can produce nearly equal growth results. The two most important factors to consider when using them are positioning and timing.

Depending on the type of bulb, you should position your lights at different distances from the soil. Putting the lights too far from the plants will weaken the stems as it forces them to stretch for light. You also want to place grow lights directly above the plants rather than to the side to prevent the plants from growing lopsided. The ideal distance for LED bulbs, since they are stronger than incandescent and fluorescent bulbs, is 12-30 inches away from the soil.

Constant light can be harmful to plants, oversaturating them and even stopping growth altogether. Just like under sunlight, plants need a day-to-night cycle. So, turning grow lights off for a few hours a day can imitate nighttime and allow them to rest. Most grow lights have built-in timers that program them to automatically cycle on and off in a pattern.

When the plants are in a vegetative state, you can keep them under light for 16 hours a day. Once they begin to flower, you can reduce the amount of time to 12 hours a day.

Grow lights come in many forms, ranging from tabletop lamp fixtures to grow light stands to industrial utility lights. Depending on the type and number of plants you’re growing, there are certain bulbs and fixtures that will promote better plant growth.

For more large-scale indoor plant gardening, high bay lights have the strongest light output, as well as the most versatility in their fixtures. Spaces with high ceiling heights are ideal for high bays because of their high lumen count and wider beam angles. Both traits allow high bays to cover large distances with bright light.

The three main types of high bay lights are:

• UFO High Bays: UFO lights are circular fixtures that have lamps with wide beam angles to illuminate from tall heights. They are ideal for illuminating larger plants that need direct, concentrated light.
• Linear High Bays: These fixtures have elongated, rectangular lamps that allow for even stretches of illumination. For expansive gardens with long rows, linear grow lights allow for continuous lines of light while using less fixtures.
• Vapor Tight High Bays: For indoor gardens and farms that have large-scale watering or irrigation systems, vapor tight grow lights are ideal. Vapor tight high bays have sealed and gasketed fixtures to protect them from water and other harmful elements.

At the right ceiling height, LED high bay lights will provide just the right amount of light particles to allow plants to photosynthesize.

Out of all the options for grow light bulbs, LEDs have the most benefits and produce the best results. However, not just any LED bulb will work as a grow light. Only full-spectrum LED grow light bulbs share the traits of sunlight wavelengths. They also emit the widest range of color light spectrums as opposed to incandescent and fluorescent bulbs.

But more than color temperature range, it's the intensity of the lights that matters for plant growth. As long as plants have concentrated light with similar particles to sunlight, they will grow. UV lights have the highest intensity and emit the same wavelengths as the sun but are not the most cost-effective. LED lights are more affordable and offer the next highest intensity of any other light bulb.

Another benefit of LED lights is their low heat output, which means they don’t risk burning the plant if the lamp is too close. Their energy saving benefits also lower utility costs and make them more efficient to operate.

For large plant-growing facilities, the best choice for lighting is high bay LED lights. This is because they are efficient, affordable, and versatile. High bay lights with suspension-mount capabilities can hang from the ceiling at heights specific to a plant's needs.

Do They Work?

One of the main questions asked about LED grow lights is how well they actually grow plants. No light grows plants as well as sunlight, but full-spectrum LED lights are the closest imitation of it. LED lights can start seeds, accelerate growth, improve nutrition, and even rescue plants that are dying. As long as you position them properly and cycle when they are on, LED grow lights will grow your plants in indoor environments.

HomElectrical offers a wide selection of grow lights, including LED grow bulbs, horticulture strip lights, high bays, and more. Find the perfect high bay grow lights for your plant projects today!