Why does your LED Grow Light dim after one year of operation?

Among expert growers, LED Grow Lights-one of the main tools-are increasingly preferred in indoor agricultural planting. Growing vegetables, fruits, or indoor marijuana is inseparable from a sound lighting system. After using the LED Grow Light for a year, many users will discover that the light gets much weaker, the plant development rate slows down, the yield falls, and it even influences the whole planting cycle.

 

We frequently refer to this precisely as the "light decay" phenomenon. What, then, is the light degradation of LED plant grow lights? Why is that happening? We shall now specifically introduce it here.

 

 

Lumen depreciation occurs when the brightness of an LED light steadily falls after a period of use. Using the plant growth lamp as an example, if the starting luminous flux is 100%, it reduces to 80% after one year of use, indicating a 20% light decay. The drop in light intensity in the planting environment will directly influence the plant's photosynthesis, affecting yield, lengthening the growth cycle, and even causing malnutrition.

 

Light degradation might result in a significant cost loss, particularly in the application situation for Commercial LED Indoor Grow Lights.

 

 

 

1. One difference is the LED chip quality.

The fundamental light-emitting element of LED lights is the LED chip. Chip life, heat control, and brightness stability vary significantly between different manufacturers. Low-quality chips age more easily under long-term high-intensity activity; causes like electron migration and epitaxial layer flaws reduce light output.

 

JT Grow Light solely uses foreign, first-class brand LED chips. Professional screening and several rounds of ageing testing guarantee that LED Full Spectrum Plant Growth Lights can maintain excellent light efficiency and stability even after long-term running.

2. Unreasonable heat-dissipating system design
Under operation, LEDs produce a lot of heat. Inappropriate heat dissipation system design will cause the chip to be in a high-temperature state for an extended period, increasing material aging and generating light degradation. Temperature control takes a front-stage role, particularly in closed planting tents or greenhouses.

 

Using aluminum alloy integration, a thicker heat dissipation structure, and a thermal management optimization algorithm, JT Grow Light's products efficiently lower the LED core temperature below 70℃, lowering thermal attenuation from the source.

 

3. Driven power supply's stability
The "heart" of the system, the LED lamps' driving power supply, performs continuous current, voltage stabilization, and other functions. Low-quality driving power sources can lead to voltage swings and current instability, which eventually ages LED lamp beads and causes early failure.

 

Using an industrial-grade constant current driving power supply with a power factor of higher than 0.95, JT Grow Light uses Short-circuit prevention and over-temperature protection, among several safety features meant to guarantee long-term reliable lamp functioning.

 

4. Development of optical materials
Under long-term UV and high-temperature irradiation, optical components like reflectors, lenses, and diffusers may turn yellow and crack, thus lowering the light output efficiency. Furthermore, blocking some light will result in the accumulation of dust.

 

JT Grow Light's Commercial Full Spectrum LED Grow Lights series consists of high-transmittance UV-proof materials, and we support dustproof structural design to lower the light decay interference of external structures efficiently.

 

5. Effect of the surroundings for use.
The high humidity and temperature of the planting surroundings hasten equipment aging. Particularly with long-term continuous lighting like LED Grow Lights For Indoor Weed, the application scenario demands more weather resilience of equipment.

 

Every JT Grow Light product supports all-weather continuous operation, passes the IP65 or above waterproof and dustproof level test, and is exceptionally suited for different planting conditions.

 

 

1. A significant drop in photosynthesis's efficiency
Whole Spectrum LED Grow Lights are the primary source of artificial illumination. The light intensity (PPFD) lowers when lamps exhibit light decay, reducing the amount of photons per unit area and the light energy that plants can absorb.

Slower glucose synthesis, lower photosynthetic rate, and slower plant growth rate.

Lack of light greatly influences the development of the flowering period and flower gland density, particularly in crops with great demand (like cannabis).

 

The general life cycle is extended, and the change of plants from the vegetative to the reproductive growth periods is delayed.

 

2. Lowering of quality and yield
Plants find it difficult to completely transform nutrients into fruits, flower buds, or efficient biological components in the case of inadequate light.

Fruit and vegetable harvests have reduced fruit volume, inadequate sugar content, and poor colour quality.

The leaves get narrower, the thickness gets thinner, and the commodity value gets less for leafy crops.

THC and CBD content lowers, the flower bud density reduces, and the commodity level lowers for cannabis growing (LED Grow Lights For Indoor Weed).

 

It directly influences economic benefits; the yield per square metre drops by 10–30%, and the long-cycle crops are more affected.

 

3. Extended cycle of expansion and higher running expenses.
The lengthening of the planting cycle indicates a decrease in plant development efficiency:
1) Higher running times of the lighting system translate into higher electricity expenses.
2) The longer time needed for every batch of crops increases labour management costs.
3) Delayed cycle of turnover, smaller annual production batches, generally improved planting results.

 

Impact summary: With significant profit losses, every additional week of growth cycle extension could mean one less harvest for the year.

 

4. Reduced plant resistance, more open to diseases and pests
Plants in a sub-healthy condition have far less capacity to fight diseases and pests:
1) Thinner and softer leaves → more easily vulnerable to illnesses and pests.
2) Not enough photosynthesis → irregular plant hormone levels, prone to leggy development and nutritional imbalance.
3) While humidity and ventilation are under control, poor light causes less transpiration and raises the risk of disease (including root rot and mildew).

 

Not only does it influence the present crop batch, but it could also contaminate the planting area, therefore increasing the danger accumulation in the subsequent batches.

 

5. Reduced use of resources, including fertilizer
Plants cannot fully employ their resources of water and fertilizer under the assumption of inadequate light:
Fertilizer residues build up → absorption slows, → root environment deteriorates.
Nutrients build up in roots and leaves and cannot be readily turned into yields.
Summary of impact: Not only does decreased fertilization efficiency waste money, but it also readily disturbs rhizosphere environmental conditions and influences soil/medium structure.

 

6. High equipment degradation rate and long investment return cycle
Light degradation results in lamps being effectively "scrapped" before their physical lifetime ends, therefore implying:

1) The real helpful lifetime is much lower.

2) There is a passive extension of the investment return cycle.

3) Lamps must be replaced inside the planting system, raising running costs.

 

Users of commercial LED indoor grow lights-such as vertical farms and greenhouses-have long-term negative expenses.

 

 

Assume a planting room has 100 LED lights with an initial luminous flux of 1500μmol/m²/s. The real light intensity was only 1200μmol/m²/s after one year; the light degradation fell by 20%. It was less than the crop's ideal light intensity range (1300–1500 μmol/m²/s), which would result in: even though it was still bright,

1) A yield per square metre drop of between 15% to 25%.

2) Seven to ten days are added to the harvesting cycle.

3) One less annual batch.

4) Energy/labour/fertilizer's unit output cost changed by eighteen to thirty percent.

 

 

1. One should select optical materials and premium LED chips.

Choose a lamp manufacturer with brand assurance, such as JT Grow Light, which initially uses imported LED chips and premium lens materials, focuses on LED full-spectrum plant Growth Lights, and manages the light decay within 5%/year.

 

2. Improve the way the heat is dissipated.
Good heat dissipation can considerably slow down light decay. Together with aviation aluminum and high thermal conductivity silicone grease, JT Grow Light uses active + passive dual heat dissipation methods to greatly extend the lamp's life by more than 30%.

 

3. Configured stable power supply system
Stopping light degradation mostly depends on current stability. Thousands of commercial LED indoor grow light projects worldwide have confirmed the steady dependability of the driving system that JT Grow Light has chosen.

 

4. Cleaning and regular maintenance
Maintaining light output and heat dissipation efficiency will depend on routinely dusting the lamp's surface and monitoring the lens and radiator condition.

 

5. Reasonable use period and environmental observation
Combining intelligent control systems for periodic illumination management and avoiding overload operation will help to increase the lamp's lifetime.

 

 

JT Grow Light is committed to offering professional growers worldwide robust and effective LED Grow Light solutions. The following are the benefits of our lamps:

Extremely low light decay: three years of use results in a consistent annual light decay rate within five percent.

A customized full-spectrum design satisfies the growing requirements of high-light-demand plants like cannabis by maximizing light output efficiency.

Environmental protection and energy economy: At the same time, energy consumption has dropped by more than thirty percent.

Designed for commercial use, the Commercial Full Spectrum LED Grow Lights range fits many indoor agricultural situations.

Global service system: Facilitate OEM/ODM cooperation and fast after-sales response.

 

 

The effective life of the lamp can be significantly extended, and the planting efficiency can be raised even if the light degradation phenomena of LED Grow Lights cannot be prevented by choosing high-quality equipment, moderate use, and regular maintenance. LED Grow Lights For Indoor Weeds need more light-intensity stability, especially for valuable crops like cannabis. Putting money into a dependable lighting system can help to preserve your output and quality.

 

JT Grow Light is dedicated to providing worldwide growers with long-life, low-light decay, and highly efficient LED planting solutions. If you are experiencing a declining lamp brightness following one year of use, you might as well test our items. One-time expenditure, years of mental peace!

 

More Information

https://www.china-growlight.com/led-grow-lights/commercial-led-grow-lights/