While lighting needs of the cannabis plant are identical whether you’re growing on one level or several vertical levels, “By adding layers of lighting to the room, you also increase your heat associated with the lighting,” says Flemming. “We find LED lighting is the superior lighting at this point for vertical growing.”
The main reason LED lighting can be better for vertical growing is that LEDs are typically more efficient at converting electrons into photons, and (assuming a good form factor/thermal management system), LED will dissipate the heat away from the crop compared to MH or HPS, which radiate heat down to the crop.
“Another major advantage of LED is obviously the power savings,” Flemming says, an important consideration especially considering you are using more lights in a vertical grow as compared to a single-layer grow.
More than three-fourths (76%) of respondents say they don’t currently cultivate using vertical farming; however, 27% of those who don’t currently farm on multiple levels say they are considering doing so in the next two years.
