Light Controllers – Are They Worth It? – Do I Need One?

Staying awake in the grow tent 24 hours a day to control and monitor the grow tent lights doesn’t sound funny. Light controllers make your work easy. 

Light controllers are electronic devices that automatically control the lights in the grow tent environment 24/7.

They have found importance in the indoor growing space and have become popular among growers.

Light controllers can enable you to switch off and on multiple grow lights simultaneously.

You need to set up the timers on the controllers for them to switch the on and off at intervals.

In this post, we will explore the pros and cons of light controllers in a grow room and determine whether they are worth it for you as a grower.

Benefits of Grow Light Controllers

Some plants require different intensities of illumination at different times.

Light controllers make it easy for you to ensure the plants receive proper illumination at all times.

The controller switches the grow lights on and off, depending on the settings you put on the timers.

Through the settings, you get to decide which kind of illumination the plants will receive at particular times.

 Here’s how you benefit from grow light controllers:

Usually, the controller is a single device made up of sensors and timers. The timers control the illumination time. The grow light illumination time is when growing plants receive light, and you don’t need to spend time and effort on plant care.

When you place light over your plants, it will be the height of a light fixture. You can’t maintain the same light intensity for all plants because not all plants can survive different intensities. 

Grow light controllers help to conserve electric energy. They do so by ensuring only the lights that are needed are on.

In most instances, growers without growing light controllers have to leave their grow lights on at all times.

A grow light controller helps you to control when your grow lights are on without much hassle and ultimately reduces energy consumption and, extension, your energy bills.

Grow light controllers are a one-off expense and are simple to install. All you need to do is mount it somewhere in your grow room and connect your lights. You also need to set up the timers properly, which should be simple.

Some of the common settings include;

• You can set two different lights to work in turns, i.e., when one goes off, the other comes on. This is essential when illumination is required from different lights at different times.
• You can set one light to dim or become brighter at specific intervals. This helps to control the intensity of illumination that the plants receive. It helps to ensure the plants receive just the right amount or intensity of illumination when they need it.
• You can set two lights with different kinds of illumination to work simultaneously. You may need to mix radiations from two grow lights to achieve the desired effect. Grow light controllers will help you achieve any mix you are looking for.

Grow light controllers can also help increase the lifespan of your grow lights.

As evident from the different settings mentioned above, grow lights attached to a controller are on when needed. That will certainly add a couple more hours to the lifespan of each grow light.

All these benefits are exciting enough to get a grow light controller for your grow tent.

The controllers have some cons, though. Are the disadvantages significant enough to make you opt not to get the controller? We’ll explore a couple of the drawbacks below and find out.

Disadvantages of Grow Light Controllers

• They are expensive: Many growers usually feel pressed about the initial cost of purchasing and setting up grow light controllers. They can be expensive, especially if you have a large room and have to buy more than one.
• The set procedure can be tedious: Setting up multiple grow light controllers can also be pretty tedious. The setup protocol should not be much of a concern when you need to automate your grow lights fully. If you are putting up grow light controllers in an existing grow room, you might need to rearrange several pieces of equipment in the grow room, which can be inconvenient.
• It might be challenging to set up the light controllers to the exact on/off routine, especially if you have attached many grow lights to one controller. You will need multiple to grow light controllers if you have a large grow room and many grow lights to achieve the exact routine you seek.
• Grow light controllers require frequent maintenance, which might be a headache to some. They are unreliable if you cannot maintain them properly. There are high-quality grow light controllers, which, when installed correctly, will not require any maintenance for a long time. You need to carefully explore the various types of grow light controllers and find one that will not require too much maintenance.

Whether or not you need light controllers depends on how badly you want to control the light in your grow room.

Automation is always great. It makes your work easier and ensures your grow lights operate more efficiently.

As mentioned earlier, purchasing and setting up a light controller is a one-off cost. Getting you to grow the light system automated for the next couple of years is worth that cost.

The other issues, such as constant maintenance, do not hold enough significance to warrant avoiding installing grow light controllers.

Conclusion

Grow light controllers are not necessary for a small grow tent, but they would undoubtedly make growers’ work more effortless.

Having them would be necessary since controlling multiple lights manually would require a lot of workforces.

The bottom line is that grow light controllers are great in any situation. The benefits they bring are worth the cost, and they outweigh the cons by far.

Your grow room operations will be easier and more convenient when you install grow light controllers.

Also, any system that will ensure your grow lights last longer while reducing your growing expenses should be welcome.

If you can afford them, you should get them regardless of the size of your grow room. There are many kinds of grow light controllers on the market.