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In today’s competitive hydroponic scene—especially for fast-turnover crops like lettuce or arugula—growers know it’s all about two things: lowering costs and improving efficiency.
We recently spoke with a commercial hydroponic farm that made one smart change with impressive results: They replaced all their T8 grow lights with 36W T15 LED tubes (1.2m) across part of their grow space.
Here’s what happened:
Let’s break it down and see how this hydroponic lighting upgrade made a real difference.
This mid-sized farm in the American Midwest grows lettuce, arugula, and spinach on 5-tier hydroponic racks. They had been using standard 18W T8 grow lights for several years. The lights weren’t bad—but there were ongoing issues:
* Uneven light spread (center plants grew better than edges)
* Light intensity was barely enough, especially in winter
* Short lifespan, frequent replacements needed
At the end of 2024, they ran a side-by-side lighting test using 1.2-meter, 36Wattts, T15 LED grow tubes.
Metric | T8 LED (1.2m / 18W) | T15 LED (1.2m / 36W) |
Fuerza | 18W | 36W |
PPFD @ 30cm | ~110 μmoles/m²/s | ~200 μmoles/m²/s |
Beam Angle | ~120° | ~180° |
Lifespan | 20,000–25,000 hours | 50,000+ hours |
Heat Dissipation | Basic | Upgraded aluminum housing |
Ideal Use | Seedlings, low-density | Seedlings + veg stage + dense crops |
What makes the T15 special isn’t just higher power—it’s more usable photons, better spread, and improved plant response.
Even more important: The light spectrum is tailored to leafy greens.
Strong blue for compact, healthy growth, and optimized red for rapid expansion. The spectral mix is custom-designed for hydroponics.
The farm ran a 6-week trial: one section under T8s, the other under T15s. All other conditions—spacing, temperature, humidity, and nutrient solution—were kept the same.
Here are the results:
Metric | T8 Zone | T15 Zone |
Avg. Plant Height | 13.2 cm | 15.4 cm |
Avg. Plant Weight | 89g | 105 g |
Harvest Time | ~120° | ~180° |
Visual Quality | Acceptable | Vibrant, greener |
Energy Use per Gram | Baseline | ~11.5% lower |
Lighting upgrades aren’t always plug-and-play. The farm ran into a few common issues you should be aware of:
* Wider beam angle to reduce light loss
With a larger tube diameter, T15 LED grow lights offer a near-180° beam angle—minimizing shadows and reducing wasted light.
* Higher-density LED layout
T15 tubes can pack in more LED chips, delivering stronger, more uniform light output per unit length.
* High efficiency design
Behind the improved efficiency is a fully optimized system—refined structure, upgraded heat dissipation, and power supply matching all working together.
If you fall into any of the following categories, it’s worth serious consideration:
* Running medium to high-density hydroponic setups
* Prioritizing turnover efficiency and uniformity
* Supplying customers who care about quality and flavor (e.g., restaurants)
T15 LED grow tubes aren’t for everyone—but for farms aiming to build solid efficiency, they can be a powerful hardware lever.
We’re not here to sell hype or fuel anxiety. We just want to say: Sometimes, increasing yield isn’t about forcing growth—It’s about using a light that understands your plants.
At this stage, the T15 LED grow light does show strong economic and practical advantages for medium to large-scale hydroponic projects—especially for those aiming to strike a balance between maximum yield and minimum energy use.
We believe it’s not just about being brighter. It’s about offering a smarter use of light as a resource.
By the way, one of our partner farms is planning to switch their entire greenhouse to T15, aiming for a 10% increase in yield per unit area. We’ll be tracking their progress and sharing any new data as soon as it’s available.
Curious about how to choose the right T15, or which plant stages it’s best for?
Thinking about upgrading your hydroponic grow lights?
Drop a comment or message me—I’m happy to share real-world insights.
Desde planificación de iluminación personalizada hasta presupuestos personalizados y todo lo demás, nuestro equipo de expertos en horticultura siempre está listo para ayudarlo.
Manopla LED
Guzhen, Zhongshan, Guangdong, China
WhatsApp: +86 180 2409 6862
Correo electrónico: info@vantenled.com
Somos un fabricante profesional de luces LED para plantas, comprometidos con el uso de la tecnología para mejorar el máximo potencial de la lámpara, maximizando continuamente los beneficios para los productores y ahorrando energía para el planeta.
