3000K vs 4000K LED Grow Light: Effect On Indoor Herb Garden (Basil, Dill, Lettuce)

Does 3000K and 4000K Color Temperature (CCT) Have Different Effect on Basil, Dill, and Lettuce When Growing Indoors?


When growing herbs and vegetables indoors, growers face the dilemma of which LED grow light to choose. Grow lights come in all shapes, sizes, and hardware, including different "CCT", or color temperature, which is measured in Kelvin, K.
Generally speaking, the consensus in the growing community is that low Kelvin, 3000K and below, grows taller plants while high Kelvin, 4000K and above, grows more compact and bushy plants.

As our LEDTonic Q2 LED grow light comes in three different Kelvins: 3000K, 3500K, and 4000K, we decided to test if there are any obvious differences between the 3000K and 4000K spectrum.
https://www.ledtonic.com/products/q2-...

We grew basil, dill, and lettuce from seed in pots and containers inside a closet for 45 days. Our little indoor herb and vegetable garden quickly came to life and the entire grow was documented with images and video.

Although the results were a bit underwhelming, we encourage you to watch the video. In short, the differences between our plants (basil, dill, lettuce), were after 45 days marginal. While a more quantitative experiment may have resulted in a more distinct result, our small experiment showed very little difference between 3000K and 4000K spectrum.
Our conclusion is that for hobby growers the choice between 3000K and 4000K will have only a marginal effect on plant growth. In other words, the CCT shouldn't be the main factor when choosing between various grow lights.


Happy farming!
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