For years, the Cannabis Business Times State of Lighting Report has found that up to 60 percent of growers relied on dimmable LED grow lights, deeming them “important” or “very important” to their operation. Dimming has become such a critical component to growing cannabis indoors that it's now a standard feature for most modern LED grow lights.
Whether using a manual on-fixture dial or digital control, growers get more control over the final product simply by having more control over light intensity. But that's not all dimmable grow lights offer — whether you want to develop strain-specific light recipes or implement crop steering protocols, you’ll need this feature in your grow room.
Here, we cover the fundamentals of dimmable LED grow lights, their benefits for indoor grow rooms, and how TSRgrow is helping growers with advanced dimmable lighting solutions.
What Is a Dimmable LED Grow Light?
A dimmable LED grow light is a type of horticultural light fixture that allows you to adjust the light intensity according to the plants' needs at different growth stages. Using a dimmer control, manually or digitally, enables the operator to fine-tune the amount of light emitted, which is especially useful for managing energy consumption and plant stress levels and optimizing growth conditions.
As the Cannabis Business Times State of Lighting Report has found, growers consider it a critical lighting feature inside their facilities year after year. This is why most LED grow lights designed in the cannabis industry now come with dimmable features, including TSRgrow’s grow lights.
In the past, growers achieved "dimming" only by physically raising or lowering the lights above the canopy. It was, unsurprisingly, a labor-intensive process and often wasn’t practical or effective due to facility design, labor requirements, or space constraints. But, with dimming built into the lighting technology, adjusting light output to suit the requirements of seedlings or the vegetative or flowering stages has become significantly easier.
The Value of Dimmable Grow Lights in Cannabis
Indoor and greenhouse growers get more value from dimmable lights. Here are just a few of the additional benefits that come from installing dimmable LED lights inside a cannabis grow:
Strain-Specific Grow Recipes: Not all strains react in the same way to grow room inputs. By adjusting the light intensity alongside other inputs, growers can create a more tailored environment suited to the varying needs of each strain. Custom strain grow recipes encourage the plant to reach its full genetic potential.
Crop Steering: For those cultivators applying crop steering principles inside their facility, light intensity is one of the primary levels for controlling plant stress. Dimmable lights make it possible to lower light intensity during the vegetative stage to reduce stress and then increase the intensity in flower to increase stress.
Zone Control: While not all grow light technology allows for precision zone control, with TSRgrow’s LED Lighting Solutions, producers can create unlimited zones within a single room. This means total control over the lighting conditions on a strain-by-strain and zone-by-zone basis.
Extended Lifespan: Operating any grow lights, including LEDs, at reduced power levels can extend the light’s lifespan by reducing heat output and wear on components. This is because dimmed lights operate at a lower power level, which generates less heat. By running cooler, the LED chips, phosphor coatings, and driver electronics experience less thermal stress, leading to a longer operational life.
Energy Efficiency: Naturally, dimming the lights when plants don’t require full intensity helps conserve energy and reduce operational costs. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, this could save anywhere from 30 to 90 percent in energy costs. Therefore, a dimmed LED grow light produces more photons per watt than the same LED at full brightness.
The TSRgrow Difference: Building Better LED Grow Lights
Even though most reputable LED grow lights used in the cannabis industry now have a built-in dimming function — not all dimmable grow lights were created equal.
Many lighting products fall short due to outdated designs and localized drivers attached to each fixture. Most traditional setups, including those with LEDs, require individual dimming wires running from a controller to each light, resulting in a complex web of connections in addition to the contactor panels and relays needed for these installations, driving up installation costs and labor.
In contrast, TSRgrow's Advanced LED Lighting Solutions streamline the process with smart remote power servers and total digital control. Our advanced lighting technology eliminates the need for a web of dimming wires as well as contactors, relays and breakers for a room full of fixtures. Instead, all our lights are fully dimmable from a centralized, local digital control application, adjustable from zero to full wattage for complete control over light intensity.
TSRgrow’s system also enables unlimited zone control, which is a first in the industry. Zone control means the potential for unlimited zones within a single room to fine-tune lighting conditions on a strain-by-strain basis without the heavy lifting of rewiring or modifying existing setups for each new cycle.
This technology simplifies zone management and supports precise data collection and analysis, empowering growers with actionable insights to maximize yields and minimize operating costs.
By moving away from the constraints of conventional lighting systems, TSRgrow delivers a scalable, efficient, and future-proof solution that truly redefines what’s possible in horticultural lighting.
Ready to see what the future of dimmable LED grow room technology can do for your facility? Reach out to us today to explore how our innovative technology can transform your cultivation facility and help you achieve exceptional results.
