Top LED Grow Lights for Small Grow Tents, Small Spaces, Closets

If you're growing in a small grow tent or closet, your grow light needs will differ from those of a commercial grower with a room or several rooms containing rows of plants. What is the best LED for a small grow tent or closet? Many factors determine the answer.

You may need a light with a smaller form, and you may be able to use a light that draws less current, keeping your electric bill low. To safeguard the health of your plants, it's best to avoid a grow light that's too powerful for the space you have, especially if your gro tent is a shorter model and light may end up closer to your plants.

Grow tents are a great place to raise your plants. The walls are reflective to make the most of the light your LEDs emit, and they create a grow environment that, with the right equipment choices, becomes easy to control. Most tents are designed to accommodate accessory equipment you may need, including fans and filters. LEDs are a good choice for enclosed grow spaces because they produce less heat than most other fixtures delivering similar light.

Choosing The a Small LED Light

The light that bathes your plants is a key element in your grow space. Below are LED fixtures that we consider the best for small grow spaces. The best performers are just that: lights that laboratory data show can generate the highest yields. But we also recommend some lights that are more budget-minded—LEDs that cost little to purchase and operate. In other words, we recommend some lights because they are a great value.

Remember: Different lights cover areas of different sizes, and even two similarly sized lights can emit different spectrums with different PAR values—the spectrum as measured at different parts of the canopy. To help you find a light that fits your needs, we break down our recommendations by the tent sizes growers are likely to have in their homes.

Smaller LED lights do not have built-in timers, but you can find a timer on growershouse.com to automatically turn your light on and off.

For a better understanding of how we arrive at recommendations, see our Best LED Grow Lights of 2021 Comparison & Review Test. You also can shop from our complete inventory of indoor LED grow lights.

For more detail on each fixture, click on the links for each light.

Horticulture Lighting Group HLG 100 V2 LED - Ideal Space 2' x 2'

 

Not as compact overall as the SolarXtreme 250, it is shallower, measuring 13" x 11" x 3". The HLG 100 draws even less current—95 watts, which averages out to $4.50 per month on your electric bill if used 12 hours daily. That's peanuts, regardless of what you're growing. The lower output is 24 watts per square foot in this size tent. Although its spectrum is not adjustable, it offers a choice of two versions: 3000k, which is the full-spectrum light, or 4000k, for vegging. The warranty is 1 year. Efficiency is 2.43 umol/J.

California Lightworks SolarXtreme 250 LED - Ideal Space 3' x 3'

 

For best yield, we recommend a compact light from a relatively new LED manufacturer. The California Lightworks SolarXtreme 250 LED, measuring 8.5" x 8.5" x 4", fits easily in a small grow tent. It draws 200 watts, so it delivers 50 watts per square foot in a 2' x 2' space. On a 12/12 lighting schedule, it would cost, on average, about $19 per month to operate. It is a full-spectrum light, so it's good for all phases of the plant cycle. California Lightworks uses quality components, reflected in its warranty, a quite good 3 years for this light. The SolarXtreme 250 uses chip-on-board (COB) LEDs, which have multiple LEDs in bright modules. The SolarXtreme 250 has 4 modules. Its efficiency is 2.25 umol/J.

SolarXtreme 500 - Ideal Space 4' x 4'

 

Another COB design from California Lightworks, the SolarXtreme 500 LED is more powerful and bigger than the 250, with 8 LED modules instead of the 250 model's 4; it's perfectly shaped for a 2' x 4' grow tent at 18" x 8.5" x 4". The shape lets the SolarXtreme 500 spread its full-spectrum light evenly in a 4' x 4' tent, delivering the same 50w per square foot as its smaller sibling in the tidier space. With a draw of 400w, it remains economical to operate, running up an average monthly bill of $19. The warranty is 3 years. Efficiency is 2.25 umol/J.

Prism Lighting Science Stealth 320w - Ideal Space 2' x 4'

 

The Prism Lighting Science Stealth 320w LED is our value recommendation for a 2' x '4' tent. As its name implies, this full-spectrum fixture draws 320 watts, for an average monthly operating cost of about $15 on a 12-hour daily cycle. The Stealth 320 delivers its light at 40w per square foot in a 2' x 4' space. For a light in its affordable price range, and its 16" x 9" x 3" size, it's a good performer in all plant phases. The 2-year warranty is quite respectable in this category. Efficiency is 1.9 umol/J.

Growers Choice TSL ROI-E420 LED Grow Light - Ideal Space 3' x 3'

 

As tent size grows, so do the fixtures we recommend. Our best-yield light for a 3' x 3' tent is the Growers Choice TSL ROI-E420 LED Grow Light. This light is nearly square at 36" x 35" x 3", helping it to disperse its full-spectrum light evenly in a 3' x 3' grow room. Growers Choice is a well-respected, established manufacturer of grow lights. It uses quality components, which combine with a high water-resistance rating to earn this fixture a 3-year warranty. Drawing 420 watts, the ROI-E420 can run a 12-hour daily cycle for an average of just under $20 a month in electrical costs. The ROI-E420 is dimmable and controllable with the optional Growers Choice controller. Efficiency is 2.6 umol/J.

The value recommendation for 3' x 3' tent is a two-time winner, the Prism Lighting Science Stealth 320w LED. For details, see the 2' x 4' entry, where the Stealth 320 is also the value winner.

Small Grow Light + Tent Packages from GrowersHouse

These small LED light + tent packages are ideal for creating small grow spaces. These include lights, fans, ducting, a light hangar & controller, grow tent, display thermometers, PH control kit, trellis netting and more!

Shop All LED Grow Lights