Higher IP ratings allow outdoor LED strip lights to survive the garden's damp conditions. In addition to highlighting large plants, plant shades, ponds, fountains, and seating spots in the garden, you may utilize these lights around the garden beds and walkways.
Is It Safe To Use Outdoor LED Strip Lights In the Garden?
It is very safe to use outdoor LED strip lights in the garden. Rain, storms, wind, dust, and dampness are just a few of the severe weather conditions that these lights are made to endure. The LED strips must withstand regular exposure to water, dirt, wind, etc. in garden regions. It is essential to use stronger IP-rated lighting in such environments to protect the light.
An IP44-rated lamp is a must for indoor gardens or outdoor gardens with ornamental shelters. However, a higher IP rating-such as IP65, IP67, or IP68-may be necessary for landscape lights, depending on their exposure to dust and water. Selecting outdoor LED strip lights with IP68 certifications will provide you with total protection from dust and water. These lights may be used for underwater landscape features, ponds, and pools.
Guide To Choose LED Strip Lights For Garden
1. The garden's size To Choose the Length of an LED Strip
LED strip lights are measured in length rather than bulb number, in contrast to other LED lights. Therefore, it is important to take the garden's size or area into account. First, take measurements and mark the garden sections where you wish to place the LED lights. Determine the length of LED strip you need based on the measurement.
Typically, standard LED strip lights are sold in reels of five meters. Therefore, you can quickly figure out how many reels you need based on the size of the garden. However, in addition to the typical 5 meters per reel, LED strip lights come in a variety of alternative lengths.
2. Light Color: One or Multiple Shades
Select a light hue that complements the atmosphere to make your yard look lovely. To meet all of your demands, LED strips come in a variety of colors and styles. Warm-tone LED strip lights are great for home gardens and hospitality spaces like hotel and restaurant gardens. For such spaces, single-color LED strip lights can be used; common garden lighting colors include yellow, red, green, blue, amber, pink, and so on.
RGB LED strip lights are a better option, though, if you want to add extra fun to your yard lighting. These fixtures come in a variety of colors. The lights' hue may be altered to fit your mood. Children's park gardens and other recreational spaces benefit greatly from this kind of lighting.
3. Level of Brightness
Overly bright lighting might harm the garden's vegetation. Once more, poor lighting will make it difficult to see well in the garden. To guarantee that you may stroll around the yard safely at night, you should primarily concentrate on having adequate sight. A minimum brightness level of 100–200 lumens per square meter is recommended for this.
Furthermore, a low-lumen LED strip with 50–150 lumens is sufficient for accent lighting in specific locations. This will give your yard a subtle light and improve its appearance at night. However, while deciding on the LED strips' brightness, the garden's size or area is also very important.
4. The density of LED strips
LED strip lights come in different densities. This shows the distance between each LED arranged on the strip light's PCB. Brighter and more consistent illumination results from higher density. Conversely, low density results in larger gaps between LEDs, producing less consistent lighting, and these gaps are frequently apparent when the light is on.
5. The voltage
Low-voltage lights are LED strips. Typically, they come in 12V and 24V varieties. However, when the strip's length increases, you must take into account the requirement for a voltage increase. A 12V LED strip, for instance, may display an ideal length of up to 5 meters. It will have voltage drop problems if the length is increased beyond this point. Consequently, the light's brightness will no longer be consistent over the whole length of the strip. Thus, taking into account the LED strip's length is essential for continuous runs.
The most crucial factor to take into account while choosing outdoor garden lights is IP certification. Ingress Protection is referred to as IP. It establishes how resistant the light is to liquid and solid intrusion. Better resistance to water, moisture, dust, air, and wind is indicated by a higher IP rating. Therefore, you must choose high IP-rated LED strip lights to guarantee that the LED strip is utilized in outdoor gardens.
7. Rating on IK
What if the hefty, metal garden jug falls on the LED strip lights when you're watering the plants? The possibility of minor harm is evident. Taking into account a strong IK-rating is essential to safeguarding your fixture from such unexpected mishaps. Impact Protection, or IK for short, measures how resistant an LED strip is to impacts. IK ratings range from zero to ten. Greater resistance to impact or hit is indicated by a greater IK. However, for lighting pathways and gardens, an IK06 or IK07 is sufficient.
8. Dimmers & Controllers
Selecting LED strips with dimmers and controllers will give you more control over the lights in your outdoor garden. This lets you change the brightness of your yard lighting according to your needs by dimming the light. Additionally, you may alter the color of the light and create a lively atmosphere in your garden area by utilizing RGB LED strips and controllers.
FAQ
Q:How long do outdoor LED strip lights last?
A: LED strip lights have an average lifespan of 50,000 hours. However, while using them outdoors, make sure they are designed for outdoor use and have a higher IP rating. With proper maintenance, you can use the strip lights for much longer.
Q: Is it ok to leave LED strip lights on all night?
A: LED strip lights are low-power lights and don't generate much heat. Moreover, they are highly energy-efficient, so keeping them one for all night won't raise the electricity bill as it will for traditional lighting. However, keeping the lights on unnecessarily is never suggested as it is a misuse of energy.
Q: Do LED strips use a lot of electricity?
A: LED strips use minimal electricity. Where traditional lights like incandescent transform 20% of electrical energy to light, LEDs utilize more than 80% for light conversion. This makes LEDs highly energy efficient. Using electricity, LEDs can produce brightness similar to that of traditional lights.
Q:Do backyard LED light strips attract bugs?
A: Bugs are attracted to lights, but the color of the light is crucial. Using cool white or blue LED strip lights increases the chances of bug attacks. However, you should go for warm-tone lights like yellow, orange, or red. Bugs are less likely to be attacked by these long wavelength lightings.
Q:Will The LED strip burn the plants?
A: LED strip lights overate at low power and do not generate much heat. So they are safe to use in gardens or around plants. However, a wrong installation or placing the lights too close to the plant can burn them.
Q:Can I use LED light strips for plants?
A: Yes, LED strip lights are suitable for plants. However, instead of using random LED strips, use ones specially designed for plants, mostly known as LED grow lights. These LED strips are designed as per the essential light wavelengths that help plants grow. You will get better results in horticulture using these lights for both vegetative and flowering stages.
