Whenever i see a post about the lights you should use for your first grow its seems like everyone says to use Hps lights. how effective is LED lighting? can it be used for veg or flowering? or both?
You want blue light for veg. Which come from metal halide bulbs. When it comes to flowering you want light in the red spectrum. Most ppl use hps ( high pressure sodium) bulbs. The LEDs are fine for now (assuming your vegging) but you need to buy balasts for these bulbs if that's what you decide to move onto.
You can grow plants with just about any kind of light. If you want dense, dank bud, the BEST light for growing MJ indoors is HID light.
I am growing with LED, but it was expensive, and it is still relatively hot. Either way, you need good ventilation, the plants need fresh CO2, and if you get an LED worth growing with, its gonna produce some heat, not as much as an HID, but still something significant. I am working with LED though because I have no option of venting into any space but my room, so every degree is critical, if I had HIDs, my seedlings would be fried. Really, I just wanted to grow with them, its a cool emerging technology, and I am glad to participate in its "testing" if you will. That and it looks cool seeing all that purple light. They also dont take up much room. So if small or micro grows are your thing, then it might be worth it for you. But, if that doesnt appeal to you, then I suggest you go the more cost friendly route of t5's, cfls, or HID and make sure you dont skimp on the ventilation, you would probably get better results than LED, for the same or cheaper price.