When it comes to organic indoor gardening using hydroponic techniques, there is some argument as to whether or not the use of artificial indoor grow lights is really necessary to the long-term health of hydroponic plants. Here is a look at the usefulness of such lights and the different types that are available.
If your indoor growing area has a sufficient amount of natural sunlight, then there may very well be little need for indoor grow lights. However, most homes will not fit that bill and a certain amount of artificially-created lighting is advisable. Even with adequate natural light, if your garden is extensive, it is best to protect your "growing investment" with the use of indoor grow lights when needed.
The best indoor grow lights
Simple incandescent and fluorescent simply do not provide the type of complete lighting spectrum that hydroponic plants need. Specially designed for indoor gardening, however, definitely do since they are made to resemble natural sunlight at different times of year.
High Intensity Discharge lights (HID) are the ones to look for use with hydroponic gardens. They come in two main types: metal halide (MH) and high pressure sodium (HPS). Each of these lights is designed to give off light in the most optimum spectrums for proper plant growth. MH produces blue spectrum light such as that generated by the sun in the height of summer, while HPS generates the red and yellow spectrums typical of sunlight in the fall. MH is considered an all-purpose growing light, whereas the gentler touch of HPS has more specialized applications such as for flowering plants.
When deciding what kind or kinds of indoor grow lights might work best for your hydroponic "babies," consult with a professional or research supplier websites.
2 comments:
We have used HID, CFL and LED in the past and have switched pver to induction grow lights. If you go to the indagro website at the bottom of the home page is a chart that lets you convert the photopic and scotopic values of induction lamps that will enable your plants VEL to climb to the proper PAR values for less wattage. check it out and the operational PDF since that's what got us going in that direction.
Growing lights are important for any indoor hydroponic system - especially if the plants are not receiving an adequate amount of sunlight. We actually supply Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium Bulbs. They're a great way to help growers get the light they need to keep their plants healthy and growing.
You've posted some helpful information here!
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