A Guide To Hydroponic Lighting

No Light! No Plants, Plain And Simple.

Artificial Light

Growing, natural sunlight is used for this most important job. During the shorter and darker days of winter, many use artificial lighting to increase the intensity of light for photosynthesis, or to expand the length of daylight. When the sun radiates the full spectrum (wavelength or color of light) suitable for plant life, different types of artificial lighting are selected for specific plant varieties and optimum plant growth differences. Different groups of plants respond in physically different ways to various wavelengths of radiation. Light is an extremely important role in the production of plants and trees.

Light transmission should be your major consideration when purchasing a growing structure for a protected crop. Glass is still the preferred material for covering greenhouses because, unlike plastic films and sheeting, its light transmission ability is indefinitely maintained.

The lack of light is the main down factor in plant growth. If light is reduced by 10 percent, you also reduce crop by up to 10 percent.

Lighting Terms and Definitions

The electrical components (usually a transformer and capacitor) that ignite a high intensity bulb.

Color Temperature
(also known as Kelvin temperature or correlated color temperature)  A measure of color of light emitted by a bulb in comparison to black.  This is used as a general meaure of a bulb's coolness (whiter light) or warmness (redder light).

Footcandle
A unit of illumination equal to the intensity of one candle at a distance of one foot.  Footcandles are usually used as a measure of light received.

Lumen
A unit of illumination; a measurement of light output.  One lumen is equal to the light emitted by one candle that falls on one square foot of surface located one foot away from the candle.

Photoperiod
The relative hours of light and darkness in a 24-hour period.  Some plants respond to a change in day length (photoperiod) in order to grow or flower.

Photosynthesis
The process by which plants use light energy to collect carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it to chemical (growth) energy in the form of carbohydrates.

Metal Halide (MH) and High Pressure Sodium Lamps (HPS)

Metal Halide lamps and High Pressure Sodium lamps belong to the
H.I.D. (High Intensity Discharge) family of lights.
Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium lamps are used for garden lighting because of their high light output per watt, and the spectral distribution of their light.

Metal Halide / Daylight / MS Lamps - These lamps emphasize the blue / green spectrum to promote vegetative growth. If you have little or no sunlight available these are the systems to use. MS lamps contain a 30% boost over standard Metal Halide lamps in the red/orange spectrum and more lumens per watt than standard Metal Halide lamps.

High-Pressure Sodium - These lamps are primarily red/yellow in spectrum. These are the best lamps available for use in conjunction with natural sunlight. High-Pressure Sodium lamps promote budding and flowering in plants.

Mogul base bulbs are single-ended screw-in bulbs.

HQI bulbs are double-ended metal halide bulbs.

Conversion Bulbs - There are two types:

1) Sodium bulbs which run on Halide ballasts.

2) Halide bulbs which run on Sodium ballasts.

A conversion bulb lets you tailor the light source to the growth stage of the plant merely by changing lamps.

Flourescent Lamps - These lights are perfect for starts and seedlings. They are generally a poor light source for production growth and flowering because of their low lumen output, although they may be used in some instances for small scale systems with low growing plants, ie: lettuce, basils, etc. Plant growth will not be as rapid as under HID lighting due to lower light levels.

High intensity discharge (H.I.D.) lighting has traditionally been used only by commercial growers in large scale greenhouses. These business savvy professionals have long understood the exceptional benefits of supplemental, artificial lighting for plant growth. From stronger, healthier seed starts, into faster maturing, vigorous plants that offer much higher yields and more spectacular flowering than can be achieved without supplemental lighting. H.I.D. lighting not only supplements sunlight, but can actually replace it during long winters where sunlight is in short supply. It is very energy efficient and the cost of operating one of our light systems is comparable to using one of your kitchen appliances.

Plants need light for proper growth. The light spectrum range produced by artificial light (particularly H.I.D. light) enhances the natural light derived from the sun by many times over. The result… when combined with proper nutrients… is nothing short of AMAZING!

All this being said, what can supplemental lighting do for a home, hobby grower?

• Significantly increase the health, strength, growth rate & yield of your plants.
• Supplement natural sunlight in your backyard greenhouse virtually eliminates seasonal & geographical restraints. In addition, by extending the ''day length'' with supplemental lighting, you will greatly enhance your growing success.
• Your container plants that you have outdoors on decks & patios during the summer can be moved indoors during the winter under H.I.D. or high output fluorescent light allowing them to thrive year round.
• Indoor gardening – Why settle for gardening just a few months of the year? By using one of our light
fixtures as a primary light source indoors, you can enjoy the hobby of gardening all year long!

High Intensity Discharge lighting systems have revolutionized indoor gardening in the last two decades. They are the most energy efficient grow lights avail able, so they produce much more light for the amount of power consumed.

If you choose H.I.D. as your source of lighting, you have another choice…HPS or MH.

METAL HALIDE LAMPS - This type of bulb emits a light spectrum which appears blue-white to the human eye. It is the best type of light to be used as a primary light source (if no or little natural sunlight is available). This color spectrum is more conducive for vegetative growth, or starting seeds & cuttings.

HIGH PRESSURE SODIUM LAMPS - These lamps are red/orange in the spectrum. They are the best lamps available for secondary or supplementary lighting (used in conjunction with natural sunlight). This type of light promotes flowering/budding in plants. It is a good multi-purpose light as well. It is ideal for Greenhouses/Commercial growing applications.

CONVERSION LAMPS - A). Sodium lamps which run on halide ballasts - more common. B). Halide lamps which run on sodium ballasts. This type of lamp allows you to tailor the light source to the growth stage of the plant (halide blue light for growth and sodium red light for fruiting & flowering) by merely changing lamps.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GETTING INTO HYDROPONICS THEN PLEASE VISIT THE FOLLOWING EBAY SHOP FOR ALL THE GROW EQUIPMENT NEEDS.

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