If you are planning to grow a hydroponic garden indoors or if you want to extend the growing season for your outdoor garden you will have to use artificial lighting. There are different lights that are for different applications. There are four different types of lighting used for growing plants indoors: High Intensity Discharge, Fluorescent, Incandescent, and LED.
High Intensity Discharge
There are two types of High Intensity Discharge (HID) lights: Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium.
Metal Halide lights produce an abundance of light in the blue spectrum. This color promotes leafy growth. This is the best primary light if you have no natural light. If you compare metal halide lumen output to incandescent, metal halide lights produce 125 lumens per watt compared to 18 lumens produced by incandescent bulbs. MH lights last for 10,000 cumulative hours.
High Pressure Sodium bulbs produce an orange-red light. This spectrum range produces light that promotes plants to bud and flower. It is best to use the HPS light as a supplementary light source. MH lights are very efficient putting out 140 lumens per watt and they last for 18,000 hours of use.
Fluorescent
Until recently fluorescent lights were only used for growing seedlings. With the advent of full spectrum T5 fluorescent lights more people are using them to grow plants throughout all their life stages. T5 fluorescent lights put out 75 to 90 lumens per watt but they put out much less heat than HID lights so they can be placed closer to the plants so less light is dispersed into the room.
Incandescent
These are the most inexpensive, the least efficient, and a poor source for plant growing light. At best one incandescent light can grow one plant.
LED
LED lights are the latest option for plant growing lights. Testing is still being done despite a lot of producers making very bold claims. They are the most efficient and coolest running lights.
Conclusion
The type of light you use depends on your situation. Are you extending the season of your outdoor garden? Are you sprouting? Are you growing a full fledged hydroponic garden inside?
These are the questions you'll have to answer before you choose the right light for your hydroponic garden.
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