Pivotal to the success of your plants are the lights under which you cultivate them. Now that you've chosen your growroom, and made some preparations, it's time to decide on how much light your plants will need and which type of lamp you choose for maximum growth. There are two main choices of lights; metal halide and high-pressure sodium. Your choice here is crucial as the light is the single most important factor in the success of your crop.
Facts about grow-lights
Both Metal halide (MH) and High-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps are from a group of lamps known as high-density discharge (HID) lamps. The output of the light is much higher than other lamps of their size, making them a powerful and efficient light source for your indoor grow. These HID lamps require a ballast to allow delivery of regular current and proper voltage to the arc. Both lamps also require specialist fittings to allow them to run safely.
Which do I need?
Realistically, you will need both. Metal halide lights are the choice for the vegetation stage of growth, as they emit light in the white/blue end of the spectrum, promoting bushiness and prohibiting upward growth. For flowering, high-pressure sodium (HPS) is more appropriate as it's light consists of yellow, orange and red spectrum light, perfect for flowering and fruit production.
When buying your lights you need to be aware of the wattage of light you will require. The following is a guide to required wattage. This can be used safely provided you have a good reflector on your lamp as well as good reflective wall covering.
2.5 to 3 feet (0.8 to 0.9m) - 400 watt
3.5 to 4 feet (1 - 1.25m) - 600 watt
4 to 5 feet (1.3 to 1.5 m) - 1000 watt
Smaller lamps are available but aren't considered a good choice because the low level of light emitted is not sufficient for decent plant growth.
These lamps are quite an expensive item, so you need to be sure to buy only the highest quality lamps. Find out which brand are preferred in your area and check customer testimonials if buying online. A highly recommended brand is Phillips, but there are others which make the grade. My personal choice for lighting supplies is Esoteric Hyroponics
There are others if you search on Google. At the end of the day it's probably best to go with one that quite local to you as this keeps shipping costs down.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment