Lighting systems for growing indoors and hydroponics have grown intensively more in tune with the needs of hydroponic growers and gone are the days of lighting your garden with standard bulbs.

Available now are a range of bulbs to use depending on your needs for intensity of output and spectrum of light.  Light intensity is measured in lumens — 1 lumen = 1 candlefoot of light (amount of light on one candle at one foot distance). Estimates show that the average amount of lumens per square foot should be within the 2000 range.  Spectrum is the range of colors that the light produces.  Plants need a variety of spectrum depending, from red/orange to blue/green — red for budding and blue for vegetative growth.

Right now on the market there are HID and Florescent bulbs to choose from.  Florescent will get the job done, but the intensity of the light is lacking and the light would have to remain a few inches away from the plant to get the best results.  Florescent bulbs are great for the home hydroponic garden as they are cheaper or the person new to hydroponics.  HID (High Intensity Discharge) bulbs are more expensive, both to purchase and to run, but the results are worth the cost for the serious grower.  HID works by shooting a current into the bulb and when a certain voltage is hit, gas sparks creating arc light.  HID gives off a mixed spectrum of light making them a great choice for hydroponics and indoor gardening.

There are also new developments using LED lights that Nasa has been experimenting with.  This could one of the best things to hit the hydroponics lighting market and could push both florescent and HID to the brink of extinction — but only time will tell.

A little more on bulbs…

You can put any bulb in any hood, but you need to make sure that your ballast wattage matches your bulb wattage. Depending on the wattage of your bulb, you want to make sure that the plant is positioned at the right distance from the bulb (1000 watt=2 feet, 600 watt=18 inches, 400 watt=12 inches, 250 watt=12 inches). You want to have at least 100 watts per plant. Grow bulbs last an average of 1 to 1.5 years. Grow bulbs are specifically engineered for growing and are tuned to the color spectrum for plants to grow.

The best bulb for white ballasts is Hortilux, while for digital ballasts the best bulb is Ushio. T5 modern fluorescents with smaller tubing come in cool white and warm white. Cool white is best for vegetation and the warm white is best for flowering. You can also mix cool/warm/cool/warm/cool/warm within your hood for full spectrum light. These bulbs are only sold at grow stores. Metal Halide bulbs are for vegetation growth and has a blue spectrum. HPS (High Pressure Sodium) bulbs provide for more flower production with its red spectrum making flowers grow faster. If you have any questions or are unsure of the right bulb for your growing purposes, contact us.

Check out our Artificial Lighting Guide for more information…