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Found 2 product(s) for HID Lights:Choosing a Light (1-2 of 2)
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HID Lights
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Choosing a Light
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Choosing a light
What light should you use? This can be a complicated question, with many answers. In general I have found that these guide lines have helped me choose the correct light for me and my customers. What do I want to grow with my light and how long am I going to use it? If you plan on using a light to start seedlings to out plant in the Spring, then I would suggest using a T5 fluorescent light. T5's and compact fluorescent lights are relatively inexpensive, fit on shelving easily, do a good job growing seedlings up to 4 - 6 weeks before out planting. When used just a few months during the year the bulbs will last 5 years or so. These lights cover a limited area so be sure to get one that will cover your growing space
If you want to grow larger plants for out planting in the Spring, then a HID light is the way to go. They can provide stronger light to keep plants stocky and strong in the proper growing environment ( good air circulation, humidity,correct growing temperatures and fertilizer). They can provide enough light, depending on the size, to keep your plants growing healthy indoors year round. Growing all year indoors
can be fun and rewarding, just keep in mind that these lights produce a lot of heat and that heat must be removed from your growing area when it exceeds proper growing temperatures (70 - 85).
Now about LED lighting, it will grow great seedlings that can be out planted without having to "harden off" your seedlings. Vegetables will flower and fruit growing under their light. If you want to grow lettuce, micro greens, herbs, wheat grass, a LED light will do the job without creating a lot of heat or taking up a large space. They may be a bit more expensive to purchase up front, but the payback can be in a year or to due to the lower energy use, no need for expensive ventilation and not having to buy new bulbs every year.
These are just general guide lines about these lights. They all work well. The best light for you will be the one that matches your needs.
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Size of Light
When first considering using a grow light you have to think about the size of the area you want to light. The wattage of the grow light that you need will be determined by the square foot area of your growing area. Some simple rules of thumb are 25 to 50 watts per square foot of growing area. So, you can plan on a 3' x 3' area using 250 watts, 4' x 4' area using 400 watts, 5' x 5' area using 600 watts and a 6' x 6' area using 1000 watts. If you have a larger area you can add multiple lights. This can be adjusted to fit your particular situation. Be careful of trying to place too large of a light in your growing area. The excess heat and intensity of the light could damage your plants. To avoid the excess heat from a larger light you may have to choose a reflector that can be air cooled. Air from outside of your growing area would be pulled in to flow over the bulb then vented out of the growing area via an inline fan and ducting. The bulb and the ballast have to be of the same wattage, ie. 250 watt ballast - 250 watt bulb, 600 watt ballast - 600 watt bulb.
If you have mylar or black/white plastic film on your walls or the wall painted white will help increase the light available to your plants by reflecting it back into them. Using a grow tent or indoor greenhouse will work the same.
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