What are the types of plant growth lights

[Grow]

There are not one best commercial led grow lights to choose from, All are useful and come with their benefits and downsides. Let's dive into each of them.High-Intensity Discharge (HID)

HID is a kind of bulb that passes electricity through a gas-filled tube.

HID remains a popular choice for novice growers whether it is HPS or MH because of their low set up cost.Three types of HID grow lights are used in indoor growing - High-Pressure Sodium (HPS), Metal Halide (MH), and Ceramic Metal Halide CMH

HPS

HPS emits light strongly at red and orange end of the light spectrum, which is more suited to plants' flowering stage.

MH

MH is often used in the vegetative phase of plants because it gives more blue light range of the spectrum

CMH

Ceramic Metal Halide, or also called Light Emitting Ceramic (LEC) uses ceramic arc tube just like HPSs. CMH is probably a combination of HPS and MH, so CMH has a broader light spectrum range, making it a great single light solution.

However, though CMH is more efficient than regular MH lights, it does not give more lights in the red spectrum than HPS. As a result, CMH cannot beat HPS when it comes to the flowering growth stage of plants.

And it is still not proven if using a single broader PAR light spectrum will a more efficient solution in terms of cost, crop yields, convenience than a combination of  

HID Grow Light Tips

You can use three kinds of lights (HPS MH, and CMH) for a full growing phase from the beginning to the harvest, but it is not strongly recommended. Normally start with MH or CMH during the vegetative phase. Then move to HPS during the flowering stage.

That would mean if you intend to use HIDs, you should purchase one MH and on HPS bulb type separately because HPS igniter does not fit to MH and conversely.

However, you can consider getting a conversion bulb, which let you run HPS bulbs on an MH ballast or an MH bulb on an HPS ballast.

Pros：

Relatively cheap

Stable and quality yields have been proven over the past.

Easy to use and consistent models across suppliers. Unlike LEDs, you have to check what spectrum, the positioning, and what model types suited for plants.

Cons:

Require ballast and reflector.

Short life span.

Fluorescent

Like its name, a fluorescent bulb or tube uses fluorescent to give visible light. It works by passing electrodes positioned on both ends of the bulb. As the electric current moves, the mercury inside the bulb take up energy and produce a short-wave light that causes a phosphor coating inside of the lamp to glow.

Fluorescent does not emit as much light as HIDs. So they are often used for seed starting, rooting cuttings, and early to mid-stage plant vegetative phase.

Two common types of Fluorescent lights used for indoor plants are the tube-style lights and compact fluorescent lights (CFL).

Tube-style Fluorescent light

There are many forms of tube-style fluorescent light form, namely the T5, T8 and T12. Among them, the most popular and efficient for growing indoor is the T5.

the T5 for growing usually comes with multiple bulbs arranged parallel to each other in a panel.

The T5 emits less power than HIDs, so it's much cooler in temperature and can be kept closer to plants

CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp)

CFLs are the short twisty bulbs, which are commonly seen in every house. When CFLs are invented, they have replaced the old incandescent light bulbs because of their long life expectancy and efficiency.

There are my sizes and colors of CFLs that can be used for both daily activities or for growing from 12 watts to as much as 250W.

CFLs are just a short version of Fluorescent. So it's can fit in smaller growing spaces than other types of lights. These lights are relatively inexpensive. It doesn't produce lots of heat. So don't need much ventilation

Pros:

Relatively cheap.

Running cool and can be placed near plants.

Cons:

Not as strong for Flowering as HIDs (HPS)

Short life span (around 10,000 hours of use)

Require ballast and reflector.

Fluorescent grow light tips:

Fluorescent lights are an efficient cost-saving solution for beginners and are great supplementary bulbs for experienced growers. They are an excellent option for young plants, clones, and vegetative growth phase of plants because the lights are not as strong as HPS or LED high power lights.  

So that means you use Fluorescent bulbs for all grow phase if your set-ups are small. But if you want a better approach when plants come to the flowering phase, it's better to go with HPS or LED grow lights which bring much higher yields.

LED (Light Emitting Diode)

LED came to the market later compared to other lighting types. It was met with skepticism by home users and as well as growers initially. However, LEDs soon prove its worth by performing efficiently and displaying some discernible unique advantages that other grow light types cannot have.

Led grow lights are in popular use nowadays either by hobby growers and commercial greenhouse farm. This is because eco farm led lights are energy-efficient, don't give off much heat, and don't require much maintenance.

People can customize the LED diodes to emit a specific light wavelength they want.

Pros:

LEDs usually come with a built-in cooling that helps regulate heats around plants. So no bother of ventilation and frequent checking for growers.

Little heating gave off. You can place the LEDs close to plants, which grants you great versatility.

Better lifespan. LEDs have an average 50,000 hours of lighting that can last up to 15 years as compared to 10,000 hours of HPs.

Cons:

High initial set-up expense. But in the long run, LEDs do not cost more because of its efficient performance.

LEDs need spaces from the plants. Even though the temperature is cool, plants can be burned with too much light.

Environment temperature vulnerability. This only happens to places where the temperature is very high (like processing mills). The diodes of LEDs lights will depend on the ambient surrounding temperature for its performance. Too hot and the LED module can burn out.

How Much Lightning is Needed?

The output of wattage will vary dependent on the light source.

However, to give a visual picture of a rough estimate, typically you need a minimum of 30 watts per square foot. But 50 watts each square foot is optimal.

Now, calculate the lighting needed for the area you grow. Let's say if you light up a growing space of 8 square feet, you need at least 30 x 8 = 240 watts for the area. The optimal light power is 50 x 8 = 400 watts.

Different types of light will produce different wattages. So, a CFL that gives off 400 watts may be equal to 200 watts HPS lights.