Grow Lamps

Grow lamps are an essential part of any working hydroponic system. There are several different types on the market, so care must be taken when you select the grow lamp to use with your hydroponic growing system.

This category features high-intensity discharge (HID), and each type has pros and cons.

Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) are relatively inexpensive bulbs that are versatile and differ quite a bit in their shape. CFLs are an excellent choice for the smaller hydroponic system because they don’t get too hot; therefore, they can safely be placed up close to your plants without fear of causing leaf burn or any other heat damage.

It’s generally thought that HID lamps are considerably more efficient than fluorescent lamps. But HIDs release more heat than fluorescent lamps, so they heat up in a short space of time and will need continual ventilation. Of these, there are three sub-varieties:

HPS lamps give off reds and yellows on the colour spectrum. Because of this, HPS grow lamps are used more often during plants’ fruiting and flowering phases. Though they also work quite happily throughout any plant’s life cycle.

Metal Halide Lamps (MH) emit light within the colour spectrum’s blue range. Because of this, they are suited most often for the vegetative stages in the life cycles of plants.

Ceramic Metal Halide Lamps (CMH) are similar to MH grow lamps on first seeing them. However, CMH lamps have a much broader colour spectrum range than the MH or HPS type of lights and last longer than the other two types of lamps.

For those who are on a bit of a tight budget, a good choice would be CFL grow lights. They are suitable for smaller plants that need only a little light and are comparatively cheap to buy and run.

It may be helpful for you to consider using different lights for the various stages of your plant’s growth cycle, matching your lights to your plants more closely. MH lights and CMH lights are used for the best effect during the vegetative stages of the plant’s growth, while HP lights are better during the flowering phase.