When it comes to grow lamps for plants, there are quite a few types to choose from. The one that you decide on should work well with your needs. It is best that you learn a bit about each form of lighting so that you will know which grow lamps will be most effective for your plants. The following is an overview of each type as well as the benefits of each.
Fluorescent Lighting
There are two different forms of fluorescent lights that can be used with your grow lamps. The compact version, also known as CFL, tend to be sufficient for most people who have a few plants in their home. T5 lighting is a higher quality version of fluorescent lighting, as it emits a larger amount of PAR, which stands for photosynthetically active radiation. Most fluorescent grow lamps for plants give off very little heat, which provides you with the ability to set the close to the plants without having to worry about damage from the heat of the lights.
LED Lighting
LED, known in its long form as light emitting diodes are the newest providers of light for plants. They use the least amount of power of all other glow lamps available. On the other hand, their PAR is also quite low. They are also expensive since they are the most recent type of lighting on the market, but there price is starting to drop. A bonus of using this type of illumination is that LED’s are tiny, so you can use them in many different configurations when setting up your glow lamps. Another perk is that they are sturdy and can provide you with up to 10 years of light.
High Pressure Sodium Lighting
HPS lights offer your plants a great deal of illumination. They tend to lean toward the red end of the spectrum. This makes them an efficient resource for plants that need red lighting in order for their flowers to blossom well. These grow lamps for plants can be used in conjunction with other types of lights if a more stable light offering is necessary. These lamps tend to get hot so you do not want to place them too close to your plants. Many commercial plant growers opt for high pressure sodium lights because they offer the most PAR in relation to their energy consumption.
Metal Halide Lighting
The MH lights are very similar in their features to the HPS lighting. They provide the user with intense beams of light, and tend to get too hot during use to be placed within a short distance of the plants. The one difference between the two is the metal halide lights leans toward the blue end of the spectrum. It would be wise to couple these with the HPS lights if you need a well balanced light for your plants.