Hydroponics lights, or grow lights as they are commonly called, come in several varieties and can be used in combination with one another to attain the best results in an indoor growing area or grow box. If you are using natural sunlight in any way, the grow lights will be used to supplement natural light; if you are using strictly artificial lighting, your setup will naturally be a bit more elaborate.
When setting up hydroponic lighting, it’s important to understand the principle of color temperature and its effects on plant life. Not to be confused with heat/cold, color temperature refers to the color spectrum of light, and is measured in degrees Kelvin. Higher color temperatures are considered “cooler”—blue light being the coolest at around 6000K—and red-orange light being “warmer” (2000K range). broadly speaking, full-vegetation plants do well with the darker blue spectrum (closest to normal sunlight at 6000K), while fruit/flowering plants do well with slightly warmer color temperatures (4800K). In the reproductive/flowering phase, plants draw from the red-orange part of the spectrum. In an optimal lighting setup, your hydroponic lights will cover a blend of these color temperatures best suited for whatever plants you are growing.
The most common type of bulb used in hydroponic lighting is the Metal Halide (MH) bulb. This High-Intensity Discharge (HID) light leans most toward the blue side of the spectrum, is most like direct sunlight, and is preferred for most growing situations. Apparently, leafy, full-vegetation plants do well with MH bulbs.
Another HID bulb used is the High Pressure Sodium (HPS) bulb. This bulb tends to emit orange-red light around the 2200K mark, and is good for flowering plants, but not very good in itself as an artificial lighting substitute. It should generally be used in combination with natural sunlight or other artificial bulbs.
Your third choice is compact fluorescent grow lights or lighting. The advantage with fluorescents is that although they are less intense, they are cheaper, can be placed close to the plants because of their low emission of heat, and in combination with one another can cover the color temperature spectrum fairly well.
You can also consider both incandescent lighting, or LED lighting. Incandescent lighting is usually not preferred because the light doesn’t have the intesity to grow plants very well, and they generate a ton of heat. LED lights are completely cool, and emit a broad spectrum of light but really are expensive… because of this they may not be a cost effective option for your growing setup.
As you can tell, there are a wide range of combinations that can be made from these hydroponic lights. The combination that works best for your garden can be determined with your retailer.
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