Hydroponic lights, also referred to as grow lights, are used, sometimes together with one of its other varieties, to attain the best lighting results. Natural sunlight can still be utilized together with grow lights but if you’re purely on artificial lighting, then your setup should be more elaborate.
In setting up hydroponic lighting, it is essential 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 regarded as “cooler” blue light being the coolest at approximately 6000K and red-orange light being “warmer” (2000K range). The darker blue spectrum – which is closest to normal sunlight – is good for full-vegetation plants, while the slightly warmer color temperatures are most appropriate for fruit and flowering plants. Also, know that plants draw from the red-orange part of the spectrum in the reproductive stage. In the most favorable lighting setup, your hydroponic lights will cover a blend of these color temperatures best suited for the plants you are growing.
The Metal Halide (MH) bulb is by far the most common kind of artificial lighting used in hydroponics. This High-Intensity Discharge (HID) light leans most toward the blue part of the spectrum, is most like direct sunlight, and is preferred for almost all growing situations. In effect, this bulb works best with leafy, full-vegetation plants.
The High Pressure Sodium (HPS) bulb is yet another HID bulb. Unlike the MH bulb, the HPS bulb is more veered towards the orange-red part of the spectrum – ideal for flowering plants. It must generally be used together with natural sunlight or other artificial bulbs.
A third option is fluorescent lighting. These bulbs are cheaper and they emit less heat, as such, they can be placed so close to the plants.
Still, you have even more alternatives: (1) incandescent light which is not as intense and would get too warm when placed too closely to the plants and (2) LED lights, which can cover the spectrum just as perfectly without emitting heat but are way too costly.
As you can see, there are a wide range of lighting setups that can be made from these hydroponic lights. The combination that works best for your garden can be determined with your retailer.
