Indoor Grow Light Tips for the Hydroponic Garden

There is a wide variety of indoor grow lights available. Here are some tips to help you choose the best lighting system for your needs:
High Intensity Discharge Lights
High intensity discharge lights or HIDs are electrical lights that are highly efficient. Depending on the spectrum of light they produce, they are classified into two types, i.e. metal halide (MH) and high pressure sodium (HPS). While MH lights provide light in the blue spectrum, which promotes leaf and shoot growth, HPS indoor grow lights are more suitable for flowering, as they emit red or orange light. Here are some tips to maximize the benefits of HID lights:
• Use MH lights for 18-24 hours daily to promote growth. HPS lights generally run for around 12 hours per day, to ensure optimum flowering and fruiting.

• HID lights should be positioned slightly away from the plants so that the plants are not exposed to the heat that the lights generate. Small systems (up to 250 watts) should be hung 1-2 feet away, while large lighting systems (over 1000 watts) need to be fitted at least 2 feet away from the plants. Using air cooled lights will allow you to keep the lights closer to the plant canopies thereby giving your plants a higher lumen output.

Other Light Sources
Apart from HID lights, there are many other indoor grow lights available for hydroponic gardens. Full spectrum T-5 fluorescent grow lights produce high light output and generate less heat, making them ideal for young plants and shade-loving plant varieties. Incandescent grow lights are cheap but ineffective as far as light output is concerned. A newer light source that is now available is the light emitting diode (LED) light. Although advertised as highly efficient, it has not yet been proven to outperform currently available indoor grow lights.

Ryan Karl is an expert horticulturist who writes extensively on gardening topics. He is especially interested in all aspects of hydroponics, or the science of soilless gardening.