Hydroponics Online Store



Hydroponic Systems

Hydroponic Grow Lights & Bulbs

Hydroponic Tents & Grow Boxes

Hydroponic Ballasts

Grow Light Reflectors

Hydroponic Nutrients

Grow Media Rocks

Hydroponic Pumps

Hydroponic Pots

Hydroponic Books

Meters

Hydroponic Exhaust Fans

Hydroponic Seeds

Hydroponic Foggers

Home Store Blog Forums FAQs Lesson Plans Pictures


Search:

Hydroponic Grow Lights Bulbs Lamps

Hydroponic System DiagramThere are four basic building blocks on which plant life is based: Light, Water , Nutrition, and Climate. The most common factor that limits plant growth is the light source. Gardening outdoors, this obviously is not a problem; Mother Nature has seen to proper light balance and intensity for healthy plant growth. The responsibility for proper indoor lighting falls on the gardener. If your plants are not furnished enough light of the correct spectrum, they often will be mere shadows of what they could have been, if they grow at all. When you can't rely on Mother Nature to handle the lighting for you, the next best thing is a High-Intensity Discharge (HID) Metal Halide light system.

It is hard to compare HID lights with fluorescent tubes or incandescent light bulbs. Although they each create light from electricity, that's where the similarity ends. Fluorescent tubes emit a gentle, low temperature light in a very low wattage. Excellent for the first two weeks of most any plant's life, fluorescent lights simply do not provide the intensity of light required for most vegetables, flowers and ornamentals.

Incandescent lights ('regular' light bulbs) are even worse for horticulture because they are very expensive to operate, put off as much heat as light, and do not offer the spectrums of light required for healthy plant growth. Even when incandescent light bulbs are altered with interior coatings to change their spectrum (like the "grow light" bulbs you see in the grocery store), they still do not come close to providing the kind of light a plant needs for robust, active growth. The only thing that will really grow and prosper under an incandescent grow bulb is your electric bill! Listed below are some common types of hydroponic grow lights.

What we call light is only a small sliver of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. Gamma rays occupy the short end of the EM spectrum with a wavelength of 10-5 nm, at the other end are radio waves with a wavelength of 1012nm. The part of the spectrum that can be seen by the human eye is called visible light and occupies the part of the spectrum between 380 and 750 nm. All life, beginning with photosynthetic organisms (plants) depends on this part of the spectrum for its energy. We see the different wavelengths of visible light as different colors.

Chlorophyll is the plant pigment responsible for photosynthesis in plants, but it does not absorb all the wavelengths of visible light equally. The most important form of chlorophyll, chlorophyll a, does not absorb light in the green part of the spectrum.  Light not absorbed is reflected, this is why plants are green. The absorption of light by chlorophyll A is at its maximum at two points in the visible spectrum, at 430 and 662 nm. The rate of photosynthesis peaks at two points in the spectrum which correspond approximately to the peaks in absorption. There are some lesser forms of chlorophyll which use other parts of the visible spectrum, so requirements differ slightly from plant to plant, and depending on the stage a plant is at in its life cycle.

The trick in artificially lighting your indoor hydroponics system is to provide your plants with the right parts of the visible spectrum, at the right times, and in the right measure. In general, you should plan on lighting your hydroponics system for about 14-16 hrs. per day, with a corresponding 8-10 hrs. of dark. The dark periods are important to plants, just as sleep time is needed by animals. Lighting your plants uses a great deal of energy, and it can produce a lot of heat. The heat byproduct of lighting can be either a blessing or a curse, but may well need to be managed in one way or another.

There are three main types of lighting systems for indoor growing. These are High Intensity Discharge (HID), fluorescent, and the new kid on the block LED. HID is further broken down into High Pressure Sodium (HPS), and Metal Halide (MH) bulbs. To complicate matters just a bit more, some lighting systems use “conversion bulbs”, which allow you to switch back and forth between MH and HPS bulbs at different stages of growth. Each system has its advantages and draw backs. If you are unable to utilize natural lighting, choosing an artificial lighting system will be one of your most difficult yet most important decisions in planning your hydroponics operation.

lamp

4 Heads LED Grow Light Plant Growing Lamp Light for Indoor Plants Full Spectrum picture

4 Heads LED Grow Light Plant Growing Lamp Light for Indoor Plants Full Spectrum

$18.70



PHLIZON 1000W Grow Light Bar Samsungled Full Spectrum Folded Indoor Lamp Flower picture

PHLIZON 1000W Grow Light Bar Samsungled Full Spectrum Folded Indoor Lamp Flower

$459.59



PHLIZON 1000W 640W/Samsung LM281B Grow bar Lights Dimmable Commercial Plant Lamp picture

PHLIZON 1000W 640W/Samsung LM281B Grow bar Lights Dimmable Commercial Plant Lamp

$349.98



PHLIZON 1000W/640W Foldable W/SAMSUNG LED Grow Light Indoor Hydroponic Grow Lamp picture

PHLIZON 1000W/640W Foldable W/SAMSUNG LED Grow Light Indoor Hydroponic Grow Lamp

$459.19



1-Pack VIVOSUN 600 W Super HPS Grow LAMP Light Bulb picture

1-Pack VIVOSUN 600 W Super HPS Grow LAMP Light Bulb

$29.99



 SL0900151 13 Watt CFL Grow Lamp 4 Pack, 4 Count (Pack of 1), White  picture

SL0900151 13 Watt CFL Grow Lamp 4 Pack, 4 Count (Pack of 1), White

$34.52



LED Grow Light Plant Growing Lamp Full Spectrum with 3 Timer for Indoor Plants picture

LED Grow Light Plant Growing Lamp Full Spectrum with 3 Timer for Indoor Plants

$8.99



LED Grow Light Adjustable Stand 10W for Indoor Plants Full Spectrum Lamp picture

LED Grow Light Adjustable Stand 10W for Indoor Plants Full Spectrum Lamp

$11.99



8500W 225 LED Grow Light Panel Full Spectrum Lamp for Indoor Plant Veg Flower picture

8500W 225 LED Grow Light Panel Full Spectrum Lamp for Indoor Plant Veg Flower

$25.50



Full Spectrum LED Grow Light Plant Growing Lamp with 3 Timer for Indoor Plants picture

Full Spectrum LED Grow Light Plant Growing Lamp with 3 Timer for Indoor Plants

$8.99



3000W LED Grow Lights UV Light Full Spectrum Indoor Hydroponic Plant Veg Growth picture

3000W LED Grow Lights UV Light Full Spectrum Indoor Hydroponic Plant Veg Growth

$39.99



8000W LED Grow Lights Full Spectrum Indoor Hydroponic Plant Flower Growing Bloom picture

8000W LED Grow Lights Full Spectrum Indoor Hydroponic Plant Flower Growing Bloom

$36.99



LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants with Stand UV& Full Spectrum Halo Growing Lamp picture

LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants with Stand UV& Full Spectrum Halo Growing Lamp

$10.99



Phlizon 6000W LED Grow Light 6×6FT Coverage Commerial  Full Spectrum Lamp Plants picture

Phlizon 6000W LED Grow Light 6×6FT Coverage Commerial Full Spectrum Lamp Plants

$359.58



SZHLUX 800W LED Grow Sunlight Plant Light Full Spectrum UV&IR Grow Lamp Fixtures picture

SZHLUX 800W LED Grow Sunlight Plant Light Full Spectrum UV&IR Grow Lamp Fixtures

$339.99



Phlizon FD6500 640W Plant LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants Dimmable Samsung Lamp picture

Phlizon FD6500 640W Plant LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants Dimmable Samsung Lamp

$349.90



Full Spectrum LED Grow Lights Sun Light Dimmable Growing Lamp for Indoor Plants picture

Full Spectrum LED Grow Lights Sun Light Dimmable Growing Lamp for Indoor Plants

$13.98



Lot of 2 High Pressure Sodium HPS 250w LU250 Mogul Light Bulb Lamp (2616) picture

Lot of 2 High Pressure Sodium HPS 250w LU250 Mogul Light Bulb Lamp (2616)

$19.89



Philips Master Color CDM-TP MW Crisp White Light 315W Grow Lamp Bulb - T12 Elite picture

Philips Master Color CDM-TP MW Crisp White Light 315W Grow Lamp Bulb - T12 Elite

$33.02



640W Foldable LED Grow Lights 8Bar Sunlike Full Spectrum Lamp for Indoor Plants picture

640W Foldable LED Grow Lights 8Bar Sunlike Full Spectrum Lamp for Indoor Plants

$349.27