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Hydroponic Lighting

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Hydroponic lighting serves to aid plants in the process of photosynthesis. The process of hydroponic gardening involves the growth of flora without soil. However, though plants do not require soil, they still require such other needs as water, carbon dioxide, mineral nutrients, and sunlight.

Plants convert the energy from sunlight into chemical energy. This energy is then used to form sugars. This is the method known as photosynthesis which allows plants to grow and sustain themselves.

When natural illumination is unavailable, High-intensity discharge (HID) lights are chosen for hydroponic lighting. These are electrical lamps which create illumination with an electric arc. This arc goes between two tungsten electrodes. All of this is housed within either a fused quartz or fused alumina arc tube.

The initial strike of the electric arc is aided by the presence of gas and metal salts within the arc tube. The metal salts are evaporated once the arc is heated. This creates plasma, offering more intense light at a reduced level of energy consumption.

When it comes to hydroponic lighting, two main types of HID lights are used. These different options provide for different portions of the light spectrum.

The first type of HID lamp are the Metal Halides (MH). Their illumination comes from the blue end of the spectrum. This lighting tells the plants that it is spring. It encourages growth.

For that reason, these are commonly used with young plants, as well as for green and leafy vegetables. For instance, spinach, cabbage, lettuce, and herbs will grow optimally while indoors with the use of this type of lamp.

Species which are going through a vegetative stage of growth receive much benefit from MH lamps. This is because they encourage branches to grow in a manner that is both tight and internodal. Thick stems and large leaves are also encouraged by this blue light spectrum. This works to support full and healthy fruit and flowers later in the plant's lifespan.

The second HID type comes from the opposite end of the spectrum- the orange/red end. These are called High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lights. They are used for fruits and flowering plants.

The color of an HPS lamp is designed to reflect the sunset colors of harvest time. This type of sunlight is used by plants during their reproductive processes. For this reason, HPS options are better suited to encouraging the appearance of fruits and flowers.

These lights offer more lumens than MH ones. An HPS lamp will usually generate between 97 to 150 lumens per watt. They are better suited to flowering times. This is because their use during the vegetative stage of a flowering plant is known to make it fade. It will also stretch under this light form. This unnatural appearance ruins the draw of a fruit as well as the beauty of a flower.

In recent years, both lamps have developed a more balanced spectrum. The MH lamp now provides more light from the red/orange end of the spectrum while the HPS options provide more blues. This allows for less extreme growing options where desirable.

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