pic 1) high pressure sodium
pic 2) metal halide
pic 3) florescent
pic 4) compact fluorescent
the most popular grow lights are high pressure sodium (HPS), metal halide (MH), florescent and compact fluorescent lights (CFL). florescent lights should never be used in flouring because they are to weak but they are perfect for maintaining clones as well as young plants and are cheap to run.
CFL can be used to flour and some people have gotten good results with them but as the light they put out is less intense the buds are looser and often (if not always) yield less than HPS or MH lights of the same wattage but they are cheap to buy and cheap to run and last a very long time perfect for budget growers.
For the flouring stage you should use a HPS or MH light these lights are more intense (more lumen's per watt) than CFL or fluorescent lights.
HPS and MH lights should be kept at least 3 foot away from the tops of the plants to prevent burning the plants and CFL, fluorescent lights about 5 inches.
WATTS
the wattage of lights it used to measure how much electricity is used per hour from a light. The standard watts for grow lights are 150w, 200w, 250w, 400w, 600w, 800w and 1000w.
fluorescent lights come in low wattage's generally under 100w and CFL are available up to 400w HPS and MH go up to 1000w.
the most efficient watt is 600w because they produce the most lumen's per watt. Electric company's charge per kilowatt used per hour and the cost differs quite a bit depending on country and company it is best to check the rates before buying high watt lights.
KELVIN SCALE
The kelvin scale is used to measure the color of the light the bulb puts out. The bulbs are rated as follows
warm 3000k used for flouring.
neutral 4000k can be used for both.
cool 6000k used for vegetative.
Check the lights packaging for the color of the light and purchase accordingly for the best results.
IMPROVING EFFICIENCY
For anyone with limited space efficiency is a big issue and there are many things that can be done to improve it. Reflectors are well worth the investment as good reflectors can more than double the efficiency!.
Light movers are very good as well but are underrated by most most grower's who simply overlook them. The movers mean lights can be placed closer to the plants improving yield as well as bud density and also allows a lot more plants per area.
3 400w lights produce around 40% more light than 1 1000w light and 3 600 Waters produce more light than 2 1000w lights and can be moved closer to plants because they produce less heat per bulb. Make sure the lights are positioned correctly side by for this to work properly.
If you feel i have left any thing out or more detail is needed please leave a comment.
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