Light is the most important element of your grow setup. Without proper light, you won’t get a harvest. But with too much light, things can get out of hand quickly. All plants need light to grow, but not all plants need the same kind of light. Some plants need more red and blue light to flower and others require more green lights to sprout new leaves. The best grow lights will give your plants everything they need to thrive.
For indoor growing, you have several options when it comes to light sources. The best type of light for your garden depends on the size and type of plant you’re growing, as well as how much space you have to dedicate to your garden.
There are two main types of lighting for grow systems to consider. Fluorescent lamps are the most common type, and they can be used for all stages of plant growth. Metal halide lamps are more expensive but can help plants to flower more quickly.
Here are some commonly used indoor grow lights:
Fluorescent Lamps
Fluorescent lamps are generally better for plants in their early stages of growth, from seedling through vegetative stage (when the plant is growing toward its full size). They’re also useful for cloning — taking cuttings from plants and growing them into new ones — because they produce less heat than metal halide lights and therefore don’t damage delicate clones as easily.
Metal Halide Lamps
Metal halide lamps produce light that’s rich in blue wavelengths, which makes them good for flowering plants. These lamps are needed when you want to induce flowering in your plants or hasten it if it has already begun naturally. You’ll also need these lights if you want to grow many different strains at once and have each strain flower at its own pace so that they’re all ready at once.
LED Grow Lights – LEDs are quickly growing in popularity because they are much more energy efficient than other types of lighting systems such as HID bulbs or fluorescents. LEDs also produce very little heat so you can use them in tight spaces without worrying about overheating your plants or burning yourself on hot fixtures after hours of use at high temperatures.
HID Grow Lights – High Intensity Discharge (HID) lights are one of the best choices for growing marijuana indoors because they provide excellent coverage with powerful lumens per watt. HID lights come in two different types: high pressure sodium (HPS) and metal halide (MH). Both produce a lot of heat, which can be an issue if you don’t have enough ventilation or cooling in your grow room.
