The most important factor in indoor gardening is the Lighting you use. With adequate light, you can grow plants, flowers or fruits & vegetables in your indoor garden year round. Answers to common indoor plant grow questions can be found below.

Q What is HID lighting?

A HID stands for High Intensity Discharge, it is one of the most efficient types of lighting available. The two type of HID lights used for plants are Metal Halide (MH) and High Pressure Sodium (HPS).

Q Is it safe to run these type of lights in my home?

A In general these lights are very safe. You may not realize it but HID lighting systems are being used in warehouses, retail & groceries stores, gas stations, sports stadiums, street lights, and there may even be one in your back yard (security/flood lights). Look for systems that are UL listed to help assure a safe lighting fixture. UL listing means that the product has been thoroughly tested by the nations top testing labs and passed. They test for proper wire connections, safe components, and proper heat displacement.

Q Why should I use HID lights for my indoor plants?

A HID is the most intense light source that is available to the general public, it puts out more light than any other grow lamps available. HID is also more efficient than other grow lights in the market, and the lamps last up to 6 times longer than the others. For example:

• Forty-one 40W fluorescent grow tubes (1640 watts of power) = the output of just one 400W HPS light (400 watts of power)
• One 40W (T12) Fluorescent gives 1200 lumens compared to a 400W HPS @ 50,000 lumens
• The average 100W incandescent light bulb produces 1260 lumens

Note: Lumens is a term for the measurement of light.

Q When should I use fluorescent lamps?

A Fluorescent lighting works best for seedlings.

Q What is the difference between MH and HPS?

A Metal Halide HID lamps have a balanced light spectrum which offers the most natural light output. Metal Halide's balanced spectrum contains the common blue and red wavelengths needed by plants for the most rapid growth. Plants can be grown from start to finish using metal halide lighting systems. Metal Halide lighting promotes leaf growth.

High Pressure Sodium lamps are more efficient than Metal Halide, producing the highest number of lumens per watt - about 10-15% more than a Metal Halide bulb. HPS emits an orange/yellow color that is similar to the sun's spectrum in the mid day. This type of light promotes flower growth. However, the lack of blue spectrum light can sometimes make a plant stretch during the vegetative growth stage. HPS should be used as a supplemental light in your greenhouse or sunroom.

Q What is the difference between Standard and Enhanced Performance HPS Lamps?

A Standard High Pressure Sodium lamps emit an orange/yellow color that is similar to the sun's spectrum in the mid day. This type of light promotes flower growth. However, as mentioned above, the lack of blue spectrum light in Standard HPS bulbs can sometimes make a plant stretch during the vegetative growth stage. Enhanced Performance HPS lamps have a wider blue spectrum, which makes a significant difference in plant growth.

Q What is the difference between Universal MH and Super Horizontal MH Lamps?

A Super Horizontal lamps provide 12% more light output than Universal, but must be burned in a horizontal position. Metal Halide lamps provide a light that is blue-orientated in the spectrum. It is the best type of light to be used as a primary light source (if little or no natural sunlight is available). This type of light promotes plant growth.

Q Which type of light should I choose?

A Metal Halide (MH) works best for vegetative growth, and as a primary light source for any plants. High Pressure Sodium (HPS) works best for fruiting and flowering plants, and will work best if you have another light source, like a window, greenhouse, or sunroof. Fluorescent works best for seedlings.

Q Which wattage should I use?

A Optimum wattage depends on several factors including the size of the grow area and the type of plants. If you have a plant that requires more light (i.e. tomatoes), choose a higher wattage. If you are using HID lights as a primary light source, use a higher wattage system with a smaller grow area for best results. MH systems come in 100, 175, 250, 400, 1000, 1100, and 1500 watts (250, 400, and 1000 watts most commonly used). HPS lamps (light bulbs) are available in 100, 150, 250, 400, 430, 600, and 1000 watts (250, 400, 430, 600, and 1000 watts most commonly used).

Use the charts below as a general rule of thumb
when choosing which wattage you will need:

AThe answer depends on several factors. First, your wattage of the light, higher wattage lights put out more heat. Therefore, you should hang them so your plants don’t burn. For example, 1000 watts should not be any closer than 2 feet from the tops of the plants. Another factor is how large the coverage area is, if you need a larger grow area then you should raise the light. Doing this will increase the coverage area, but decrease the intensity of the light. The last factor is what type of plants you are growing; if it is a plant that require more intense light than you will want to keep the lights lower. The chart below should help you get started.

Q How long should I run my light?

A This depends on your type of plants. Most plants do well with up to 12 hours of light a day. Long day plants may require up to 16 hours. Once again for best results you may have to adjust the run length according to how your plants react.

Q How often should I replace my lamp/light bulb?

A Unlike the lamps in your home, HID lamps should be replaced before they burn out. HPS lamps should be replaced at least every 2 to 2 ½ years. MH should be replaced at least once every year. Although these lamps may look like they are fine and could likely light up for up to six years you are not getting the most of your lamp. After one year (12-14 hours a day) of use your MH lamp should be putting out around 65% to 70% of the initial lumen output. For example, your 1000W MH lamp puts out 110,000 lumens after one year of use it’s down to around 71,500 lumens. You are still using 1000 watts of power to generate 65% of the light. The life of the HPS lamps is greater, after 1 year most HPS lamps give about 85 to 90% of the initial light output.

Click a link below for a wide selection of Metal Halide & HPS Bulbs:

Metal Halide Light Bulbs

HPS Light Bulbs

Note: It is impossible to see with the naked eye if a lamp is dimmer or has lost a good percent of its initial life.

Q Should I use specialty lamps and do they work?

A If you can afford them, you should use them. Specialty grow lamps like the Eye Lighting’s “Hortilux” and the SunMaster’s “Warm Deluxe” are HID lamps engineered for plant growth. Eye Lighting is the industry leader in HPS grow lamps and SunMaster is the industry leader in MH grow lamps. They both work on a similar concept, MH lamps that have redder spectrum and HPS lamps that have bluer spectrum. The “Hortilux” lamps offer up to 25% bluer light than a standard HPS. This helps with green vegetative growth, and to build stronger stems. The “Warm Deluxe” lamps offer up to 25% redder spectrum than standard MH lamps. This helps with flowering and fruiting in plants. Both lamps also provide more lumens than standard HID lamps.

Q What do I need to get started?

A You can purchase complete fixtures with ballast, reflector & lamp here!

Note: Glass is optional on most horizontal hoods, and is required on MH systems for UL listing.

Q What reflector should I buy?

A Horizontal reflectors are by far the most common reflector used for plant lighting. They do an excellent job concentrating the light in a downward direction (where the plants are), giving your plants a more intense coverage. The only disadvantage to horizontal hoods is the amount of heat that is directed downward. You can overcome the heat problem with fans, and blowers as long the reflector is "air-coolable".

Maximizer Reflector	Mid Size Super Reflector	SunGro Reflector
Large Horiz. Reflector Super Sun Reflector

Vertical reflectors look like a large umbrella, these types of reflectors do a good job spreading light in a large area. They also have more room for heat to dissipate so you can place them closer to your plants. The disadvantages of the vertical hoods are they throw light everywhere and you have plenty of wasted light where the plants aren’t. We will have these vertical reflectors available for purchase soon!

See Below for Plant Grow Lighting Products Available Here