When you grow your vegetables indoors, lighting can be an issue. Plants require sufficient levels of visible light spectrum exposure in order to reach their maximum growth potential. But most of us aren’t getting full July sunshine inside our homes. That’s where grow lights come in. HID lights (high intensity discharge lights) are a time-proven source of lighting for improving plant growth. Take a look at the top six benefits of using HID grow lights.
They cost less upfront than LED.
LED and HID lights are the top choices for providing UV radiation when growing vegetables in a hydroponic setup. By many accounts, their results are quite similar. But HID grow lights cost less initially, which can be a factor if you need to purchase many lights at once. And if you have one light go out, your cost to replace it will be lower. HID is a good option for beginner growers who are just trying out a hydroponic setup and for small-scale indoor gardeners.
They help your plants grow.
HID lights are not exactly the same as sunlight. They do, however, help your plants to grow. You will see a noticeable difference in plant measurements after adding a lighting system. The light spectrum of HID grow lights is just right for encouraging flowering plants in particular to go through photosynthesis, which is one way a plant takes in nutrition. If you are trying hydroponic gardening without a powerful light source, your results are probably pretty disappointing.
HID has been proven over time.
HID grow lights have been used for over thirty years by indoor growers and hydroponics enthusiasts. They have a documented history of improving plant growth and yields. In fact, many veteran growers of indoor plants maintain that HID lights produce better quality plants with higher yields of produce, based on their own observations.
They penetrate the plant canopy better than LED.
LED and HID lights simply work differently from each other. And one major advantage to HID lighting is that it is better able to penetrate into the lower leaves of your plants. In hydroponics setups, plants are usually spaced closely, and having lights that penetrate deeply through overlapping leaves is beneficial.
HID lights are easier to use than LED.
Proper usage for LED lights can change significantly between various models and manufacturers, so you really have to pay attention to which lights you are getting and how they should be positioned and spectrum adjusted. Each LED lamp uses unique lenses, cases, diodes, and blends of colors. That’s a lot to think about for your lighting setup! HID lights are a set color spectrum, and they do an excellent job of providing broad spectrum lighting that encourages plant growth without a lot of adjustments. Unlike LED grow lights, HID lights tend to work in a consistent manner across models and manufacturers.
They are easier to repair.
LED lights have modular parts, but if for instance, one half of your light panel goes out, you typically have to get the entire unit repaired or replaced. This can be a disaster if your lighting setup malfunctions in the middle of your plants’ growing cycle. With HID lights, however, you can easily find replacement parts and switch out just the malfunctioning piece of the unit.
Come into Indoor Cultivator for HID grow lights and lighting components for your hydroponics garden.