LightsLighting is obviously very important for indoor marijuana growing because the lack of sun that exists inside. When deciding which type of lights to choose from for your grow set up keep in mind of the different kinds of lights that are available on the market and which areas of the home they are recommended for. Some lights produce much more heat than others making it so that they obviously cannot be kept in smaller areas because of the possibility of a fire, while at the same time other types of light bulbs do not produce enough light over a larger area making them much more efficient for smaller grow areas. Keep in mind of the room or area that you are growing in and purchase lights that correspond correctly to your set up. This will ensure that fires can be avoided and that the plants can have enough light.
Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) Using fluorescent light bulbs as a first time grower is a good choice because they are cheap, easy to install, and do not produce much heat. Ventilation is also not usually needed for CFL light bulbs because of the little amount of heat that they produce unless the grow area is in a fairly small area. However, because they can dispense so much light over a large area they need to be kept about three inches away from the tops of the plants to ensure that the plants are receiving enough lumens for the proper steps of photosynthesis to occur. Not doing so will result in the plant not being able to grow because of the lack of light and eventually cause your plant to become weak in both size and potency. If choosing to grow your plants using CFL light bulbs than make sure that they are set up so that they can be easily raised as the plant grows taller within the vegetation and flowering cycles. Even though CFL light bulbs do not produce too much heat they can still burn the plants fan leaves and bud if the plant happens to touch them while growing. CFL light bulbs are available in wattages of different sizes but the best ones to use are between 70W and 150W. Make sure to have at least two to three bulbs per plant or enough bulbs evenly hanging above multiple plants. This will also help to ensure that each plant can have enough light. Metal Halide Lights (MH)Metal Halide lights are also good for indoor marijuana growing because they produce MUCH more light in the blue spectrum which is efficient for plants in the vegetation stage. However, because they produce so much more light they also produce much more heat and a fan will be needed to help keep temperature down especially for plants in smaller grow rooms and areas. Metal Halide lights are also efficient for plants once they have entered the flowering stage because of the blue light spectrum they give but fans needs to stay on as long as they are used otherwise there can be a risk of an indoor fire. These types of lights are usually used by much more experienced growers. These lights come in three separate pieces; the light bulb, the hood, and the ballast. The light bulb and the hood will hang directly above the plants while the ballast in connect by a cord and set off to the side. Metal Halide lights will not work unless all the parts are together. MH lights come in 40W to 1,000W but growers will commonly use multiple 600W bulbs over their grow op to ensure that enough light is reaching all of the plants. High Pressure Sodium Lights (HPS) High pressure sodium lights (HPS) can put out just as much light as metal halide lights but without as much heat making this light a very popular lighting amongst indoor marijuana growers. However, ventilation is still a requirement because they do produce some heat and a fire is still a possibility. A fire can be prevented if taking the extra precautions with ensuring a decent temperature and air exchange in the grow room or area. The biggest difference between HPS lights and MH lights is that HPS lights mostly produce light in the red and orange spectrum which helps the plants thrive better during the flowering stages. However, it is possible to use HPS lights during the vegetation stage but expect a slight difference in growth rates and size. Just like the MH lights, HPS lights also come in three separate pieces, the light bulb, the hood, and the ballast. Commonly, experienced growers will switch from MH lights during the vegetation stage to HPS lights during the flowering stage for the best results for plant growth and bud size. Light Emitting Diode (LED) A few years ago it was a joke to hear about growers growing marijuana with LED lights. Now however, LED lights have become one of the most popular lights for growing marijuana. This is because they use up to 80% less energy than those of other bulbs and produce enough lumens in the blue, red, and orange light spectrum for appropriate photosynthesis to enact. They have also proven to produce much less heat than HPS lights and MH lights as well. Over the years LED lights have been very successful with ensuring large yields for smaller grow ops because of the little amount of heat they emit and how close they can be placed above the plants. Unfortunately, LED bulbs are still relatively expensive and are not always the best option for beginner or intermediate growers. Light Emitting Plasma (LEP) Plasma lighting is relatively new type of lighting and has only been patented by a few companies so far. Companies such as LUXIM and GAVITA both have their own versions of plasma lighting available for street lighting, stadium lighting, or more commonly agricultural lighting. How it works? LEP is a gas and metal halide mixture that becomes heated through an electric field that in turn creates a plasma state that allows a bright white light to become illuminated. In comparison to other traditional forms of lighting plasma lighting has a lifespan of up to 50,000 hours and can also save up to 50% of energy costs every year. It is also a clean source of lighting and has been rated to be the top of the line source of lighting for plants, especially for marijuana plants. Unlike metal halide, high pressure sodium, and even fluorescent the plasma lighting produces virtually almost no heat. As well as LEP lighting produces light in all more color spectrums than the other competing lighting alternatives, this allows for plants to have a substantially larger yield than plants grown under any other lighting sources. |