Lights

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: What is the difference between Metal Halide Lights and High Pressure Sodium Lights?

A: Lighting technology is still changing and evolving. The two best ways to provide supplemental lighting to plants that anyone has come up with so far is to use bulbs made with either Metal Halide or Sodium inside the tube called High Intensity Discharge Lighting (HID). Metal Halide shines with a blue tint, while High Pressure Sodium casts a more orange light. While both lights are very bright, Natural Sunlight is still the best quality light, and it is free--the sun does not always shine where, when, and how long you might want. Increasing the length of the light cycle usually makes the plants grow faster.

Q: Why use one kind of light instead of the other?

A: America is a free country. You can do anything you can afford.

Q: What will the results be if a High Pressure Sodium Light is used from start to finish on Blooming Plants?

A: The coloration of a High Pressure Sodium Light is similar to Autumn sunlight, lower on the horizon. This often causes the plant to grow in a "hurry-up" form; the leaves are smaller, there is more spacing between the leaves, and the plant looks stretched. Sometimes this is a problem, sometimes it is not. If the High Pressure Sodium Light is shining along with Natural Sunlight, the effects are less pronounced.

There are also questions and answers further on in this section about Enhanced Spectrum Lighting.

A High Pressure Sodium Light will cause lettuce to bolt very quickly and so should not be used unles your goal is a crop of frustration.

© 2000-2004 K.Kelly and 3R Lighting