Whether you are a commercial grower
looking to expand or a flower
and plant enthusiast who
would like to bring your summer
garden indoors – The Root
in Brookfield, Illinois can help!
Lighting Home
Proper
lighting is the most important item in indoor gardening.
Adequate light is the key to photosynthesis. Without
adequate lighting, plants grow weakly, are leggy, and may
even die. Our eyes automatically adjust to varying light
conditions, so what seems like bright lighting can be
useless for plant growth. Natural sunlight is ideal for
plant growth. For indoor gardening it is up to the
gardener to supply the proper color spectrum of light in
adequate quantities, to replace the natural sunlight.
There are many choices for lighting, but the two most
commonly used types of lighting include HID and
Fluorescents. The most important thing to know about grow
lights is which one to use based on your plant. Our
experienced staff understands grow lights and the effects
certain one's will have on your garden. Come in or call
today to discuss your lighting situation with us.
Fluorescent
Lighting:
Since fluorescent grow lights produce just a fraction of
the power of Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium grow
lights, they are generally unsatisfactory for general use.
They are useful for starting new plants and for some
compact hydroponics projects, but must be placed very
close to the plants. To cover a 2′ by 4′ area, you will
need a minimum of four 54-watt 4′ fluorescent bulbs placed
as close to the growing plants as possible. Even then,
results may not be satisfactory and producing fruits and
vegetables will be difficult. Still, fluorescent grow
lights are well suited for the very early stages of plant
growth, and are often used to start new plants.
High Intensity Discharge:
Both Metal Halide (MH) and High Pressure Sodium (HPS)
bulbs fall into this category. Their intensely bright
light makes them ideal
for
lighting indoor gardens. Both require Reflector housings
and Ballasts to operate. In almost all cases, the same
reflectors and switchable ballasts can be used for both MN
and HPS bulbs. The area that these forms of lighting can
cover depends on their wattage. Ranging from 150 watts to
1000 watts, a single fixture can cover from a small
self-contained hydroponics garden up to 20-40 sq. ft.
Large installations will require multiple fixtures. Since
HID lamps create a great deal of heat, proper venting or
even ducting and fans are usually needed.
Metal Halide
These bulbs produce an intense light of blue-white
spectrum, excellent for vegetative plant growth. A plant
grown under a metal halide light will often exhibit
increased leaf growth and strong stem and branch
development. They are less suited for the flowering and
fruiting stages of most plants.
High Pressure Sodium:
These lamps produce an orange light, which simulates the
autumn sun. HPS light is best for fruiting and flowering.
Fruit and flowers will be larger and more prolific when
these lights are used. Flowers and vegetables finished off
under high-pressure sodium will show tighter, stouter
blossoms with increased yields. High-pressure sodium
lights are often used in commercial greenhouses. If there
is to be only one light source for the entire life of a
flowering plant, HPS is the best economical choice. Many
indoor and hydroponics gardeners switch between MH and HPS
bulbs, depending on the growth cycle. Almost all lighting
systems we carry support both types of HID bulbs.
LED Lighting:
Grow lights using efficient LED sources are relatively
new. Early versions of these lights had insufficient power
to be effective for most growers. Recently a new
high-density LED array technology was introduced that
packs more LEDs and offers more power than previous LED
Grow Lights.
We Have The Right
Light For You
No matter what you need when it comes to Grow Lights, we
have it all. We carry all lighting accessories and have
many Package Specials to offer. When it comes to your Grow
Lights, there is no need to look any further than us.
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