Lighting

        Lighting is among the most important factors for plant growth. For favorable yields, the minimum light intensity is 400W. Currently, producers are moving more and more towards standard 1000W and 600W intensities for growing rooms equiped with advanced gardening technology. Lighting is essential for the plant's assimilation of CO₂ and minerals.

        Interior lighting is almost always an important limiting factor for plants, and plants can only grow as quickly as their most limiting factor. There are primarily two types of high-intensity (HID) lamps used in horticulture. MH, or metal halide, lamps generate a blue-directed spectrum that imitates spring and summer sunlight, whereas high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps generate a red and yellow/green spectrum, that imitates autumn sunlight. We suggest using MH lamps for your plants' growth phase and HPS lamps for the flowering period, as they most closely resemble natural sunlight. If you must chose between the two types of lamps, remember that several studies have rated HPS lamps as the best all-purpose lamps both for energy (lumens) and durability.

HPS = flowering MH = growth

        We offer our clients an extensive line of lighting products, and each product has its optimal application:

THE CLASSICS

• fluorescent tube lights: for seeds and cuttings
• 105W compact fluorescents (2 700°K & 5 000°K)
• 400 and 1000W MH lamps: for vegetative growth
• 400, 600 and 1000W HPS lamps: for bloom

SPECIALTY LAMPS

• the 400, 430, 600 and 1000W HPS "Hortilux" light emits a 30% blue and 70% red spectrum; it has the highest Lumen/Watt ratio
• HPS conversion bulbs may be used with a MH ballast and vice versa
• "Super" MH bulbs produce up to 10% more lumens than standard MH bulbs
• The new Blue - Super Daylight metal halide tubular lamps from HORTILUX. Available in 400W & 1000W. They provide optimal spectral energy.

        Note that when lamp intensity is calculated in Watts it is not additional; the light from three 400W lamps is not more intense than the light from one 1000W lamp. Two factors are most important when considering light quality: the number of Watts per square foot and the intensity of the light (in Watts). Ideal is 50W/square foot; thus a lamp of 1000W covers 20 square feet while a lamp of 400W covers 8. Yet, the 20 square feet covered by a 1000W lamp receive the greatest quantity of light.

        HID lamps generate 3.4 BTU per Watt. Thus it may be necessary to reduce heat emissions by using air cooled reflectors. Finally, for optimal yields, bulbs must be replaced at appropriate intervals (maximum every 8 months for a MH and every 12 months for an HPS lamp).