High-Intensity Discharge Lighting

High-intensity discharge (HID) lighting offers a variety of choices for supplying your plants with the nourishment they need.

Many climates are not sunny enough to meet the light requirements of all plants. High-intensity discharge (HID) lighting offers a variety of choices for supplying your plants with the nourishment they need. Although plants vary widely in their requirements for light, all gardens need light, whether natural or artificial. HID lighting can be an important element in growing bountiful crops.

Metal halide lamps are a popular way of providing HID lighting to gardens. They produce a high
color-rendering index (CRI) rating and a temperature of 2,700 to 5,500 degrees Kelvin. With a CRI rating in the 70s and 80s, metal halide lamps closely approximate the spectrum of natural sunlight that many crops need to grow successfully. But what really makes metal halide lighting so popular is its efficiency. Halide lamps last about 25 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs.

High-pressure sodium (HPS) lighting is commonly chosen for areas such as tunnels and parking lots
where color rendering is less important. HPS has a higher light-per-watt factor than incandescent bulbs, making them very efficient as well. HPS produces lighting heavy in the reds and oranges. Plants use this range of the spectrum in generating buds and fruits. HPS lighting is consequently used to support rapid growth. Plants under its exposure may be taller and have more internodal length.

Many beginning gardeners wonder which HID lighting system is best for their garden. The answer is that it largely depends on the types of crops being grown, the climate, and the gardener’s individual tastes. Halide and HPS lighting can also be combined to take advantage of their differences. Two-in-one grow lights can be purchased that contain a standard HPS ballast and bulb but also come with a halide conversion lamp.

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