Archive for the ‘ARTICLES: Grow Lights’ Category
Growing Heirloom Tomatoes
Heirloom tomatoes – also known as heritage tomatoes – are some of the many older varieties from which seeds have been saved over the years and passed from one generation to the next. Most tomatoes purchased today in supermarkets or grocery stores are hybrids which have been bred to produce higher yields, uniformity of shape and color, shipping durability and longer shelf life, rather than flavor.
Heirloom tomatoes are prized firstly for their amazing flavor. In addition to their outstanding flavor they frequently have a distinctive shape and come in a range of colors from purples to orange to green and more. Many heritage tomatoes are every bit as hardy as the hybrid varieties.
Heirloom tomatoes have become increasingly popular and more readily available in recent years. These tomatoes, in particular, bring as much to the garden as they do to the plate and they can’t be beaten for their outstanding flavor and the beauty they add to recipes and dishes with their many shapes, sizes, and colors.
These plants have become more popular with gardeners due to their excellent flavor and wide diversity of shapes, colors, and sizes. Previously, these tomatoes often were bred for flavor, rather than resistance to diseases and pests, the vagaries of weather or the rigors of transport. Today, heirloom tomatoes are considered worthy garden varieties that have stood the test of time.
They are highly prized by cooks and are wonderful to use because of their variety of colors, unusual appearance and strong flavors. They are much tastier than hybrid varieties and can readily be reproduced true to type.
When young, the plants can be susceptible to cutworms which will cut the plant off at the top of the soil. This can be avoided by placing a collar made from aluminum foil around the base of the plant. Plants within this category of tomato generally ripen early in the season and are often have a short fruiting season. Most hybrid tomatoes, if regrown from collected seed, will not be the same as the original hybrid plant. This tends to ensure the grower’s dependency on seed distributors for future crops. As with many plants, tomato cultivars can be acclimatized over several growing seasons to thrive in a particular geographical location through selection and seed saving.
Save some seeds to plant next year if you can beat the birds to them. Starting seeds directly where you want the tomatoes to grow will produce plants but your yield will be limited. You will get better results by starting your seeds in trays indoors. If using grow lights keep the plants within 6″ of the lights. Once the seedlings send out a second set of leaves, it will be time to transplant them from the starting tray to individual pots. Gently loosen the soil in the starting tray and separate individual plants. Fill the pots loosely with moistened starting mix and use a dibber to make a hole in the mix. Gently firm the soil around the seedling and moisten lightly. If you start your seeds very early, you may need to transplant some of your biggest plants again as they will outgrow their pots.
When it looks like it is time to plant your seedlings outside, you will need to harden the plants by moving the pots outside into the shade during the day. Bring them inside at night. After a week or so your heirloom tomato plants should be ready to plant in the garden. Once planted out, water regularly and support them as they grow with stakes or tomato cages.
High Pressure Sodium Grow Light
High Pressure Sodium Grow Light
Many different lighting systems around your home or garden may already use High Pressure Sodium. As you build on to your home or add additional security systems or build a garden, you will need to look into the best lighting system for you to successfully light multiple areas, but without breaking your bank account . This is why many people these days are turning to building their own lighting systems. There are many websites that can help you do just this. You simply pick from an array of different lighting parts, and then follow the steps to have your very own, working lighting system! When building your own grow lighting system for your newly formed garden, you will need to purchase a kit to help you install High Pressure Sodium Ballast lights, which will be the best, most energy efficient lights to help you grow your plants.
Choosing to purchase a high pressure sodium ballast kit will help ensure that your seeds get the best lighting possible at a fraction of the price. They are terrific lights because they will last for a very long time without needing any replacement parts. They also provide consistent bright light so you can grow your plants anywhere at any time.
When purchasing a ballast kit to construct your very own lamps, you don’t need to purchase a bunch of individual parts. You will need to follow the steps you will find online, and purchase a kit which will contain a high pressure sodium ballast, a transformer, a capacitator, an igniter and a socket. Included in your kit will be instructions for how to set your kit up and get it ready to provide high powered light to your growing plants. If you are confused by any of the instructions, consult an expert. Do not leave any wires out to be exposed to the elements.
After installing your kit, make sure to test your new ballast lights and make sure that they work properly. Double check that they are set up close enough to your plants to ensure optimum growth. The bulb, when turned on, should immediately begin to glow. If your bulb does not glow, then turn it off and wait five minutes before you try to turn it on a second time. You need to be very careful while handling the ballast lights, as you do not want to inadvertently shock yourself during the installation process.
Purchasing a high pressure sodium ballast kit to build your own grow light can be a safe, inexpensive and simple process. It is important to follow all of the instructions for installing your new light. There are many things to consider while purchasing your new lighting system, but luckily the High Pressure Sodium Ballast lighting systems have a lot of advantages to their credit, and very few disadvantages. Luckily these lights, once installed properly, should provide strong light, and last a very long time. Your energy bills will thank you for choosing such an energy efficient system, and your plants will certainly benefit as well.
Mark Hudson has been an indoor gardening hobbyist for over 10 years. He is an expert in high pressure sodium and indoor gardening.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_P_Hudson
Hydroponics Grow Light
Hydroponics Grow Light
We have been familiar with the benefit of Hydroponics that enables us to grow plants with the requirement of soil & water. All it needs is the required nutrients for the roots.
Here we have another factor that is important for the plant – Sunlight.
For Outdoor Plants, the Sunlight is there but what about the Indoor Hydroponics gardening that is practiced in locations having lesser or no sunlight at all? Do not worry!
The solution is by using artificial light with the help of Hydroponic Grow Lights. Yes! By using hydroponics grow lights, a gardener can
- Grow any Plant – Any time – Anywhere
Welcome the Sun Indoors, by using Hydroponics Grow Lights that are easily available in the market. Let me share few examples of those grow lights useful the gardener & giving a clear idea. We, have Light movers, Lylar, reflectors, bulbs, light hangers coming under the category of Hydroponic grow lights.
How to choose the right Hydroponic grow lights?
To choose the right type of Light that is required for the garden, few factors needs to be considered like-
- In the early seasons of spring, one can use a high pressure sodium bulb. It can also be used on cloudy days.
- For excellent vegetable growth like lettuce and basil, a very wide spectrum bulb like the Metal Halide bulb should be used. The Halide bulbs emit blue light that is required by plants for photosynthesis leading to growth.
- For longer life expectancy & efficiency, the sodium bubs are more used instead of the halide bulbs. The Sodium bulbs emit more light & lasts longer with twice the average life of a halide bulb. But to get a more spectral distribution of light, the halide bulbs are the best. So, it depends on what is required at that time of necessity. The sodium lights emit red light that is good for at the flowering or fruit stage of the plant.
- Then we also have something called fluorescent Grow lights. These are good for violets, orchids & other house plants that do not require much sunlight. Such lights are often used at the time of seedling of the plants.
Often we have seen that the growers or gardeners switch the type of bulbs during the various stages of growth.
Initially Metal halide bulbs are used to keep the plants tight & then they use the Sodium bulbs at the time of fruit growing, budding or flowering stage when the plants will require more light. So, a flip over switch is used.
So, the switching of bulbs depends on 4 factors -
- Amount of space used for gardening – Amount of light required for that type of plants. – Decision of the growers – Wattage use & the electrical requirements. – The required wattage per square foot of the garden is 25. – For a 2′ x 2′ area, required wattage will be 150-175 – For a 3′ x 3′ area, required wattage will be 250 – For a 4′ x 4′ area, required wattage will be 400 – For a 6.5′ x 6.5′ area, required wattage will be 600 – For an 8′ x 8′ area, required wattage will be 1000
Metal Halide bulbs that are used for 18 hours per day will last 6-8 months. The lamps emit blue or violet light & are available at 2600° Kelvin To 6500° Kelvin Similarly, Sodium bulbs used for 12 hours daily will last 12 – 16 Months. High pressure sodium lamps are available in 2000° Kelvin to 3000° Kelvin.
Let us discuss something more that is related to the hydroponics grow lights Systems here,
- Switch able Systems – We have discussed this earlier.
A Metal halide bulb & a high pressure sodium bulb will be used here.
By the flip of the switch, the gardener can allow the plants receive light from metal halide or sodium light depending on the various stages of the plant.
- Conversion Lamps – For all the growing stages of the plant getting a balanced spectral output, the conversion lamps are used.
These are available in Sodium or Metal Halide with limited wattage. During the vegetative growth stage, the metal halide conversion lamps operate on high pressure sodium ballast and during the budding stages, the High pressure sodium lamps operate on metal halide ballasts.
From seeding to maturity of the plants, all type of hydroponics grow lights are available.
Do you want to go green no matter where live? Did you know that there are 7 different types of hydroponic systems? Gila Karash is using them for many years. Want to build your own hydroponic greenhouse? How about using ready to use kits? Find out how easy it to do it yourself. Visit Gila’s site and read about it. Hydroponic systems and kits – http://hydroponics911systems.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karash_Gila
Indoor Growing System
Indoor Growing System
There are a variety of different hydroponics systems available; however there are only a select few systems that the others are based upon. These hydroponic systems are:
Wick
This hydroponics system does not require an aquarium air pump as it uses a common candle wick. It uses these wicks to move the water soluble rich nutritional solution from the clay pellets or even lava chips to the plant roots. This hydroponic grow system is the most inexpensive route, but it can become unhealthy for the plants as they become too wet. This is the major drawback and tends to produce less surviving plants, in the long run.
Ebb and Flow
This indoor gardening system is also known as the Flood and Drain system. It is an indoor growing system that requires an aquarium air pump to push the rich water soluble nutrients to the plant roots where low oxygen contained air is constantly changed air rich in high density oxygen. The pump for this system remains active for roughly 15 minutes, until the high nutrition water soluble fluid reaches the required level. When this happens, the drainage tube drains the excess fluids back into the holding tank. As this indoor gardening system required low maintenance so this is a great pick for the beginner hydroponics hobbyist.
Continuous Drip
As another good beginner system, this hydroponics active system may be used for both, a recover / non-recovery depending on whether or not a tray is used underneath to collect and recycle the nutrient solution. It is considered as an active system due to the usage of a pump to push the solution to the nutrient lines that thread through each plant, connecting them for supplying proper balanced nutrition. To stabilize the plant, a growing medium, like rockwool, is used.
Nutrient Film Technique
This indoor growing hydroponics system is a recovery system that requires the help of gravity, through the means of slanted grow tubes which take the rich nutrient fluid back into the unit. These growing tubes allow the plant roots to be exposed to the nutrient solution which makes this system less forgiving. The reason being is that the plant roots are totally dependent on the continual flow of the nutrients for sustaining plants. This system required higher maintenance and more technical knowledge.
Aeroponic
In this hydroponics system the roots of the plants are continuously misted with nutrient solution. Roots are suspended in midair and receive air constantly. The nutrient mist consists of 20% oxygen, which allows the plan to access a maximum amount of oxygen possible which results in tremendous growth of the plant. As far as hydroponic systems goes, this one is not for the beginner as it’s better suited for the advanced gardener.
There are a variety of hydroponic systems available, however when you’re choosing one it’s best to do your research and know exactly what you want before buying one.
Anne Harvester has a great deal of experience with indoor gardening. Hydroponic gardening is the way of the future. Known to some as “soil less gardening”, hydroponics are proven to grow plants 20-30% faster than their soil grown counterparts.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anne_Harvester
Indoor Growing Lights
Indoor Growing Lights
Indoor Grow Lights
When growing plants indoors, one of the most important things to bare in mind is that in order to thrive, plants need sun, not just light. They need the radiation, in different wave lengths. Putting plants by a window might not be enough.
Indoor grow lights replicate the spectrum of the sunlight, unlike a conventional light bulb for home use. There are many kinds; from fluorescent lights, through HID (high intensity discharge) lights, Metal Halide bulbs and LED lights. Each has it’s benefits and drawbacks to be considered.
The fluorescent lights are the cheapest of the indoor grow lights and the simplest to use, but they have to be hung close to the plants. HID lights are relatively small units and produce strong light, but they require a ballast to control the amount of electricity that goes to the lamps, or to the high pressure sodium bulbs which are another kind of HID lights. The bulbs themselves have to be handle with caution, without leaving oily fingerprints on them that might concentrate the light and cause the bulb to explode. The HID indoor grow lights will lean heavily on your electric bill, so to make it cheaper and more useful a reflector might be required.
When using a reflector (a shiny surface that bounces the rays) you can achieve a few things; the light source can be further away, you can use less bulbs since you are getting the light from the bulb and from the reflector. Light reflectors come in many shapes and sizes and cost between $40 to over $300 for reflectors with cooling systems that reduce the need to cool the area when the indoor grow lights are placed in a closed area.
The LED indoor grow lights are highly efficient and burn at much lower temperatures. They are more expensive than the rest, but that is paid back with not having to use a cooling system. The lights use only 20%-30% of the electricity the other systems use. That will reduce the cost of the electricity bill. They require no special modification, since they fit into regular house sockets and last up to 10 years. There are 3 different kinds of LED indoor grow lights, each one provides different part of the light spectrum, depending on your growing needs. Bulbs can cost around $100 each.
You can find indoor grow lights in supply stores that deal with hydroponic gardening supplies. The prices for a whole system of HID lights ranges from $300 to $400.
Fay Salmons writes about indoor grow lights at http://www.squidoo.com/copperbirdbath
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Faye_Salmons
Garden Lighting Techniques and Ideas
With the right lights, you not only offer the necessary lighting for social interactions, but you also highlight the garden, a fountain, or any other extra features in your yard. Therefore, solar garden lights, with low potential difference lights, are a landscape lighting selection. However, they are a plain prize for many small gardeners due to their availability, low price, batch size, and low heat emission. Suppose having the option of placing a light all but anywhere in the landscape area without headache for trenching, wiring or electromotive force drop issues. Incorporating lighting in your garden will highlight your favorite features and produce a beautiful and welcoming atmosphere for your backyard seaport. The trouble with solar garden lights is that they tend to have only a small area of solar cells and a relatively small assault and battery capacity.
Solar landscape rocks and solar stones can help you mark a tree or add punctuate light to your garden decor. Use garden lighting to light up a water feature or a flowerbed or a path or a session area.Pressure sodium grow lights one can set up a grow room to make fruits and vegetables all year. Larger numbers racket of plants can be grown in small spaces because less space is required between plants. I know that fashioning your backyard beautiful has to be done on a budget, and I want to help you stay on your budget while lighting your yard and fashioning it available at any time, hence in this article and my other ones I hope to show you just what can be created on a tight budget. Solar vitality recharges batteries during daylight hours. Outdoor lighting keeps driveways, garden paths and stairs safe for walk after dark, and in these modern times I find it really gives you that extra feeling of security particularly on those dark winter evenings when you get home from work or a night out.
Take a look around the internet and in particular auction sites and find the back yard patio light that best suits your style and needs, at a budget that is right for you. Envisage having the option of placing a light most anywhere in the landscape area without come to for trenching, wiring or electromotive force drop issues. The south room of light is pure light filled with all of the sky above and below, and all this for just a few pounds a bit of work and a lot of creativity. In no time at all you will be the talk of your street!
All about garden lights.
Guide to Hid Lights Conversion Kits Xenon Headlight
If you are starting out with indoor gardening or you are a car owner, you may know what is HID lights. And in this article we are talking about the HID lights used in automobile industry.
HID lights go by the full name of high-intensity discharge lights. MH grow lights and HPS grow lights are also high-intensity discharge lamps. HID lights produce a great deal of light that more closely resembles sunlight than the light produced by either incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs. So it’s widely used in Automobile’s headlight, providing a higher and better light intensity with lower power consumption, it’s important for road safety.
When we talk about HID lights or HID conversion Kits for your automotive headlight, we should have some basic ideas on the bulb size and color temperature. For bulb size it’s the size for the hid bulb with refer to your car model, while for the color temperature, it’s the light color (temperature) that you choose for your hid lights, sun white (6000K) is the most popular one, and is legal in most country.
Here is some specifications for color temperature
HID Color temperature refers to the degrees (K) , which simply the measures of the color for the lighting output, like golden yellow, white, crystal white, blue …
Degree (k) refers only to the color, while lumen refers to the lighting intensity. So the higher the color temperature (degrees K) doesn’t mean a higher light intensity (lumen). Here is the summary for the common color temperature on the market —
3000K (Golden Yellow) , 4300K (Bright White), 5000K (white), 6000K (Crystal White),8000K (Crystal Blue), 10000K (Aqua Blue), 12000K (Purple-Blue).
5000K or 6000K are the most popular color temperature, and if you are planning to buy the hid kits with 10000K or over, please be careful about the legal issue in your country. Most of the 12000K or 14000K (purple) are using off road only.
Please make sure that you know what kits you need to install your hid lights, here are something you should know before purchasing a new hid kits.
1 . Single Beam Kit, comes with 2 pairs of HID bulbs, 2 ballasts.
(if your vehicle uses 2 pairs of bulbs, 1 for low beam and the other for high beam, you can take this single beam hid kit for your low beams.) Common Bulb sizes are H1, H3, H4-1, H7, 9004-1, 9005, 9006, 9007-1…
2. High/Low Beam – Hi/Lo Kit, comes with 2 pairs of HID bulbs (one HID and one halogen on each HID bulb to perform the high and low beam function, Halogen for high beam and HID for low beam.) and 2 ballasts. Common bulb sizes are H4-2, 9004-2, 9007-2.
3. Telescope Kit: Single HID can switch between high beam and low beam, with 2 ballasts and installation clamps. Common bulb sizes are H4-3, 9004-3, 9007-3.
4. Bi-xenon Kit: 2 HID bulbs on each bulb, which works for high and low beam, with 4 ballasts and installation clamps. Common bulb sizes are H4-4, 9004-4, 9007-4.
Most of the HID Conversion Kits on the market are 35W/12V, you need 24V for a truck. Some hid kits are using 55W, so buyer has to read the specifications carefully.
More Pictures, features, information on HID Lights Conversion Kits Xenon Head
Kelvin Yau is the internet researcher, blogs for everything
How To Grow An Indoor Herb Garden
For thousands and thousands of years we have turned to plants we call herbs for flavor, dye, perfume and cosmetics. We have believed that individual herbs held the power to repel insects, evil and vampires, while others attracted the perfect lover, good luck or bees to pollinate our crops. For some, the use of herbs can cure headaches and burns. And, of course, what would fine dining be without the culinary herbs?
Here are some tips for herb gardening indoors that will simulate the conditions in an outside garden. For Herb gardening indoors the growing climates need to be pretty much the same as the conditions outside.
Make sure you have a sunny windowsill that your herbs will love. Use a container that is at least 6-12 inches deep.
Get your herb plants from a good garden center nursery who will have plenty of garden advice to help you with your inside garden. You will need some garden equipment like a small digging garden tool, garden gloves, organic fertilizer and some small gardening containers. You probably already have most of these garden supplies in your garden shed.
Soil is the most important aspect of growing herbs indoors. Use only top grade potting soil with an organic fertilizer mixed in. If you think it is too fine a soil, use a little perlite. Fertilize while potting the herbs and they should be happy until spring. If you have an herb that is not growing vigorously add a little organic liquid fertilizer to the water.
When you go to transplant the herb, go one inch up in the size of the gardening container. If the plant is in a two inch pot, go to a three inch gardening container. Leave the roots alone and be careful not to bruise the stem.
Don’t plant oreganos, mints, lemon balm or bee balm with other plants because they will overgrow everything. Pot these herbs in a garden container all their own. You may want to always plant those herbs in containers since they tend to “take over” the garden.
Some people swear that you must put garden stones in the bottom of the gardening container, but I dispute that opinion. I feel that the garden stones take valuable space away from the herb roots. You might want to place a small piece of wire screening over the hole to keep it from getting clogged.
Here are some examples of which herbs to plant together:
For an Italian selection try Sweet basil, Italian parsley, Oregano, Marjoram and Thyme.
For a lovely scented container use Lavender, Rose scented geranium, Lemon balm, Lemon thyme, and Pineapple sage.
For really great salads try Garlic chives, Rocket, Salad burnet, Parsley, Celery.
And to say “We love French Cooking!” use Tarragon, Chervil, Parsley, Chives and Sage
Allow time for your herbs to grow used to their new conditions. Once you see growth you can start using you herbs. Snip and use your herbs often to encourage them to grow full and bushy.
When it comes to light, all herbs must get 4 to 6 hours of sunlight a day on your window sill. If your window doesn’t supply that much light then purchase garden grow lights and hang them three inches above the plants. If you live in a very hot climate shade the herbs during the hottest periods. If you live in a very cold climate keep the herbs away from the cold glass panes.
When it comes to watering, don’t let the herbs dry out but don’t drown them either. Herbs do not like to sit in wet soil. An inexpensive water meter from your garden center nursery will help with this important step in growing your herbs. Always use room temperature water so as not to shock the herb’s roots.
If you follow all of these steps you will have a healthy herb garden all winter on your sunny windowsill.
Copyright © 2006 Mary Hanna All Rights Reserved.
This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.
About the Author
Mary Hanna is an aspiring herbalist who lives in Central Florida. This allows her to grow gardens inside and outside year round. She has published other articles on Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com, http://www.ContainerGardeningSecrets.com, and http://www.GardeningHerb.com or contact her at mary@webmarketingreviews.com
Natural Light for Indoor Gardening
Those of us in the gardening business are all too aware of just how sensitive many plant species can be. In the pickier varieties, soil conditions such as moisture levels and pH have to be perfect, or the temperature and light exposure may have to be controlled with precision. In order to get the most beautiful, vibrant specimens in species like this, these environmental factors cannot be left to Mother Nature. This is where indoor gardening and artificial lighting systems can become invaluable in your efforts.
Many people believe that indoor gardening must involve complicated systems of expensive light systems on pulleys, hydroponic watering set-ups, and other high-tech equipment to get the best results. While these things can certainly get you the results you want, they are not necessarily the best tools for the work at hand, and most definitely are not required. If you are working with minimal space and are concerned about your electric bill, they may not suit your needs at all.
Enter the new generation of indoor grow lights. Compact and affordable, these lights are designed with plant growth in mind and should ideally mimic the spectrum of sunlight as closely as possible. However, there are things that a prospective consumer should be looking for in any lighting system intended for indoor gardening. In species where precise temperature control is a must, the heat generated by bulbs can often turn a promising seedling into a brown, wilted stalk overnight. High-heat lamps and bulbs can also dry the soil, leading to potential deadly problems in species with delicate root systems or precise moisture requirements.
Some of these lamps also use a great deal of energy, which is a serious problem when light requirements dictate that your plants receive a specific amount of “sunlight” each day. Beyond the satisfaction of producing your own food, there is little economic advantage to home food production if the spike in your monthly electric bills eats up your savings on the grocery budget.
Unfortunately, many of the indoor grow lights available in department stores simply do not fit the bill in many of these regards. They may be inexpensive, but they seem to be “grow” lights in name only. Their high heat kills plants, and their energy sapping drains your electric bill and reduces the life of the bulb, causing it to burn out faster and warrant frequent replacements. It’s important to do your research before choosing a lighting system for your plants.
Look for endorsements from local and national garden clubs, which will give you a more honest appraisal than the advertising blurb on the side of the product’s packaging. For instance, one light that has received high marks from the Garden Club of America is the OttLite Orchid Growth Lamp. The lamp has earned high praise for its energy efficiency–using only 13 watts, it is rated to last at least 10,000 hours–and low heat output. It also produces a very natural light, which allows plants to thrive indoors. And using a clip-on, stand-alone, or mountable design makes it extremely versatile in the home garden. Such lights will help you make the most of your garden regardless of the outdoor conditions Mother Nature has given you.
For the best information available on natural lighting check out the further information and great products available at http://www.thelitesource.com
The Importance of Hydroponic LED Lights
Growing plants with a hydroponic system is becoming a lot more popular for a variety of reasons however it’s important that you understand that there are a number of different items you will require to carry out this effectively. Because you are growing plants in a wholly unnatural environment, you will want to make sure that all the different elements are given to the plants. One of the most important elements of course is light.
Plants take the light and turn it into energy using a process called photosynthesis. This is not just an option, it a necessity and will ensure that you have plants that thrive and give you the results you are looking for. Luckily there are ways to fool plants into thinking that they have been given all the light they need, and for this you will need LED grow lights.
You might already know what an LED is from physics class but if not then LED stands for light emitting diode. Basically it’s a very simple semiconductor which has diodes that have terminals that allow current to flow in just the one direction.
There are many things that need to happen in order for an LED light to work however you will end up with different colors of lighting depending on the gap that is present between the electron chain. The size of this gap changes the frequency and this is how the color is affected. LED lights are used for many purposes other than in hydroponics and you will see them in electrical items such as TV remote controls.
When you grown any plant indoors then you will need to make sure that you provide an excellent light source for your plants because you are not giving them natural daylight. The light that you provide directly affects the plants health and is the difference between poor quality plants and lush healthy plants. Blue lights are used for plants that are very young and need to mature. However orange and red lights are used for those plants that are already fairly mature or are flowering or producing fruits. So don’t base your buying decision on what your favourite color is. This is not how hydroponic lighting works. The color you choose will depend on what type of plant you want to grow.
The problem often experienced with other types of lighting is that fact that they get hot and this can easily damage the plants you are trying to care for. With LED lighting this isn’t a problem you need to concern yourself with. Another benefit is that they have a longer lifespan compared to other lighting.
LED lighting isn’t the only type of light you can buy. There are other options such as HID, MH and HPS. It’s well worth reading up on all the lighting options available to you so that you can become a really great hydroponics expert.
April Kerr often writes for website Gardening Content which is all about gardening and includes details of growing with hydroponics and hydroponic LED lights.