Which grow lights are the best for growing plants indoors?

Which is the best grow light?

So you have decided to grow plants indoors and one of the most obvious things you will think

of buying is a grow light,but which one?The most widely used grow light on the market today

is the high intensity discharge (HID),the hid light is probably the best all round lighting kit

on the market with control gear (ballast) that will control either a high pressure sodium or a

metal halide lamp. Proven to be reliable year in year out with some magnetic ballasts carrying

a manufactures warranty of up to twenty-five years.

Whats the difference between a high pressure sodium and a metal halide lamp?

The difference is a metal halide lamp gives off a light with a lot of blue in the spectral output ideal for the vegetative stage of any plant growth,the high pressure sodium lamp on the other hand gives off a light with a lot of red in the spectral output ideal for the flowering phase of any plant.

HID lighting does however have its down sides such as heat generation,MH and HPS lamps create

a lot of undesirable heat that is essential to remove from your growing area or run the risk of harming your plants,this can be done by use of extract fans,air cooled lighting and air conditioning

e.t.c. And is in my opinion well worth the effort.

There are other lighting options available when it comes to plant lighting such as CFL and LED

grow lights which are becoming more popular due to low energy usage and low heat output

These lights do work but are a relatively new technology for plant lighting and would be more suited to supplementing existing HID lighting helping to cut costs and temperatures.

Other factors to take into account are reflectors,these spread the light from your lamp over your plant canopy and come in many shapes and sizes. Reflectors start with the basic euro wing or

dutch barn these come with most standard grow light kits on the market and are great for the beginner,ranging to reflectors such as the flexi wing which gives a much larger more even spread

of light increasing harvest size and quality.

In my opinion the best grow lights to use would be HID grow lights using the MH lamp for your vegetative phase and switching to the HPS lamp upon flower induction using blue and red CFL

grow lights to supplement and add light avoiding dark patches in your canopy. In my opinion for

the time being at least HID grow lights represent the value grow light per watt on the market.

Advantages of useing a grow tent

Now you have made the decision to become an urban gardener,theirs your grow room to think about and what is the best way to build one. Many people go to great expense building out of wood and boards when there is a much easier and quicker way to the perfect indoor grow room. The grow tent is the ideal solution to your problem giving you a self contained growing environment capable of producing high quality fruit and vegetables in any room in your house all year round and make maintaining the ideal environment for your plants simple.

Grow tents come with many features including ducting outlets to allow for hot air extraction and all your cabling needs,hanging bars are provided for hanging lights, fans and filters. Most modern grow tents are lined with non toxic Mylar with 95% reflectivity rather than some older grow tents which have a white PVC lining known to give off gases harmful to plants. The best material grow tents can be manufactured from is oxford cloth which is incredible y strong and does not crack or wear due to the high temperatures.

There are lots of different brands of grow tent available on the market today ranging from tiny clone stations up to marque sized monsters. One of the most important things is to choose the correct

size tent for the number of plants you wish to grow,plants need space to reach their full potential and over populating your grow area will only hinder your plants growth and yield. There is a size of grow tent to suit every possible space you might want to use for your grow room weather its an attic,cellar or Evan a corner of your own bedroom.

I feel the best solution to create an indoor grow room is by the use of a grow tent,They can be put up and taken down in only minutes leaving no trace behind. They contain 100% of the light and odor given off by your indoor garden. A grow tent costs a fraction of the price it would take to build a grow room out of other materials and is a lot less work. They are a must buy item for beginner growers who have to move with the times in modern urban horticulture or run the risk of being left behind with sub standard crops and yields.