Gardening Tips

HPS or LED Grow Lights for Indoor Gardening?

March 28, 2021

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When starting an indoor garden or trying to grow plants inside, you need the right gardening tools to such grow lights to keep your plants happy and healthy. A grow light is essential to indoor plants where there is not enough sun indoors to keep plants thriving.

But with so many types of grow lights on the market, it can be difficult to find the best product for your indoor setup. There are a few features to keep in mind when looking for a grow light:

Sun spectrum
PAR intensity
Efficiency
Number of watts

Sun Spectrum

Sun spectrum refers to the wavelengths of light produced by a light source—like the sun—that promotes plant growth. Controlling the light spectrum of a grow lamp significantly impacts the growth of plants including how plants flower and the flavor and compactness of crops.

PAR Intensity

Photosynthetic active radiation, or PAR, or the spectrum of light wavelengths needed for photosynthesis. Plants need a range of around 400-700 nanometers of light to thrive, but some plants require wavelengths outside of this range. A grow light should accommodate to the PAR intensity your particular plants need.

Efficiency

Photosynthetic efficiency is the best range where plants will grow. While you might think a grow light just needs to mimic sunlight, not all plants will thrive in sunlight alone. Studies show that a range of light including red and blue light is critical to photosynthesis.

Number of watts

It can be difficult to decide how much wattage you need for your indoor plants, but as a general rule you want a grow light that will accommodate 20 to 40 watts of light per square foot. With a 1000-watt light, you can properly light between 25 and 50 square feet of your indoor garden.

Now that we have explained the features of most grow lights, now to choose what type of grow light is the best option for your indoor plants.

Best HPS Lights For Indoor Growing

High-pressure sodium vapor, or HPS, lights are a specific type of light that contains metals that are evaporated into the gas within the glass bulb, creating light. This type of HPS light has been used since the early 1930s as a reliable light source that can efficiently light large spaces.

For hobbyists, one of the best HPS grow lights is the Sun System HPS 150W Fixture with Ultra Sun Lamp. Best for growing in small areas, it is an efficient, inexpensive option for those who are just starting out.

Commercial growers tend to gravitate toward lights like the Gavita Pro 1000w E-Series Slim Line DE Fixture HPS grow light, which comes in a variety of voltages and covers a wider footprint.

Best LED Lights

Today more and more indoor gardeners are turning to LED lights for their plants.

There are many LED lights to choose from but of all the LED grow lights on the market, the Pro-Tech 645w LED light is the best quality and value for your indoor garden. Its foldable design makes it compact and flexible and easy to install. It also consumes 37 percent less energy than HID lamps, making it the most sustainable option on the market.

The Pro-Tech 645w LED Grow light balances power and efficiency by allowing you to maximize your lighting system without breaking the bank in energy costs.

Best used for larger-scale horticulture operations, Pro-Tech is often used for indoor, warehouse operations, especially multi-layer cultivation systems because of the short light spread distance.

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What is Best? LED or HPS?

Now that you know some of the best grow lights on the market, which type of grow light is the best for indoor plants? Here is a list of pros and cons for each type of light:

Pros of HPS

Generally cheaper than LED
More efficient and longer-lasting than incandescent bulbs

Cons of HPS

Requires a longer warm-up period
After the lights are warmed up, they run hot
HPS lights contain toxic mercury, which can be dangerous to dispose of, and if the bulb is broken
HPS lights are omnidirectional, which means the light needs to be reflected in order to be efficient. This means more parts are required.

Pros of LED lights

LEDs last for a long time
LEDs are very energy efficient
They are generally low maintenance and cost less to repair
LEDs can produce a wide variety of colored light without using filters
LEDs are more directional than HPS
LEDs are more compact than other light systems
They also have less warm-up times than HPS

Con of LED Lights

The upfront cost of LED systems can be more expensive; however, the price is continuously decreasing

If you still can’t decide, consider that overall, LED lights are more energy-efficient than HPS grow lights and are more widely used by professional greenhouses either as the sole light source or supplemental light.

LED lights like The Pro-Tech 645w LED Grow light have better efficiency, better spectrum, and higher PAR rating than that of other light systems, making it the best option for indoor growers whether you are a beginner, a hobbyist, or a professional. The Pro-Tech 645w allows you to dial in the right light quality and quantity of light into your space. It is also dimmable which allows you to dial in how much light you need through your plants’ growing cycle.

The Pro-Tech 645w LED light is also built with top-of-the-line components, including high-quality Pro-Tech drivers and premium LEDs from Samsung and Osram, making it the best product in the grow light market.

Conclusion

When it comes to your indoor plants, you shouldn’t have to struggle to keep them alive with bad lighting. There are plenty of lighting resources that can supplement your setup, more than just the light of the sun coming through the window.

Now more than ever, there are many technologies that will help your plants thrive in an indoor environment. The Pro-Tech 645w LED light is one of many lights that could upgrade your indoor garden or greenhouse.

There are many factors that make a great indoor garden, but what light you choose is the most important part of your garden’s health and the quality of the crop. Choosing the right to grow light for your garden can be a daunting task, but after choosing the right one, your flowers will be blooming more than ever, crops will taste that much sweeter and your garden flourishing more than ever before you even know it.

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