Are metal halide lights good for growing plants?

Are metal halide lights good for growing plants?

Metal Halide (MH) lamps typically emit a white colored light. Traditionally Metal Halide lamps have been used by indoor growers during the vegetative stage of plant growth. They are ideal for growing plants up to the flowering and fruit production stages because they mimic the spring/early summer seasonal sun.

What’s better HPS or Metal Halide?

HPS is about twice as electrically efficient as metal halide. Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) is what really matters to plant growth, and delivery of usable PAR is better with HPS than metal halide. Metal halides deliver, on average, about 80,000-110,000 lumens per standard 1,000-watt bulb.

Should I use MH or HPS for veg?

While either type can be used for the full growing cycle, when combined, using an MH grow light for vegetative growth and flowering under an HPS grow light is the most recommended HID grow light setup because utilizing the strengths of both types at the right times produces the best results.

What is the difference between HPS and MH lights?

Metal Halide (MH) lamps provide more of the blue spectrum, which is ideal for leafy crops, and/or plants that are in a vegetative stage. High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lamps provide more yellow/red spectrum, which is ideal for most plants that are actively fruiting and flowering.

Can I use HPS lights for veg?

In response to the general question, can you use an HPS bulb for veg, the answer is yes. Basically you can use just about any light out there for any stage of growth, the real question is how well do each bulb work for veg.

Can I Flower with metal halide?

Due to the lack of red wavelengths in their spectrum, MH lights are not good at flowering plants on their own, though. This is the reason growers will use MH bulbs for vegging and HPS bulbs for flowering. Or even better, they use both bulbs simultaneously, for a much more complete spectrum.

Is HPS good for veg?

Can you veg under a HPS?

Is HPS bad for veg?

How long do metal halide ballasts last?

In the case of Metal Halide, most manufacturers rate these HID light bulbs with a life of approximately 20,000 hours. This rating traditionally means the point in which 50% of the lamps will fail, but in the case of maintenance, this is the DO NOT EXCEED time of all lamps.