The sun is shining - the right light is what’s needed!

Since natural sunlight is not available within our grow tents, we have to replace it with artificial light. Familiarise yourself with the preferences and natural needs of the plants you want to grow. Once you know how much and what kind of light your plants need, you can then provide it.

Choosing the right lamps for your plants is essential. It is not just selecting the lamp itself that is essential to providing the right light, but also other factors such as power (wattage) and colour temperature (kelvin). The general rule: The more light that your plants are exposed to in the right colour spectrum, the more efficient photosynthesis will be. And the more efficient this biochemical process is, the healthier, larger and more productive your plants will become. White-blue light waves are particularly suitable for the plant growth phases, whereas a yellow-red light spectrum is recommended for flowering.

What lamps are suitable as plant lighting?

MH, or metal halide lamps, are among the classics of indoor cultivation when combined with high-pressure sodium lights (HPS). Because of their white-blue colour spectrum, metal halide lamps are ideal for the growth phase as well as for seedlings and the cultivation of young plants. With a high proportion of yellow and red light, however, high-pressure sodium lamps are best suited for bringing most cultivated plants through their flowering and fruiting phases. To date, these two lamps are popular light sources that offer high luminosity and a good lighting depth. In addition, they are inexpensive to purchase, which is why cost-conscious growers and beginners alike rely on them. It is important to know that these lamps can generate quite a lot of heat, leading to problems such as heat accumulation and plant burns. But the experienced indoor gardener knows this and usually installs a recirculation fan or ensures more distance between plants and the lamps. Both metal halide lamps and HPS lights require a ballast to start up.

CFL lights (CFL) are available in different colour temperatures. And now there are even dual CFLs that cover both the required necessary colour spectra for growth and flowering simultaneously so that they do not need to be changed. The light output is not as high as it is with metal halide and HPS lamps, but their low energy consumption is an attractive factor. In addition, they are easy to use since they require no ballast and do not get hot!

Fluorescent tubes (FT), also as ready-made fittings, are a popular alternative to metal halide lamps for indoor growing. During the early growth phases and as grow lights for cuttings, they are often far better suited because their light intensity is lower. Further advantages include the lower power consumption and the lower heat generation! The fitting can be positioned much closer above the plant tips, and it is almost unnecessary to extract air as long as some fresh air gets into the grow room.

LED grow lights are undoubtedly the most advanced plant lighting source on the market. Light emitting diodes are durable, energy efficient, low maintenance and provide optimal light without any waste heat. The only downside is their price, which is still much higher than other grow lamps. And because LEDs cost more, many indoor gardeners tend to shy away from them. The investment is nevertheless worthwhile - especially if you intend to grow plants over the long term. In most cases you will have recouped the investment after just one to two years.

Here is how you can increase your light output

Reflectors direct the light emitted by a lamp in all directions to where it is most needed - namely to the plants. Therefore, a good reflector can considerably increase the light output of your lamps. And this means more growth over the long term for the same power consumption.

Day and night in the tent - sensible planning of light cycles

The cycle of day and night can easily be controlled using a timer. This determines almost everything during the life of a plant - including the different growth phases. For example, while orchids prefer a constant day-length (and accordingly grow and flower throughout the year), many cultivated plants (e.g. tomatoes) require changing lighting phases. During the longer days, the plant mainly grows, but flowering and fruiting start when the days get shorter. Once you know the preferences and growth phases of your plants, you can then adjust the light cycle accordingly.

Carefully selected and matched: Complete hardware solutions

Our grow light kits for operating high-pressure sodium/metal halide lamps or CFL lights contain perfectly matched components that allow you to set up complete lighting systems with little effort. Depending on your specific lighting, all the necessary parts (reflector, cable, timer, ballast) are available to ensure smooth operation.