What lights to grow cannabis？
As more and more countries, states and regions legalize cannabis for commercial cultivation and personal use, there are many limitations due to outdoor cannabis cultivation. Because hydroponics offers many benefits, such as faster growth, higher yields, fewer pests, and a more cautious way to grow marijuana to maximize its genetic potential. So many people choose to use indoor hydroponic technology instead of the traditional soil-based method to grow their own marijuana. But producing high-quality marijuana is not easy. It starts with a good cannabis hydroponics system and a set of the best cannabis grow lights.
One of the most important decisions that indoor hydroponics growers will make is how their plants will get enough light. In the absence of natural sunlight, grow lights play a vital role in indoor gardening. Light is necessary for photosynthesis. In the process of photosynthesis, water, carbon dioxide and light provide energy sources for plants and produce glucose and oxygen for their growth. In fact, the cannabis grow lamp may be the most important factor to achieve the health, high yield and large buds of cannabis plants.
There are several types of cannabis grow lamps. But below is the most popular in the market for growers.
1-fluorescence grow light
• cheap
• space saving
• widely available (purchased at local stores)
• low heat output and power usage
• for compact and small plants only
• a socket is required for each bulb
• low output and efficiency
2-HID grow light
• initially cheaper than LEDs
• good coverage and deep penetration
• high yield and high quality buds
• high temperature operation (keep a certain distance from the factory)
• consume a lot of power
• bulbs need to be replaced frequently
• ballasts, sockets / reflectors and ventilation are required
3-LED grow light
• highest efficiency
• low operating costs
• no learning curve for beginners (plug and play)
• long life of LED bulb
• more control over the spectrum
• smooth operation (no additional components required)
• high initial cost
• some lamps are not as powerful as the manufacturer’s
At present, LED growth lamps are welcomed by growers because they generate less heat, make installation easier and operate more conveniently. However, high intensity discharge (HID) lamps such as high pressure sodium (HPS), metal halide (MH) and ceramic metal halide (CMH) are the most effective in terms of power and cost. However, technological progress makes the efficiency of LED exceed that of HID lighting. LED lights have been on the market for many years, but they are very expensive. Only in recent years, LEDs can surpass HID lamps in efficiency and cost.
When you look for suitable grow lights for cannabis, you should first consider the following points:
Color
Different light sources provide different colors, and each has different energy output and wavelength. Plants need more blue light at the growth stage and more red light at the flowering stage. Blue waves tend to be smaller and have more energy, while red waves have a longer range but less energy output. Full spectrum grow lights contain all the colors of the sun and therefore appear white.
Light intensity
The brightness of light determines how much light energy plants can absorb. Intensity is measured in lumen output. Low intensity grow lamps usually produce long growing plants because they can find enough light. High intensity lamps are more suitable for growing marijuana because they can produce more dense, compact and high-yield plants.
Grow light cycle for Marijuana
When growing cannabis, the vegetative stage of plant growth requires longer light time than the flowering stage. Some plant growth lamps have a lighting cycle timer (automatically turn on / turn off the lights at the set time).