Can HPS lights be used for plants veg？
We all know; Red light (about 700 nm) is considered to be the most effective in promoting photosynthesis – especially during the flowering period of biomass growth (important to cannabis growers). Blue light is essential for both vegetative and flowering stages of plant growth, but it is mainly used to establish vegetative and structural growth.
Plants must have something to grow. Water, oxygen and light are three of these essential elements. Growing indoors is a very big challenge, that is, how to provide the best amount of light for growing plants without causing a surge in utilities, thereby weakening all the costs saved by growing vegetables at home. HPS lighting (high pressure sodium lamp) is a good light source, which can help the indoor vegetable plants grow rapidly and produce in large quantities. This is what all gardeners want from their plants.
High pressure sodium grow lamp is red. It is a more focused lamp that mimics the light from the sun and helps plants bloom. The filaments found in these lamps create 25% to 40% of the simple light for the growth process. Because the light emitted by HPS is stronger in the orange / red spectrum because they are rich in sodium. Planting seedlings with HPS bulbs will ensure impressive vertical growth.
The average life of their high-pressure sodium lamps is twice that of metal halides grow lights. Nevertheless, after 18000 hours of use (about 12 to 18 months), they will begin to consume more power than their rated Watt, and these HPS lamps will gradually produce less light because they need more energy to maintain the internal gas. HPS bulbs are considered very efficient because they produce up to 140 lumens of light per watt.
When the current flows through the ionized gas or plasma, the high-pressure sodium lamp works and emits light. Usually, they take some time to heat up and require an electronic system called a ballast to act as a resistor. The function of ballast is to regulate the current flowing through the whole circuit. When the ballast cannot provide enough voltage, it will start to close as the pipe pressure decreases. That’s how you know it’s time to go to your local store and buy a new light bulb.
HPS plant grow lamps emit a lot of heat. HPS grow light with higher heat output are radiated and directly point to your plant. Leave a big gap between the light you need and the plants. Also consider installing a cooling system for your plantation operation.
One of the bad things about high-pressure sodium grow lamps is in the growth stage of plants. However, they are by far the best at flowering because they lack a blue spectrum. Your best choice is to use metal halide grow lamp for plant growth, and then use high-pressure sodium lamp for flowering.
HPS lighting is generally associated with the fruiting or flowering stages due to its higher output of red-spectrum light. However, many growers successfully use HPS lighting for vegetative growth as well.