High Pressure Sodium Bulbs for Hydroponics

HPS bulbs, short for High Pressure Sodium bulbs, are grow lights that are used in various domestic gardening environments indoors. They are availed in green houses and indoor home gardens to grow beautiful, high quality plants, and even by those people who are avid gardeners and use hydroponics. Hydroponics, as we know, is a method of growing plants through the use of a growing medium rather than soil. Since it is necessary that all growing plants be supplied with adequate lights, water, and nutrition, it is necessary to choose the appropriate grow lights. A lot of hydroponic users make use of bulbs that are effective for indoor-gardening.

HPS bulbs use sodium gas, which give them their attractive mix of red and tangy color spectrum. The color spectrum of the light is of great importance to hydroponic users, since plants require a certain kind of color spectrum at various times in the course of their growth. The red color spectrum is a popular choice among those plants growers who cultivate more sophisticated plants like fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Others plants, like small seeding with which one wants to have leaves and strong stems, need a blue color spectrum. The different types of light color spectrums required for different plants is the main reason why hydroponic users who sell their greenhouse produce or flowers commercially, want the right kind of lights so that they can grow healthy, solid, good quality plants.

The size of the HPS bulb that you will require will to produce adequate illumination for your plants will depend on several considerations. If you are cultivating a lot plants at the same time, then it would be necessary to have comparatively more bulbs than when you a growing fewer plants. HPS bulbs come in varying sizes, ranging from 1000 watt bulbs, to 600 watt and even smaller 400 watt bulbs. Naturally, a 1000 watt bulb would give out much sharper light than then smaller sized bulbs. And if it is used together with reflectors, the light will radiate across a large area of growing space. It would a good idea to decide the area in square feet of the space that you to have illuminated with the HPS bulbs. This will enable you to select purchase the adequate number of bulbs for your growing space.

As with anything, there are both advantages and disadvantages associated with HPS bulbs. The main advantages are that they are more efficient in terms of illumination and include a usable light that can reflect up to a further distance than fluorescent tube lights. HPS bulbs are also more durable, with a life span in excess of 20,000 hours, and it is best to adjust them after they have been used for just one year

The main drawback of HPS bulbs is that they can be rather costly. Additionally, if they kept too close to a plant, they can sco the plant leaves or even cause a fire! And it is absolutely imperative that there be no water near these bulbs as that would pose the risk of an explosion should they get splashed!