Lighting Choices for Indoor Garden Spaces

Moving to the great indoors...

Light is one of the most important components of successful cannabis growing. Without the right amount and kind of light, cannabis plants won't grow and produce the optimal quality of buds desired. Over the years, various types of grow lamps have been developed and improved, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. In this article, we'll look at the technical timeline of the various types of grow lights and each step of improvements, while looking at the three most common types of grow lights: Metal Halide (MH) & High Pressure Sodium (HPS), Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH), and Light Emitting Diode (LED). We will then compare the typical costs per watt/ 18hour cycle for the 3 main types.

Lighting in the early days

Throughout history, growers have used natural sunlight for growing marijuana. However, for those wanting to grow in areas where the sun isn't steadily available, artificial light has been used. Initially, Electric High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lights were used, and were the mainstay for many years. However, these lights often produced a TON of heat, and as a such, growers had to be take additional measures to ensure the plants did not get overheated or worse, burned. As a result, in the 1970s, Metal Halide (MH) lights were developed, which produced less heat than HPS lights, but still provided enough light for the plants to thrive. However there were still plenty of reasons to look toward the future, not only did the lights get hot, the ballast that powered them were also very hot AND noisy! BZZZZZZZZZ...

Then Phillips developed a lamp SPECIFICALLY for Growing.

In the 2000s, Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH) lights were pioneered by Philips, and were starting to being used. CMH lights are a significant improvement on the MH lights, in that they are more efficient, with less heat, and can be used to grow plants in almost any environment. The ballasts are not horribly expensive, but the bulbs can be. One of the other main advantages of CMH over MH/HPS, is that the lower heat results in longer life, with bulbs typically rated for 20,000 hours (2-3x as long as MH/HPS). CMH lights are now often used by experienced growers, as they provide the perfect balance of light intensity, low heat emission and cost of operation.

What the cool kids are using now...

And of Course, the most modern technology in grow lights is the Light Emitting Diode (LED). LED lights are considerably more efficient than other types of grow lights, use less electricity, and emit very little heat by comparison. LED lights offer a variety of colors and intensities, allowing the grower to customize the light spectrum for their specific needs. LED lights also have the added benefit of being able to be used in enclosed spaces, as they produce very little heat.

Costs of Lighting

The cost of grow lights can vary greatly depending on the type, size, and brand of the lights. When thinking of upfront costs, MH and HPS lights are the cheapest option (mostly as not much demand for them any more), with CMH and LED lights being the most expensive. When thinking about Costs to run these lights, consider the typical wattage sizes for these Lamps, 400-1000 Watts for MH/HPS, 315 Watts per bulb for CMH, and just about any size you need in LED, from 50watts (for small areas) to 650 watts (for 8x8 tents). Then consider the typical efficiency of these styles of lights - CMH is roughly 40-50% more efficient than MH/HPS. And LEDs are ~50% more efficient than CMH, thus rendering more light/Watt. It's pretty obvious that it pays to modernize your lighting scheme.

In conclusion, there are a variety of grow light types on the market, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Metal Halide (MH) & High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lights are the most affordable, while Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH) and Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights offer more efficiency and customization. The type of light chosen should depend on the grower’s individual needs and budget.

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