Choosing the right type of grow lights is essential for the health of your plants
The kind of lighting you need for growing plants indoors depends on a number of things. One of the most common mistakes people make is choosing the wrong type of lighting for their project. It can be very costly in time, money, materials and plant die off. In a previous issue of the ASC Magazine Ryon Reichart explained the differences between 3 of the most popular types of grow lights on the market today.
They are as follows: High Intensity Discharge (HID), Fluorescent lights and Light Emitting Diode also known as LED lights. Ryon Says; “The first thing to consider is its power output. Photosynthesis requires nutrients, carbon dioxide, and photons/light. A grow light’s power output, or wattage, will generally determine the total amount of light it will produce. But this isn’t the whole story. Not all light is created equal when it comes to photosynthesis. Plants utilize light more specifically in the blue and red regions of the light spectrum. They don’t utilize much in the green or middle of the spectrum, hence their green appearance. Furthermore, their spectrum requirements can change throughout their life cycle”. https://www.facebook.com/AquaponicsSurvivalCommunities
Many people choose fluorescent lighting because it’s the cheapest and easiest to set up, but it isn’t always the best choice. You need to take into account the dimensions of the indoor area, as well as the amount of natural light the room is exposed to. Extra light doesn’t necessarily mean faster growth. There is only so much light that a plant can take in, any extra will be a waste of power and money. http://aquaponics-how-to-guide.info/aquanewsletter/
These are just a few of the things that you need to take into consideration when choosing the right grow lights for your aquaponics systems. There are many more informative articles just like these in our monthly newsletter. You can also join us on Facebook at and learn from thousands of others within the community.