The grow light industry is always changing and for that matter it is hard to understand and keep up to date on what lights are the best. When first starting out I was quite confusing and found it hard to understand what are good lights and what are considered bad! For that reason we need to look into all the factors that come into consideration when selecting a grow light for a grow area.
LED Grow Room Glasses with Glasses Case
It is very important that you select the right grow room glasses if you are using LED you get the green ones and if you are using HPS/MH get the blue ones 🙂 this way your eyes will be protected.
VIVOSUN 1000 Watt HPS/MH Grow Light Kit
This is one of the best entry level grow light kits and companies to go with. They have great customer service and always ensure you are satisfied! This is actually the first light kit I bought when I started indoor growing. It comes with a Wing Reflector which helps reflect the light for maximum efficiency.
The ballast is a UL Listed 1000W Dimmable Ballast: which runs on 120~240V power supply and it also comes with a 8ft 120V power cord. On the ballast its self you will find settings for 600w/750w/1000w/super lumens option which you will need a special bulb that takes that is super lumens compatible. This kit comes with 2 grow bulbs HPS & MH with optimized spectrum to promote growth. MH for Veg growth and HPS for fruit and bloom stages.
To help you hang the light you get a pair of 8-ft long & 150 lbs/pair weight capacity these are great and have never failed me to date!
They allow you to easily adjust the hanging height of your light.
The 24-hour mechanical light timer is works great to set your garden for 18/6 for vegetative growth and 12/12 for fruit and bloom stages.
Here are the 2 bulbs that come with the kit, HPS on the left and a MH bulb on the right. MH is what you want to use for your growth stages and when its time to fruit the plant switch to your HPS and change the lighting schedule to 12 hours on and 12 hours off. This will start your fruiting stages for your plants!
To keep your garden optimized for the best growing condition, it is strongly recommended to change your grow bulb after 12 months of continuous use.
This model also comes in 400w/600w/1000w kits! Keep in mind that each has a different amount of grow area coverage.
1000 Watt HPS/MH Air Cooled Light Kit
This is the same kit as above but the air cooled model. This is designed to integrate directly with a 6″ inline fan to keep the grow area cool. If you think you need the heat then the bat wing option might be better since you can use the heat for the garden.
This model also comes in 400w/600w/1000w kits!
Bloom Grow CMH 630W 120/240V Grow Light Fixture
Coverage area for this light is 4ftx4ft bloom which means bigger harvest and less cost. These are rated to be better then the 1000w HPS lights but the bulbs are expensive and last longer. These also come in 315w version with 1 bulb. Make sure to have the correct bulbs in for the veg stage and flower stage for best results with CHM lights.
From the specs above you can see there is quite a lot of power in this little guy. The bulbs are more expensive but they last much longer then a HPS light. I have been growing with one of these and am having great results so far.
I like how this light has the ballast and light all together as one unit. With the external ballast you need to find somewhere to mount it on the wall or a piece of plywood.
4FT T5 HO Fluorescent Grow Light for Indoor Plants
These are great lights if you are looking for something cheap and simple to get your seeds to veg and ready for flower. It is just a simple plug and play ballast that saves time and hassle with the ability to daisy chain them.
Another good feature is its price point, you can get 2 of these lights for the price of a 1000w hps. Growing things like lettuce and herbs these lights do wonders and work awesome!
In the end it really comes to what you personally are trying to set up and achieve each person has a different size grow space and different plants they are growing.
MARS HYDRO TS 1000W Led Grow Light
Led lights are the way of the future for sure and are cheaper on your electricity bill. They also produce way less height then a HPS light would which could be good or bad depending if you need that heat for the grow area. Mars hydro did a great job with the picture below showing you exactly what this 1000w led can do for your garden.
- Recommended Lighting Time: Veg: 18/6 (on/off) or 20/4 (on/off) ; Flower: 12/12 (on/off)
- Recommended Hanging Distance Above Plants: Seeding: 24″ ; Germination: 24″-30″ ; Veg: 18″-24″ ; Bloom: 12″-18″
I really like how they show you the different hanging heights so you can really see if this will cover your space or not.
MARS HYDRO TSW 2000W Led Grow Light 4x4ft Coverage
If you need a entry level Led light that can cover a decent size space then this is your best bet. It can cover a 4 x 4 with a core coverage area of 3.5 x 3.5. This is great to veg out a plant and put it into flower stage.