Tag Archives: CHOOSING

Choosing Grow Lights for Hydroponics Gardening – Intro

One can enjoy hydroponics gardening any season of the year, but it is especially rewarding during the cold and dark winter days. Being a type of indoor gardening, this system implies growing of plants in a special growing medium, supplied with nutrient solution, instead of soil. Similarly to other indoor gardening methods, with hydroponics gardening it is necessary to use grow lights, which allow plants to grow, make food and reproduce themselves through flowers or fruits. For this purpose HID lights are commonly used. There are several types of HID or high-intensity discharge lights: for example, metal halide grow lights and HPS grow lights. Every HID light requires digital ballast, which is necessary in order to control electrical current within the lamp, and thus provide its seamless functioning. Supplying light with a reflector is highly recommended as well, since it allows pointing the light in proper direction and increasing the light, produced by the bulb itself. Other type of grow lights are cost-effective and lightweight LED lights, where light-emitting diodes are used to produce light in colors beneficial for keeping up plant growth. The use of any of these lamps is highly effective for hydroponics growing.

Metal halide lamps contain aluminum arc tube, filled with argon, mercury and a variety of specific metals. It is a set of different metals that provide a particular color of the light, produced by the lamp. The argon gas works to start a lamp, when electric current is introduced at the electrodes on either end inside the arc tube. Under the effect of electric current mercury and metals start to vaporize and the light is produced. The key benefit of these lamps is that being small in size they produce a significant amount of light.

HPS grow lights, also known as high-pressure sodium lights, also have an aluminum arc tube inside, similarly to metal halide lights. However, the filling of the tubes is different: in case of HPS there are sodium, mercury, and the Xenon gas inside. Both metal halide lights and HPS lights require ballast for stabilizing electric current and providing smooth performance.

LED grow lights are small, but work very efficiently providing a lot of bright light. In general, they are similar to the lights, used for decorating Christmas tree. The light is produced when electric current moves between the two crystals inside a diode, which works as semi-conductor. Furthermore, LED grow lights usually have a reflector and a lens to direct the light where it is needed.

 Along with being cost effective and energy saving, there are multiple different color spectrums to choose among in order to suit specific plants needs in the best way. So, irrespectively to what type of grow light you choose, it will work accurately and provide effective growth of your indoor plants.  



Stop! Before you take the shovel, before you plant a single herb. Stop to consider why you want an herb garden. What are your intentions for planting these marvelous plants?

Are you planning on using them both fresh and dried for culinary purposes — to add to your meals to enhance the flavors? Are you planning on making flavored oils or vinegars to present to friends and family members as gifts (while keeping a couple stashed for yourself?)

Or have you discovered the many natural health benefits of herbs and would like to grow your own to brew teas, infusions, pastes to use to help your minor health conditions?

Oh, yes, it does matter! First, you may be planting totally different plants if your aim is to embolden your entrees than to empower your health.

Here are just a few of the different “classes” of herbs, each used for a different reason”

Culinary herbs — sometimes referred to as sweet herbs – are those plants, whether they be annual, biennial or perennial, that have tender roots or ripe seeds. They also possess an aromatic flavor (yes, they smell darned good!) and they have a great flavor.

Medicinal herbs are grown with the intent of eventual use to remedy specific health conditions, from serious heart related problems or the pain of arthritis to loss of energy or memory.

Ornamental herbs. Just as the name implies, these herbs are grown with the intent of pure enjoy. They’re cherished for their beauty.

Then there are the herbs that are grown in order to enjoy a great cup of tea. And believe it or not, there are gorgeous, imaginatively designed gardens, grown for this express purpose.

The herbs you ultimately grow depend on large part, which class of herbs you want.

How to Herb Garden team http://howtoherbgarden.bytinet.com Information for Successful Herb Gardening

“How To Herb Garden” Team