Horticultural lighting and HPS bulbs

HPS lamps

One of the essential elements for successful indoor growing is lighting. In this section, we will do our best to give you as much information and advice as possible on a specific type of bulb: HPS.
But before we do that, let's ask ourselves the following question: why is light in a cubicle so important?


The irreplaceable role of light

No matter the plant, most plants need light. In nature, it is the sun that provides them with what they need in light energy. More precisely, plants capture sunlight, and thanks to the chlorophyll they contain, a biochemical reaction takes place: this reaction is called the "photosynthesis phenomenon".

This process allows plants to transform light into energy, as well as CO2 and nutrients (mineral elements) into organic matter. It is then understood that the more light the flower captures, the more energy it will create to grow.

Recreating the different natural lights for one's indoor garden

For an indoor crop, of course, the sun is out of the way. Hence the need to install a horticultural lighting system in your indoor garden. This way, even in your growing room, the magic of photosynthesis will act on your plants.
Moreover, it is important to know (not to mention exposure time, photoperiod, P.A.R. unit, light intensity...) that plant development is divided into different phases and that it is sensitive to the colour of the light. The latter, expressed in degrees Kelvin (°K), is very influential


The intervention of HPS in plant development

That's it! After this reminder of the need for light on plants, we come back to our main subject: HPS lamps.

As seen above, HPS lamps are bulbs with a different light spectrum from an ordinary incandescent lamp, and specific to the flowering and ripening of fruit. "HPS" means that they contain Hight Pressure Sodium (HPS) vapour.
In the form of a tube, containing the gases of sodium, mercury and xenon, they emit their famous intense and hot light (2700°K), when an electric arc passes through them. There are different power ratings (watts) available on Indoor Discount 150W, 250W, 400W, 600W and 1000W.

HPS causes a rise in temperature. Above all, remember to connect it to a suitable ballast for optimum lamp performance! Also make sure that the lamp is not installed too close to the plants.

tableau caracteristiques spectre hps

Advantages and disadvantages of HPS

This type of lamp provides your crop with light that is as close as possible to natural light, placing your plantation in the best possible conditions. Its lighting performance can be up to 70% better than other high-pressure mercury vapour lamps. In addition, the lifetime of an HPS is approximately 9000 hours. However, the temperature of a high pressure sodium tube can reach 1200°C, which can heat smother your plants. Hence the need to install a ventilation system in your growing space: fans, ducts, extractors/intractors, etc.

Example of a horticultural lighting installation

We now present you our different HPS bulbs available on Indoor Discountas well as some useful products for optimal lighting

exemple chambre avec eclairage hps

For more information, please read the complete guide "Succeeding indoors" from the following editions EncygrowThe book is available on our website in the bookstore section.

We hope we have provided you with as much information as possible about horticultural lighting with HPS. Also, we would like to warn you or remind you that, in order not to risk damaging this type of bulb, it is strongly advised to use a cloth when handling it. This will prevent the tube from having uneven heat points caused by the acidity produced by the skin.


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