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How to Choose The Hydroponic Grow Lights that Are Right For You

Choosing what kind of hydroponic grow lights you will use for your grow system is one of the most important decisions you will make as a hydroponic grower. Photosynthesis, the process by which your plants will process nutrients and grow, relies entirely upon the availability of quality light. Choose the right light, and you will enjoy a faster harvest and a bigger yield time after time. Choose poorly, and you will most likely see your plants struggling.

Here are the four most common hydroponic grow lights used in modern gardens, and the benefits of each.

  1. Fluorescent Grow Lights – Fluorescent lights are typically used in smaller or amateur gardens, and are extremely limited in their usefulness. Since they only produce white light and are low intensity, they can’t deliver the range of light needed for most plants to grow to their potential. They are therefore only really useful on seedlings and clones. Since they do not give off much heat, they can be placed as close to the plant as you’d like, but most hydroponic professionals recommend a distance of between four to six inches. Fluorescent grow lights are typically very inexpensive, but their bulbs must be replaced frequently, which can add up to much more cost over time.
  2. High Intensity Discharge Grow Lights – Because they offer a broader range of colors on the light spectrum, and thus more closely imitate natural sunlight, High Intensity Discharge (HID) lights are much more appropriate for general hydroponic growing. They do, however, produce a great deal of heat, which may require purchasing cooling fans to keep your plants safe.There are two kinds of high intensity discharge lights: metal halide grow lights and high-pressure sodium grow lights. Metal halide lights can emit light on the blue end of the spectrum, and are more ideal for the vegetative stage of plant growth, while high-pressure sodium lights emit light on the red end of the spectrum and are more commonly used for the flowering stage. High-pressure sodium grow lights are also ideal for use on fruit bearing plants and vegetables.
  3. LED Grow Lights – A LED (Light Emitting Diode) light emits illumination through processing a current in one terminal and out another, forming a simple semiconductor.LED lights have a number of practical advantages over more common grow lights. Because they produce such little heat, they have little risk of burning your plants; they do not require you to additionally purchase cooling fans. LED grow lights require a larger up front investment, but since they can last between seven to ten years before you need to replace them and use a fraction of the energy of other kinds of lights, they can actually save you money in the long run. Some studies even show that LED lights are even more effective for hydroponic gardens.LED lights are typically offered in a variety of colors to use at appropriate stages of vegetative growth. There is also available a green LED light, which is “invisible” to plants, and would therefore allow you to observe and maintain your hydroponic garden without interrupting your plants’ photoperiod.

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The Advanced Nutrients Team

Since 1999, Advanced Nutrients has been committed to educating the community and bringing the most up-to-date knowledge to the forefront of grows across the globe. Every article you read here has been curated by Advanced Nutrients’ industry experts, so you can continue raising your bud weight… and your reputation.

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Over time, components within the nutrients settle on the bottom of the bottle. When you pour a bottle without shaking it, you can potentially be pouring out an unbalanced solution. Shaking up the nutrient bottle ensures you are pouring the right blend into your reservoir, giving your crops the nutrition they need.

Usually, it’s not a problem. But some products are incompatible with each other and can damage your plants when they’re used together. For example, bloom boosters with high PK numbers or low-grade silica products can destabilize your nutrient mix and cause nutrient lockout.

Nutrient manufacturers design their products to be used with each other. In doing so, they include specific portions of each nutrient in each product, so crops receive the right nutrition through each stage of the grow cycle. When you stick with one manufacturer, you don’t have to worry about inadvertently destabilizing your nutrient mixture. One example of why you need to stick with only one manufacturer’s products is Advanced Nutrients’ pH Perfect line. These products are designed to keep your crops’ root zone within a specific pH range. When you use them alongside products from another manufacturer, we can’t guarantee your root zone will maintain its optimal pH level.

Yes! If you’re growing with Advanced Nutrients products, you can use our easy nutrient calculator to generate the correct nutrient chart for your crops in seconds. Check out Advanced Nutrients’ nutrient calculator here. Another great resource is our library of free custom-growing recipes. Try our expert grower-tested nutrient schedules here.

You can also download our official BudLabs app to generate nutrient schedules and receive real-time notifications for specific tasks, including feeding your crops. Upgrade to BudLabs Pro to maintain profiles on an unlimited number of crops.

If you are a grower, visit this link to find the closest Advanced Nutrients Authorized Retailer. If you are a retailer, visit this link to identify our official distributors.

Our greatest passion is growing great cannabis—and helping other growers do the same. That’s why we offer complimentary cultivation support 24/7 from Monday to Friday and from 9 AM until 7 PM PST on Saturday… With the same level of advice licensed producers would pay consultants tens of thousands of dollars to unlock.
Just call 1-800-640-9605 or email support@advancednutrients.com. For Spanish-speaking growers, email spanishsupport@advancednutrients.com.

Yes! If for any reason you are not absolutely thrilled with the results you achieve when you use our products, just bring the unused portion, along with your original sales receipt, back to the place of purchase within six months, and ask for your money back. Find out more about our Grower Guarantee here.

Advanced Nutrients has spent many thousands of man-hours developing a technology that automatically balances your pH for you — putting it in the “sweet spot” and holding it there for one week.

And the technology is so “smart” that it can account for many of the aforementioned variables in your grow room. Our proprietary pH buffering agents and stabilizing mechanisms became the foundation of a new system aptly called pH Perfect® Technology. Learn all about it here.