Tips & Advice

You know why there is so much confusion? Because they're very similar. When it comes to plant growth and development, the action spectrum for photosynthesis and the absorption spectra for chlorophyll and other molecules used in photosynthesis are nearly identical. Are there any differences then? Yes, of course. If they were the same, there would be no need for … [Read more...] about Absorption Spectrum Vs Action Spectrum: Differences Explained

The short answer is: Blue light. But it's not quite that simple. For one, plants grow great in natural sunlight. Sunlight isn't blue. It is...yellow? White? Wait, what color is sunlight, exactly? That's a bit of a trick question. Sunlight contains all colors of the light spectrum. Technically, that makes it white light. This means it contains blue light. … [Read more...] about What Color Light Do Plants Grow Best In?

Plants, like humans, are living organisms. And just like us they require nutrients and the right conditions to flourish. While plants obviously need water to survive, light is their main source of energy. The natural light we enjoy here on earth comes from the sun, a blazing mass of fire that produces enough energy to maintain all life forms on this planet. The light … [Read more...] about The Effect Of UV Light On Plants (Black Lights For Weed?)

If you've spent any time searching for the best height to hang your grow lights, you've probably found a bunch of wildly different answers. That's because it's impossible to give an exact distance. What I can give you, is a good starting point. From there, you'll gradually move the lights closer to the canopy, while monitoring your plants closely. This way, you'll … [Read more...] about How Far Should Grow Lights Be From Plants?

You want an LED grow light with a high PPFD. That's nice. Now what the heck is PPFD? And why do I want it? I get a lot of questions about various terms that are standard jargon in our industry. And I know I'm partially to blame for that. I try to avoid grow light specific terms in my articles, but I often catch myself using them anyway. Since I can't seem to avoid … [Read more...] about Glossary Of Grow Light Terms

LEDs are clearly better than fluorescent grow lights, right? Well, not always. It really depends on the LED in question. And on what you are growing. For small grows, you're often better off just using a fluorescent light. This experiment proves that. It also shows the ineffectiveness of using all-blue light for vegging. Sure, plants need more blue light … [Read more...] about T5 Fluorescent Vs LED Grow Lights (The Lettuce Test)

Grow lights are expensive. Regular light bulbs are not. This could be a great way to save money...if regular bulbs work for growing plants. People often assume you need expensive grow lights to make up for the lack of natural light, but they're wrong. You can actually use regular light bulbs to grow plants indoors. But should you use regular bulbs? In some cases, … [Read more...] about Can You Use Regular Light Bulbs As Grow Lights?

My light's got tons of lumen, yo! So what? mine has way more PAR! Lumen or PAR? Which is better? And does it even matter? More to the point, what do those terms actually mean? We'll cover that and more. Because it does matter. Indoor agriculture has been booming, with investment in indoor agri-technology solutions estimated at $52 million in the US alone, for the … [Read more...] about PAR Vs Lumens (Differences And Which Is Better)

Finding the right grow light setup for your indoor garden seems easy. But it's not. It can actually be a bit complicated. There are so many different lights on the market and so many different customers with unique needs. Farmers, horticulturists, gardeners and medical marijuana growers all need different features and they have a very broad selection of options to … [Read more...] about LED Grow Lights Vs HPS: Which One Do You Need?