Growers Guide to Hydroponic Lighting: You've finally tweaked your nutrients to maximize your yields, but your HPS bulbs are putting out a sickly, yellow light and they take a long time to warm up to peak output? Perhaps you should consider updating your hydroponic lighting setup. The best solution for your lighting problems is the slam dunk combination of your choice of top of the line HPS (High Pressure Sodium) or MH (Metal Halide) Bulbs in tandem with a low-frequency square wave ballast that takes into consideration the way that most HPS and MH bulbs were designed to run. The most popular sized bulbs are 600W or a 1000W, and they should feature enhanced spectral output and should be dimmable. The low frequency ballast should be able to accommodate both HPS and MH bulbs, and it should be able to power those bulbs to shine at peak performance every time. Enhanced Spectral Output? What Does That Mean? Eli Weinkle of Spectrum Services is a leading expert on bulb technology, and we asked him to explain what is meant by "enhanced spectral output." "Studies show that enhanced far reds have the ability to produce more optimal flowering. The problem with existing HPS lights is that they produce the majority of their relative energy in non-optimal spectrums or wavelengths. With that in mind, we updated the lamp's design and overall chemistry to create a product that utilized the maximum benefits provided from that far red spectrum, creating better and healthier flowering." The result is that instead of a traditional lamp designed for commercial lighting, the HPS bulbs in question are modified for improved performance for use in horticulture applications. How to Build a Cutting Edge Bulb‌ The most innovative bulbs and ballasts on the market today resulted from taking a ground up approach to the products' design, spearheaded by the research team at Spectrum Service's lab in Southern California.
The lab is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to measure electrical characteristics and data such as waveform, frequency, input/output, perturbation, dithering, crest factor, efficiency, as well as actual light output and photometric responses of light sources from its input sources. The specialized test equipment used in these trials was designed and built in-house, since there is no commercially produced equipment available in the marketplace to test the photometric effects and response of light sources, driven by different ballast products. What did they learn? Basically, that a bulb is only as good as the ballast that powers it. So while top of the line bulbs will work when connected to an inferior ballast, their peak performance is only achieved when a square wave ballast is used.
Fact: Currently, there is only one other lab in North America equipped to conduct these studies, the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Sandia National Laboratory.
Ok, So What Makes One Bulb Better than Another? Both Hortilux and Advanced Nutrients make enhanced spectrum MH bulbs. The BaddAss Blue Diamond MH line from Advanced Nutrients includes a 600W and a 1000W bulb, while the Hortilux Blue line does not offer a 600W, but it has a 250W, 400W, as well as a 1000W bulb. But in addition to the spectral improvements, the two BaddAss Blue Diamond bulbs put out 60,000 and 110,000 Lumens respectively, the highest Lumens output in its class. The Red Diamond HPS 1000W bulb, also from Advanced Nutrients, illuminates your indoor garden with 140,000 Lumens, while the Red Diamond 600W bulb does so with 90,000 Lumens. They both outperform the run-of-the-mill competition. The Hortilux Super HPS bulbs and the BaddAss Bulbs are fully dimmable to 750W and 500W. All four BaddAss Bulbs are sold in a special "cocoon" packaging that ensures safe delivery from the retailer to your grow room. In addition, they boast a
protective Oil Guard sleeve, which keeps your skin oils from contaminating the glass surface. As far as we know, no other bulb manufacturer offers this.
Eli Weinkle's credentials include a background in electronics and manufacturing with years of service specializing in the defense and aerospace industries. Now What About Hoods? Do They Make a Difference? Having noticed on YouTube that many grow rooms use bare bulbs instead of hoods to illuminate their canopy, we asked Eli Weinkle, which is better--to use a hood or go with naked bulbs? Mr. Weinkle responded with, “since lamps are omnidirectional controlling and focusing that light is key to maximizing the energy being used on lighting and directing that light onto the plants. So whether you choose an open hood or a ventilated hood, you can make sure you’re not losing any precious lumens." Watch for a special report on Hoods coming soon… Opt in to ensure you never miss another Growers Special Report! One Last Question… Are there any exciting new lighting products in the pipeline? "We always have products in the works. We don't really discuss what we have under development, until it's ready to be released. So you're aware, there is always exciting stuff going on here behind the scenes, and we're always looking for the next greatest thing, the next jump in technology for this industry. “So we don't sleep, or sit on our laurels, and we're always about trying to advance. Even with our existing technology--so the ballast of tomorrow will be better than the ballast of today. Tomorrow is not that far away." Follow us on twitter | AnNutes – join us online for ongoing up to the minutes science, facts, support and cutting edge information specifically for growers! www.advancednutrients.com | www.rosebudmag.com