| If you garden in an indoor setting, some of the most | | | | include a ballast. A ballast is used to control the |
| important pieces of equipment you will need are | | | | electrical current flow to the light bulb. Because HPS |
| proper grow lights. These lamps will ideally mimic as | | | | lamps tend to run at a high temperature, some type |
| closely as possible natural sunlight for optimal plant | | | | of a cooling system will need to be in place. These |
| growth and development. One popular choice with | | | | are often used together with reflectors, which help |
| growers is the high pressure sodium light. | | | | to increase the spread of the light to a larger area of |
| The high pressure sodium light, which are often called | | | | growing surface. |
| HPS lamps or HPS lights, are favored by indoor | | | | A high pressure sodium light can also be combined |
| gardeners who are growing plants that they wish to | | | | with a metal halide light bulb, which emits light in the |
| grow fruits or flowers. The HPS lamps give off light | | | | blue spectrum. If these two bulbs are placed in the |
| in the red and orange color spectrums, and plants | | | | same reflector, they can produce all the light that a |
| need this light spectrum in order to bring on fruiting | | | | plant needs to grow from infancy to maturity. |
| and flowering. If seedlings were being grown, they | | | | In addition to the high pressure sodium light, many |
| would prefer a blue light spectrum, which helps plants | | | | growers are turning to the LED grow light for indoor |
| to produce vegetation, necessary at the early | | | | garden lighting. An LED grow light runs cool, eliminating |
| growing stages but less beneficial when the plants | | | | the need for cooling systems, and they are very light |
| reach maturity. | | | | in weight, an important consideration when the light |
| HPS lights last a long time, even as long as two | | | | fixtures must be hung and the height adjusted above |
| years. They cost less to run than incandescent grow | | | | growing plants. They also use the least amount of |
| lamps do as well. They produce six times the amount | | | | energy of any of the HID grow lights to run, making |
| of light as an incandescent bulb does using the same | | | | them economical to use in a greenhouse setting, |
| watt of consumed energy to do so. | | | | where several lights must be purchased and used. |
| HPS lamps will need to be used in conjunction with | | | | All of these grow lights are available online from grow |
| other indoor gardening equipment. This will typically | | | | light merchants. |