VIVOSUN 1000W HPS Grow Light Gull Wing Reflector Kit VS HI-PAR 1000w Dynamic DE Control kit

With the possibility of more and larger commercial growth becoming available, lighting manufacturers are consistently being asked to produce more powerful and efficient lighting options for cannabis cultivators. Double-Ended (DE) grow lights are one of the latest waves in this technological push. Improving on the design of high-pressure sodium (HPS) lights — they’re more powerful efficient — leading to larger, more consistent yields.

Ideally, who should use HPS grow lights?

Growers living in cooler climates love them. The heat from HPS lights counteracts the low temperatures.

If you’re growing more than five plants, you’re good to go with an HPS grow light.

Growers using HPS lights should have at least six feet of vertical space for plants to grow. Don’t forget to add the height of the light to your calculations if this is you.

Are there two different types of ballast?

Yes, there are mechanical and digital ballasts. An electronic ballast produces a couple of hundred more Hertz than a mechanical one, but the main difference is that the former generates much less heat, and keeps your cooling costs down. It also uses much less electricity. A ballast cranks the voltage higher than the voltage supplied by the power grid.

Why does wattage seem to matter so much?

It affects the amount of illumination you give your plants and the cost of power. Experienced growers mostly use 600 watts because they’re cost-effective in all spheres of plant grow lights. They produce close to 10% more light (lumen-per-watt) than a 1000W HPS grow light. Keep in mind that Watts is the power input, whereas, with growth lights, we’re more focused on output or light spectrum. It’s where the magic happens.

Here’s a table to give you an idea of how to figure out your power requirements as well as the height you should set your grow light at:

150 watts, 8 inches high for a 4 sqft area
250 watts, 10 inches high for a 7 sqft area
400 watts, 14 inches high for a 12 sqft area
600 watts, 18 inches high for 16 sqft area
1000 watts, 23 inches high for a 25 sqft area
A grow light too close to your plants burns them, and too far can be just as bad but is also a waste of energy, time, and money.

VIVOSUN 1000W HPS Grow Light Gull Wing Reflector Kit

Features:

The VIVOSUN grow light has a high PAR value (photosynthetically active radiation), excellent quality, and an optimized spectrum to promote growth. The VIVOSUN wing reflector kit is easy to install. It has high stability and compatibility. Its HPS and MH bulbs together form a complete spectrum; the kit covers the whole process of plant growth. Its digital ballast is dimmable and has an enhanced internal fan cooling operation that reduces heat generation by 25% and extends its service life by 15%. You can program the timer while sitting in a comfortable chair. More than 90% high reflectivity aluminum (no hot spots) ensures that your plants will flourish as quickly as possible. The timer mode can be turned off; the listed ETL ensures the highest safety and stability, and the solid braided polypropylene rope and reinforced metal internal gear ensure the highest safety

HI-PAR 1000w Dynamic DE Control kit

Features:

The Hi-Par 1000w/400v EL Horticultural Digital Ballast is equipped with DE Technology and is to be used with double-ended lamps. Designed for medical, industrial, or hobby horticulturalists. It can be easily integrated into your existing grow room. The Hi-Par 1000W EL 400V HPS Double ended lamp is designed for high-frequency ballasts. Developed and designed in Germany, this lamp is highly efficient and because it has a connection at each side of the lamp, therefore, removes the need for a frame wire inside the lamp. The absence of frame wire eliminates any shadows in the beam. The Hi Par 1000w 400v DE ballast has been designed in Germany to enable 400v DE Technology to be accessible to Medical & Hobby horticulturalists. This ballast is ONLY to be used with 400v double-ended lamps which are superior to the 240v lamps traditionally used.

Why is heat, cooling, and ventilation management so important with HPS lights?

The heat that these powerful lights generate affects your plants unless you take adequate precautions. If there’s a window or vent in the grow area, it would be wise to use it for ventilation. It would save you the cost of extraction fans and air ducts. Plants need a balanced environment, not only perfect light. The other factors, such as moisture, temperature, nutrients, and water flux, are just as crucial.

Too much heat and the plants could dehydrate. Some research on how you can maintain the balance is critical for a bountiful yield. A mechanical power plug with an auto-timer to set the operating time makes your life easier. The extras such as rails and a motor that moves the light to wherever you want it to go is another smart option. Some growers connect three grow lights to one motor to keep costs down.

HPS Grow Light Tips For Maximization

For indoor gardeners, maximizing their HPS light is a great practice since it can save a lot of money and energy in the long run. Here are six tips that can help in optimizing your HPS light usage:

1. Don’t Overwater Your Plants
It’s always a common mistake for indoor gardeners to overwater their plants. While this is fine when you are using a different type of lighting system, using an HPS light means that the drying process takes more time since it emits less heat than the rest of the grow lights. You wouldn’t want your plants to get rotten, right?

2. Increase The Area Temperature
Because HPS bulbs don’t generate as much heat as the other types of light, you should increase the area temperature. It’s essential for the plants to be rooted on solid soil and not on the watery ground.

3. Follow The Recommended HPS Placement
The placement of the HPS light is very vital if you want to have a successful yield. While placing your bulb at a higher distance increases the area of light coverage, the heat intensity also becomes weaker. On the other hand, if the HPS light is too close, the harsh proximity of the light can damage and hamper the growth of the plants. It’s advisable that you follow the recommended mounting distance of the HPS lights. While it’s safer to place them in the middle, following the specific mounting distance is much more preferred.

4. Install Several HPS Units
A single HPS light is not enough if you have many seeds to plant. Why not buy several lights and install them according to their recommended specifications. To maximize the lights, place them at a strategic location wherein the beam lights overlap with each other. In this way, you can double the heat intensity and plant more seeds in the covered area.

5. Follow a Light Cycle
Plants always follow a light cycle whether they are placed outside or inside the house. However, indoor plants don’t follow a natural cycle since they are constantly shaded inside the house. Thus, indoor gardeners should learn about manipulating these cycles. Because you have the power to control the hours of the light and dark cycles, you can add blackout curtains or supplemental lighting to your garden as well. This means that you can avoid any unwanted light outside the house with blackout curtains, or prolong the light cycle during winters with supplemental lighting. When you think about it, having an indoor garden is easier because you can manipulate factors that aren’t controllable outside the house.

6. Create Light Recipes
The possibilities are endless with an HPS light. It’s amazing that we are already at a time wherein the color spectrum needed for a plant to grow can already be crafted. If you are planning on an HPS grow light, make sure that it comes with a full spectrum or buy one that is in tune with what you desire.

HPS lights are considered to be one of the most valued indoor growing lights. It’s not only known for its effectiveness but it’s also known for its durability in the long run. While an HPS light can already stand-alone, following these tips can definitely maximize the full potential of this fantastic light.

Conclusion

If you would like to plan for an indoor garden, having one of these is a must. It’s important that you choose the proper lighting system for your indoor garden. Installing the ideal bulb type would certainly maximize the plant growth and the yield of your garden. Of course, everything would still be dependent on your budget, but having an indoor garden would certainly require a considerable amount of money, to begin with. Just make sure that you invest your money in trusted brands, and research the best methods of installing an HPS light.

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