Understanding Spectrum and Par Reading When it comes to measuring the amount of effective light an LED, HID, and fluorescent light fixture emits for a plant to use, there are two primary measurements that should be read and examined together. First, PAR or Photosynthetic Active Radiation needs to be measured.  PAR is essentially a measurement of light emission within the photosynthetic range of 400-700nm.  This represents the area of light...

PAR: Photosynthetically Active Radiation PAR measures the total energy within the spectral light range from 400-700nm (nanometers) at which photosynthetic organisms are able to use light energy for the process of photosynthesis. PPFD: (Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density) PPFD measures the actual number of photons contained within PAR that are actually reaching your plant's surface. Why PPFD Matters Since photosynthetic receptors in plants are activated by the photon itself, not the...

LED vs. HPS: Why Making the switch to LED is a smart move Deciding on what growing lights to use in your indoor garden is a major decision, with trickle-down effects not only on your potential harvest but the entire operational setup. Today, there are two main types of indoor grow lights to choose from, high-pressure sodium lights (HPS) or light emitting diodes lights (LED). The ongoing debate between the...

Cost Effective Growing Cost savings are important to everybody and LED grow lights provide many areas in which to save you precious dollars.  Let’s talk about energy savings.  Due to the fact that watt for watt LED's run at about 30% less electricity than HIDs, the savings on electricity, especially on tiered plans, can be huge!     Efficiency for Growers Secondly, in the absence of all of the heat...