Cannabis plants need a fair amount of light to grow, being native to warm climates: but be careful, even too much lighting can damage them, as much as the dark! This is why, especially in the case of indoor cultivation, it is good to collect information on theideal lighting and make your own lamp purchasing choices in an informed way.
Types of Indoor Grow Lights
There are different grow lights. The most common light sources are grow lights. HID, CFL and LED, which are sometimes found combined with each other. The HIDs, at least since the 90s, have been the preferred choice of both novice and professional growers, due to their high power in terms of lumens (a unit of measurement for light). Over the years they have undergone constant improvements, always remaining on the crest of the wave, at least until the emerging LED technology has not partially questioned them. Today LEDs are able to supplant the old lighting technologies producing grass in quantities comparable to HIDs with considerable energy savings. CFL type lights have always been less used than those of the other two groups, because the performance is slightly lower.
The main question to ask yourself when choosing your indoor grow light is: “how much does it yield?” but, immediately after: “How much does it cost me on my bill?” Yes, because growing cannabis is a passion that must be sustainable, otherwise it will turn into a short-lived adventure.
Let's see what they are the pros and cons of each of the three main types of indoor grow lights, so we can get an idea:
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HID
their strong point is reliability, with excellent and constant yields. You can buy specific lamps for the vegetative and flowering phases. The downside is that their heat can be too intense and burn the seedlings: pay attention to the wattage! Consumption is also high, as is the rate of "degradation" of the lights that often need to be replaced.
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CFL
great for beginners. They are cheap, easy to install and consume very little! Their problem is that they produce little light and are suitable for small or very small crops (one or two plants). The flowering yield is also a bit lower than HID and LED.
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LED
The main strength of LEDs is their low energy consumption (which is why they are also used in home lighting). Known for being low-temperature lamps, they drastically reduce the risk of burning seedlings. In general, LEDs seem cheaper, but the high-tech ones (needed to keep up with HID and CFL) actually cost a lot.
Initial costs
What are the starting costs? For a basic HID kit (lamp, power supply and reflector) we start at around 150 euros (but be careful of the bill); for CFLs we are talking about very little money, even thirty euros; for LEDs we start at around 120 euros. Finally, for the new LEC technology, which combines the advantages of LED with a more intense heat, we start from 300 euros up to 1000.
Ultimately, if you are a beginner and have a few plants we definitely recommend CFLs, while if you have a slightly larger crop our preference goes to LED lamps..
