|
Hydroponic Light
Does hydroponic growing necessitate a
completely controlled environment with a controlled hydroponic
light? Not necessarily. While there are two important components
of hydroponics¡Xthe ability to control settings and the
hydroponic solution¡Xeither of them can be a variation of sorts
without significantly degrading the system.
For instance, some large-scale hydroponic growers use large
greenhouse systems to grow vegetables and flowers. These
factory-like setups often include elaborate pumping systems and
nutrient feeders, which would normally make costs unsustainable;
but since they have achieved such a high level of scale¡Xand have
reduced electrical costs with natural lighting¡Xthey can still at
least break even with their system.
If you're a hobby grower, you may find that it is cheaper to
grow things using an artificial hydroponic light, rather than
investing in a large-scale system. In this case, you will want
to take three things into consideration: the frequency of the
light, the estimated duration of the light bulbs, and the amount
of power they will consume in watts.
What frequency of light should you choose? The most popular
frequencies and types of lights include metal halides and
fluorescent bulbs. You can purchase these bulbs from online
sellers inexpensively. Top brands include Grow Wing, XtraSun,
Radiant, and ValuBrite.
Now that you have selected type or frequency, you should select
a duration for your hydroponic light. Most inexpensive bulbs are
simply not cost-effective. While they will last about a year for
$100, you will likely be able to purchase a more expensive model
that last up to nine times as long for twice as much. So again,
it really depends on what you want and your budget. You should
also bear in mind that quite often, the more expensive high
efficiency lights costs less in the long run as they run on less
electricity and have a longer shelve life.
¡@ |
