Grow Tent Lighting Systems

Growing cannabis plants indoors means that you will need to provide them with artificial sunlight that they would otherwise receive naturally when grown in an outdoor environment. Although this is not a complicated process, it is not as simple as hanging a couple of household lights in your structure. It is important to understand that while proper lighting is essential, it will affect the overall environment in areas such as temperature, humidity, etc. Choosing the right lights is therefore and important factor when setting up your grow tent or structure.

Of the artificial light sources that indoor cannabis growers typically use, the most common are:

• HID – HID (High-Intensity Discharge) have been the choice of indoor growers for many years. A lot of research has gone into improving these lights and they are now more efficient, have bigger reflectors, and come with digital ballasts.
• CFL – CFL (Compact Florescent Grow Light) While CFL’s are energy efficient and do have superior colour and spectrum output, they are still not as efficient as HID’s.
• LED – LED (Light-Emitting Diode) This category of lights has come a long way in recent years and may very well replace HID’s in the near future. This system can provide comparable or even superior ‘end-quality’ marijuana.

It’s always a good idea to do a little research before making any purchases for your grow tent. Some of the factors to consider would be the size of your grow tent/structure, the number of plants you plan on growing, and of course, your budget. In some cases, spending less money on things such as grow lights may seem like a bargain, especially when you first get started. You should however consider how much you would save on electricity with a more expensive and more efficient system.

As we mentioned in the beginning of this article, LED lights are really proving to be the choice of many cannabis growers. If you decide to go this route, there are a few things to take into account before you decide on a specific one, such as:

COVERAGE – It is very important that you know exactly how much space you will need to cover as all lights have a maximum range of coverage. You should also read as many reviews as you can to make sure that the one you are considering actually performs as it reports.

SPECTRUM – While a full spectrum LED light may cost a little more, your plants require a different spectrum of light depending on the growing stage they are in. A full spectrum light should provide blue spectrums as well as ultraviolet and infrared.

ELECTRICAL – Since you will be running your lights for up to 12 hours a day, electrical efficiency is certainly an important factor. Be sure to check what the total output is (300w, 400w, 1000w, etc.). The thing to remember here is that the higher the watts, the more powerful it is and, in the long run, the less electricity it will use resulting in bigger savings on your electricity bill!

Whatever light system you use, always do your research before making a purchase. Spending less on an item may end up costing you more in the long run. Once you have a working grow tent or structure, it is highly unlikely that you will only produce one harvest. When done with some focused planning, you will enjoy many successful harvests. A little extra money in the beginning will end up not only saving you money but will ensure the best organic cannabis buds and of course great personal satisfaction!