HPS lamps for plants were invented by an American physicist named Arthur Compton around 1920, the companies: Dutch Philips and German Osram, in 1932 were the first to mass-produce this model of lamps. After a few years, in 1950 there was a great technological evolution, which allowed the insulation of the discharge tube by means of the vacuum technique, increasing its reliability and reducing the fragility of HPS lamps.

What are hps and mh lamps

For indoor cultivation there are two types of HID (High-intensity Discharge) lamps.

What differences are there between the two types of lighting?

HPS lamps produce a reddish-orange light spectrum, which is ideal for the flowering phase of plants. While MH lamps emit a bluish-white light, ideal for the vegetative "growth" period of plants. Today, most growers use HPS Dual spectrum lamps for indoor cultivation , which are lights that emit both spectrums, suitable for both the growth and flowering of plants. While the most experienced growers use both types of light, alternating HPS and MH lamps depending on the life phase of the plant.

Wich lamps do i need for growth and bloom phase

Here's list of available wattage of MH lamps for growth and HPS for flowering

MH and HPS lamps advantages and disadvantages

MH and HPS lamps are still the most used lighting system by growers today, as they are quite economical compared to other cultivation lighting systems. They are simple to install, safe and the gram x wat production ratio is the best on the market.

MH and HPS lamps emit a large amount of heat. Consequently, an adequate ventilation system is needed to refresh the entire grow box and provide correct oxygenation to the plants. Both MH and HPS lamps tend to decrease light intensity over time. The lifespan is quite short, usually they do not last for more than a year of work. Therefore, for good success in indoor growing, replacement with a certain frequency is advisable. HPS and MH lamps cannot be connected directly to a normal electrical outlet, but require a power supply to turn on.

HPS dual spectrum lamps

HPS dual spectrum lamps are high pressure sodium lights, which emit a spectrum of light suitable for stimulating plants during both growth and flowering. Who usually buys an HPS dual spectrum lamp?

Mainly the novice who approaches indoor cultivation opts for this type of lamps, which however guarantee an excellent yield. Furthermore, there is no need to replace the bulb during the various vital stages of the plant.

There are various manufacturers of this type of lamp on the market. The best HPS dual spectrum plant lights are Philiphs, Sylvania , Sunmaster and Osram. In addition to guaranteeing a truly effective spectrum complexity, these last longer than commercial bulbs such as: Cultilite, pure light or sonlight.

Available wattage of hps dual spectrum lamps

Low consumption hps lamps

Are there low consumption HPS lamps? This is a question that is asked very often to us operators in the sector, unfortunately the answer is no!!. Indeed, when growing with HPS or MH lamps, in addition to the energy absorption equal to the wattage of the bulb, it is necessary to add a small energy absorption used by the power supply, which functions as a current transformer. If you want to use low consumption lamps for cultivation, our choice must fall on CFL or LED lamps. Both CFL lamps and LEDs, in addition to consuming less power, do not need a power supply to be connected to the electrical network, but are connected in a plug&play manner "directly with a plug to the socket".