Growing Area
The growing areas listed above assume the light bulbs are being used in a
fixture
with a reflector similar in quality to the ones offered on this web site.
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Primary - Use this area if the grow light
will be the main or only source of light for the plants. This includes areas where
minimal light comes from
windows or standard house/office lights.
Secondary - Use this area if the grow light
will be used in a greenhouse or other area that receives direct sunlight for part
of the day to supplement the grow light.
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Heat Output
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Type of Bulb
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Average Bulb Temperature
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LED & T5 Fluorescent
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100 to 120° F
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CFL (Compact Fluorescent)
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130 to 180° F
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Incandescent
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220 to 260° F
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MH and HPS
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450 to 550° F
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How
Long Should Grow Lights Run?
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This depends on the type of plant. Foliage plants
need about 14-16 hours of light per day. Flowering plants need 12-16 hours of
light per day. You should give most plants at least 8 hours of total darkness
daily. Try to have the lights on at the same time every day. Using an automatic
timer for your lights is recommended to make it easier.
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The
Electrical Cost to Run a Grow Light System
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To get the operating cost per hour for a light,
take the lights combined wattage, and divide it by 1000 to get the kilowatts used.
Then multiply that number by the amount your electric company charges per kilowatt
hour. HID lights will use the number of watts it emits per hour, ie; 600w system
will use 600 watts per hour (regardless of spectrum).
(light wattage output
/
1000) x
electricity cost per kilowatt hour
= Operating cost per hour
operating cost per hour x hours
used per month = Operating cost per month
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