HydroGarden is pleased to introduce to you our range of
Power Plant lighting for the commercial horticultural
market.
HydroGarden has been manufacturing horticultural lighting
since 1997.
Since that time we have introduced a number of innovative
products to the market, including, one of the first remote
Lighting Control Units to reflector packages in Europe,
the patented Adjust-A-Wing Reflector and now the all-new
Power Plant Commercial Lighting Unit.
We are one of the first firms to be able to offer the
latest generation in lighting technology, namely Electronic
Control Units that run standard HID lamps but save up
to 28% in electricity costs and are very light and compact.
Our Electronic Control Units also offer extended lamp
life, another cost saving feature.
We also supply spare lamps and act as distributors for
Osram, Philips Lighting and Venture Horticulture who make
the Sunmaster lamp range.
In addition, we are the European Distributors for the
LightRail 3.5 and unique linear light mover that enable
fewer light units to be used in a given location. This
is an especially useful tool in research applications.
What
is commercial lighting?
Commercial horticultural lighting falls into two types,
replacement lighting and supplementary lighting. Replacement
lighting generally ‘replaces’ natural sun
light with artificial sources of light and is normally
used in a ‘grow room’ or research facility
where total control is necessary. In this document we
discuss supplementary lighting, where we ‘top up’
natural light from artificial sources. This is by far
the most common use of these products in commercial horticultural
situations.
Benefits of Commercial horticultural
lighting
Yield Increased plant growth and yields
How can lighting do this?
Given the correct balance of conditions; more
light = greater photosynthesis greater
photosynthesis = more rapid growth more
rapid growth = larger plants sooner larger
plants sooner = higher yields
more
light = greater photosynthesis greater
photosynthesis = stronger plants stronger
plants = healthier plants healthier
plants = quality produce
Control
Improved growing process
How can lighting do this?
Given the correct balance of conditions;
add
light early in the season = earlier cropping = control add
light to extend ‘day’ = earlier cropping =
control add
light to delay cropping = more vegetative growth = control adding
light = easier crop management = control
Lamp Life
A useful life of 12,000 to 14,000 hours is typical when
using traditional ‘core & coil’ type
control gear *
Why
use commercial lighting?
Due to poor winter daylight in the northern hemisphere
being the limiting factor for plant production from November
to March, the use of commercial horticultural lighting
is fast becoming an integral part of commercial growing
- controlling both the quality and the quantity of produce
grown.
The development of lighting has become an important factor
in order to grow plants of a consistent quality and to
harvest at the correct time to achieve maximum price.
Sunlight is undoubtedly the cheapest source of light for
growing plants. However, there are times when there is
insufficient or no natural light available, in winter
or at night for instance.
There are two important factors that commercial horticultural
lighting must satisfy:
that the source is highly efficient in terms of the light
produced is high in proportion to the energy consumed
by the lamp, and, the light must have the correct spectral
output.
Plants are somewhat special in their sensitivity to light,
in that only part of the visible spectrum contributes
to photosynthesis. Plants need light with a wavelength
of between 400nm and 700nm (nanometers), called the PAR
area which stands for Photosynthetic Active Radiation.
The number of photons (light particles) reaching the plant
in a given time frame determines the rate of photosynthesis.
It is generally understood that light in the blue-green
end of the PAR spectrum enhances seedling/cutting and
vegetative growth. It tends to make for stronger hardy
plants with shorter internode spacing. Light at the orange/red
end of the spectrum tends to trigger flowering and encourages
softer more rapid growth. Some indoor growers start their
plants under metal halides and later either add or switch
to high-pressure sodium lamps to encourage flowering.
When propagating or for producing foliage only plants,
metal halides are often the preferred option.For flowering
or fruiting stages and for photo-period manipulation,
high pressure sodium lamps are the preferred option.
Overall, high pressure sodium lamps are the most widely
used for horticultural purposes because they have an acceptable
spectral distribution, long lamp life and the highest
radiant efficiency which makes for low running costs;
this is especially true of the 600w size range.
More and more commercial growers are using supplementary
or assimilation lighting to assist their business whether
growing hydroponically or not. The use of these lights
will give you healthier plants, which in turn will be
more resistant to pests and diseases.
How
will my crop respond?
Different plants respond in different ways to the use
of supplementary lighting, but most fit into these categories:
‘Long-day’ plants for which night break lighting
or day length extension stimulates flowering, eg bedding
plants and fuschias.
‘Short-day’ plants for which night break lighting
or day length extension inhibits flowering inducing vegetative
growth, eg chrysanthemums and poinsettias.
‘Day-neutral’ plants for which day length
has no effect on flowering, eg tomatoes and sweet peppers.
Other plants respond in more complex ways and other factors
such as temperature and humidity will also have an effect.
It should also be noted that in some species the length
of ‘day’ is critical in flowering, and will
not flower if ‘lit’ for longer than the species
requires.
Day length extension, and to some extent night-break lighting,
will delay the natural winter dormancy of some perennial
species.
In summary, commercial horticultural lighting can be useful
in a number of differing situations, for different crops
for different reasons at different times of the year.
Our all new ‘All in One Aluminium’ Control
Box enables both integral and remote reflectors to be
fitted as necessary, this flexible, water proof, cool
running enclosure ensures maximum flexibility. Further,
the reflector can be mounted below the control box, reducing
the amount of ‘shadow’ that our unit produces
during sunny periods. The remote option gives a much lower
fixture weight and reduced installation cost for the grower.
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more
light = greater photosynthesis 
