by Jorge Cervantes
HP Sodium Lights
HP sodium lamps are mst often used in flowering rooms, but they can also be used to grow vegetative plants. Stems tend to stretch about 10 percent more when using exclusively HP sodium bulbs.
Wattages available: 150, 175, 250, 400, 600, 1000.
Brilliance: HP sodium lamps are more efficient than metal halides at converting electricity to light.
There are many different HP sodium bulbs. Super bulbs are always brighter than standards. Bulbs are available in many different models. Some bulbs with the same wattage are brighter than other models.
Spectrum: The color spectrum of the bulb is limited to the reddish-yellow end of the spectrum. HP sodium bulbs are readily available in a spectrum range of 2100K to 2200K.
Life of a bulb: Rated at 24,000 hours. Most growers replace bulbs after 18-24 months of operation.
A 430-watt Son Agro bulb with more blue in the spectrum is more effective at keeping plants from stretching than if a standard HP sodium were used.
A 600-watt HP sodium lamps is the most efficient HID available.