One of the biggest advantages to growing with leds as compared to growing with high intensity discharge hid bulbs like high pressure sodium hps and metal halide mh bulbs is that leds consume a fraction of the electricity as much as 60 less.
Metal halide vs led for growing.
But keep in mind that much of the light that the light meter is reading from a metal halide isn t even visible.
Another advantage of leds is their low heat signature.
The modern hobby and commercial cultivator now have the power to dial in spectrums specific to the plant strain they are growing.
Unlike led s hid grow lights work because of gasses not wires or chips.
A big advantage of leds over metal halide grow lights is their significantly lower heat output.
This can already be seen in the plethora of led grow light products in the market boasting their comparatively passive operation which is usually not possible when running a metal halide bulb.
It s your job to adequately determine a few factors before you begin searching for the best grow light whether it be metal halide hps led or cfl bulbs.
As the bulb gets brighter and brighter it gives off heat.
If you compare metal halide lights and led lights you ll likely find that the metal halide lights have a higher foot candle measurement while the leds have a higher lumen output.
When factoring in the spectral efficiency led grow lights can offer metal halides are significantly less efficient.
Let s take cmh vs led grow lights head on.
We have an array of modern light systems that can grow plants like ceramic metal halides cmh and light emitting diode led systems.
Grow lights have evolved from heavy magnetic in efficient ballasts and bulky reflectors to ultra efficient dimmable and spectrum tunable light emitting diodes led and ceramic metal halide cmh all in one fixtures.
The type of gas and chemicals used in hid grow bulbs like mercury and metal halides react with each other to give you light.
Efficiency of metal halide vs.
Are you growing in a grow tent or in a warehouse.
Although these two examples are polar opposites they still ask the same question.