A10 Answer: There are many different technologies for creating light, some of which can work for growing plants indoors.
There are a lot of choices- here's a basic summary Grow Light Technology Comparison Table:
Technology | Need Ballast ? | Has Toxic Mercury ? | Has UV ? | Good for Taller Plants? | Lifespan (hours) | Optimized spectrum for plants ? |
LED | No | No | Yes | Yes | 50,000~100,000 | Yes |
Fluorescent | Yes | Yes | Some | No | 4,000~10,000 | No |
Induction | Yes | Yes | Some | No | 25,000~100,000 | No |
Single-ended HPS | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | 2,000~5,000 | No |
Double-Ended HPS | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | 10,000~20,000 | No |
Metal Halide | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2,000~5,000 | No |
Ceramic Metal Halide | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2,000~5,000 | No |
Dual-Arc HPS/MH | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2,000~5,000 | No |
Incandescent | No | No | No | No | 1,000~2,000 | No |
Plasma | No | No | Some | Some | 2,000~7,000 | No |