Since medical plants growing has become popular, growers have been faced with a lot of options in terms of which lighting to use for their grow rooms. Ordinary gardeners face the same problem.

And even though there are many lights to choose from, grow lights such as LED and HPS are becoming more and more popular.

So which one is better? Let’s find out in this HPS grow lights vs LED grow lights showdown.

What Are LED and HPS Grow Lights?

Before we make LED vs HPS comparison we need to take a look at both lights and explain how they function and what they provide the plants.

If you’re new to gardening or plant growth in general, then you must know that not all sources of light are the same and each type of light source produces a different effect on your plants.

Some factors determine which light is better than the other, such as area coverage, heat emission, energy consumption, light color, and so on.

So let’s take a look at the 2 most popular to grow light options — LED and HPS lights.

What Are LED Lights?
LED stands for light-emitting diode, and as the name suggests, they’re made out of diodes that glow up when current flows through them.

The color of the LED grow lights is determined by how much energy is needed for it to reach the semiconductor as well as the energy value of the photons in the diode.

With red, green, and blue LED lights you can get almost every color of the light spectrum by combining those 3 colors and also by making some light brighter and some dimmer.

Standard LED lights that appear white are actually a combination of red, green, and blue and have amazing brightness, and have almost 90% more efficient than incandescent lights.

Now, because LED lights are so popular, not just for gardening, but also for other lighting applications, they are the first choice for some gardeners as they are cheap and easy to find in almost any color.

Their effect on plant growth is also well known, but we’ll talk about that later because we now need to focus our attention on HPS lights.

What Are HPS Lights?
HPS stands for high-pressure sodium vapor and these lights use sodium to produce light which is typically around 589 nm in wavelength and the color of the light usually seems yellow, but they also come in other colors depending on the wavelength they emit.

Two types of lights use sodium vapor:

LPS — low-pressure sodium lights which are most commonly yellow and are used for street lights, apart from other applications as well.
HPS — these lights emit more colors of the light spectrum than LPS but their color rendering abilities are still no match to other sources of light.
So as you can see, HPS lights do come in various colors, but they aren’t the best light source out there.

They still are a popular choice because they can cover quite a large area because of how bright they are and their beam angle. Also, they are energy efficient and can last a long time.

But how do HPS light vs LED stand, and which are better for your indoor gardening grow light?

Which is Better, an LED Grow Light or an HPS Grow Light?

Both of these lights are best in their ability; if you compare them side by side, you will not understand the differences. Such as LED Grow lights are energy-efficient; on the other hand, HPS Grow light consumes a large amount of electricity. But HPS Grow light has a blue, yellow light, which is best for the growth of leaves and branches of a plant.

A 1000 watt HPS Grow light can obtain 1.7 joules of efficiency if equipped with electronic ballast. But if it was magnetic ballast, even a 400-watt HPS Grow light will surpass a 1000 watt HPS Grow light in terms of efficiency. So the quality of an HPS light will depend upon its ballast.

LED light is more efficient than HPS light; LED light efficiency is around 2.8 joule. And for the quality depends on its engineering, the quality of diodes also on its composition. With a low spectrum, a 1000 watt LED light will not provide a good environment, but with a good spectrum, a less-watt led can outperform a 1000 watt LED Grow light.

So to buy the best LED grow light or HPS Grow light, you need to see the details of that product and clarify its capability. If you are looking for an efficient one, an LED Grow light will be the best choice & check others gardening equipment.

Should you Choose an HPS Grow Light or an LED Grow Light?

We have talked about both LED and HPS Grow lights, how capable they are. Indeed you have known the advantages and disadvantages of these Grow lights and come to a decision. So we want to point out the main facts of these Grow lights that will help you make your mind.

Choose LED Grow Light if you Want these
If you want a Grow light that will be capable of saving energy, that will reduce the electricity bill.
Choose if you are trying to Grow small plants, such as Growing seeds that don’t require yellow, blue or red lights.
If you want your Grow light to cover more than 20 square feet.
Less expensive and easy to replace with high efficiency.

Choose HPS Grow Light if you Want these
It is suitable for flower type plants, with a large number of leaves and branches
These lights are capable of providing yellow, blue and red light with a high wavelength
It has 130000 lumens that are best suited for 4-big plants
Less energy-efficient and it consumes a high amount of electricity

These are some main facts of LED and HPS Grow lights; these points should be enough to determine which Grow light he should buy.

Conclusion

There’s no “right” answer as far growing with led vs. hps grow lamps, and ultimately, you’ll have to decide which is better for your specific needs. If you’d benefit from bulbs that generate heat, HPS lights might be a better choice. That said, in terms of flexibility and energy efficiency, LED lights are hard to beat as grow lamps and light bulbs in general.

Price is one of the major considerations, but there’s no easy answer here either. LED bulbs cost more upfront but are much cheaper to run. HPS bulbs are cheaper per unit, but they also typically don’t last as long and consume more electricity.

Given the lower upfront costs, beginner horticulturalists may want to learn the ropes with HPS grow lamps. Large operations, meanwhile, may get the most out of LED bulbs.

When deciding between LED and HPS bulbs, a horticulturist needs to consider local climate conditions, energy prices, the specific plants they’re growing, and other factors as well. Make sure you don’t rush your decision and find the growth lamps that are best for you.