Why Are Metal Halide HID Lights Popular for Horticulture?
Metal halide lights are efficient light sources that can deliver a white light that has a range of 2700 to 5500 Kelvin degrees. The Color Rendering Index (CRI) measures how closely an artificial light source like metal halide matches the natural colors of sunlight, with 100 being a perfect score. Metal halide has a typical Color Rendering Index (CRI) ratings in the mid-60’s to mid-70’s. Some metal halide lamps even obtain CRI’s in the 80s, depending on the lamp chemistry. Through experimentation engineers have been able to alter the characteristics of the light output by varying the blend of chemicals in the metal halide arc tube. The flexibility in metal halide lamp design makes them so versatile. Metal halide technology is popular among horticulturists because it produces a white light that is the closest to the natural sunlight that people prefer. The appearance of a plant growing under most metal halide lights is almost the same to plants growing outside, which makes metal halide t
