LED Grow Lights Vs HPS - Deciding On The Right One

Finding the right grow light system for an indoor garden is not as simple as it may first appear. A person has a wide range of choices when it comes to choosing a indoor system set up for their plants. A common choice for many individuals boils down to LED lights vs. HPS. LEDs, or light emitting diodes, have not been around very long and many people may not understand some of the advantages that come from them. On the other hand, HPS, or high-pressure sodium bulbs, are popular with many indoor gardening enthusiasts. The LED light panels vs. HPS debate often comes down to a couple of key factors.

One of the important determining factors when it comes to choosing LED grow panels vs. HPS is the fact that LEDs cost significantly more than high-pressure sodium bulbs. The price difference can be quite large, especially if a person needs a large lighting system set up for a big indoor garden. Before ruling LEDs out completely, however, a person should consider the entire cost of ownership rather than just the initial purchase price. If purchase price alone was the determining factor, the LED grow panels vs. HPS debate would be an easy one.


Because LEDs use only a fraction of the energy required by high-pressure sodium bulbs, they can be much more cost effective in the long run. It is also important to keep life span in mind when choosing between LED grow lights vs. HPS. Although high-pressure sodium bulbs have a decent life span, they simply cannot compare to how long LEDs last. Cheaper energy bills and fewer replacements may make it easy to choose between LED grow lights vs. HPS. A final important factor to keep in mind when choosing between LED grow lights vs. HPS is the amount of heat put out by the bulbs.

If an individual is growing plants in a cool area such as a basement then high-pressure sodium bulbs may be the best choice. However, because of the heat put out by HPS bulbs, they can dry out or scorch plants. If a cool running light is important then the LED grow lights vs. HPS question is an easy one. A person choosing between LED grow lights vs. HPS should also keep in mind that it may be necessary to add some kind of ventilation to the area if they choose high-pressure sodium bulbs.

To learn more about a LED Grow Lights vs. HPS, please visit http://www.growlightsupply.com

The Benefits of Raised Garden Beds

Building raised garden beds is a great way for new gardeners to get their fingers green for the first time. Easier to manage than traditional beds, raised beds allow you to carry out all of your gardening from the safety of the lawn, or garden path - without having to worry about compressing the soil of your flowerbed underfoot. This can compact the earth around your plants' roots, reducing their contact with the air they need in order to grow.

The earth used in a raised garden bed should be a mixture of soil and compost, removing the complication of 'bad dirt' from your gardening - a problem which faces many gardeners in urban areas. Water drainage is more effective with raised bed gardening, which again, allows plants to breathe easier.

In some areas of the world, such as South America, where the soil saturation is extremely high, raised bed gardening is often the only way you can grow many types of plants.

Plants can be placed closer together, thanks to the improved drainage and aeration raised garden beds can offer, which allows for a greater population of sprouts (and reduced weed growth) in a smaller area. Studies have shown that elevated garden beds can yield between 1.4 and 2 times as many flowers or vegetables as traditional beds.

Resist the urge to overcrowd your seeds, however. Although in a raised garden bed you don't need to allow for places to step while gardening, concentrating too many seeds in a small area will harm your plants' growth.

Apart from the obvious advantage of bringing your garden to you, and reducing the need to bend down when planting, weeding and harvesting, raised garden beds let you manage your sprouts' water, fertiliser and compost more effectively. Nutrition can be directed where necessary, and varied from bed to bed.

Before I began gardening in raised beds, I would suffer terrible bad backs the following day, as a result of bending over a bush for hours on end. Since I built my elevated beds my back hasn't given me any trouble at all.

A carefully designed and well-kept raised planter can perk up even the most drab garden. Raised beds can be made into a shape of your choosing, making them decorative as well as highly functional alternatives to traditional bed gardening. Whether you're a master planter, or a green-fingered green-horn, raised garden beds make a wonderful addition to your garden or allotment.

Gardening can have a lot of benefits for your health and is a great pastime. If you are interested in finding out more about raised garden beds then why not visit http://www.thegardeningwebsite.co.uk?

Slugs in the Home Vegetable Garden

When I say slugs in the home vegetable garden I am not talking about the crabby old man around the corner that constantly wants your fresh fruits and veggies. I am talking about that annoying shell lacking gastropod mollusk that wreaks havoc on the plants you are growing.

Slugs will eat just about everything you grow in the garden and the carnage they leave behind to look at isn't pretty. Who would think something so small could be so bad right? Well they are.

Slugs thrive in areas where there is plenty of moisture. Some common areas would be in gardens that have plenty of mulch or under potted plants that get regular waterings and areas of the garden that have become overgrown.

Predators to slugs make for great slug control however for many home vegetable gardeners attracting such predators may be too time consuming or near impossible. If you are lucky enough to attract some toads then you are business, but for me, in the suburbs, it doesn't work out too well.

If obtaining some predators is not a viable option then one method that has worked well for many is putting out a tin pan filled with beer. Yeah I know, such a waste of a good drink, but this method truly works. It attracts the slugs and they eventually drown in it.

Another method that works great that I picked up from my grandfather many years ago was pouring salt on them. Since slugs need moisture, the salt dries them out, killing them. This method works well when you can get right at them and pour the salt directly. It doesn't work so well when you blindly dump salt in areas that may or may not have slugs.

Along with beer traps and salt, diatomaceous earth, crushed egg shells, coffee grounds and copper also make for great slug deterrents.

As one friend of mine said previously, `if you have a vegetable garden, you have slugs`. This statement rings true. If you don't have slugs consider yourself lucky or your vegetable garden underwatered, but that's a topic for a whole other conversation.

Some facts about slugs you may not have known and that is some slugs are predators and will eat other slugs, they do a great job of "cleaning" the environment by eating dead leaves and the majority of slugs are absolutely harmless to humans.

Also, Frogs, toads, snakes, hedgehogs, Salamanders, eastern box turtles, rats, Caecilians and also some birds and beetles are slug predators. So if you have a few of these around, your home vegetable garden will be in good shape.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the owner of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC, the exclusive home for the Seeds of the Month Club, which has appeared on NBC, ABC and MSN Money as a great way for consumers to save money.