Many indoor gardeners recommend metal halide lights above all others. The reason being
it's excellent spectral distribution. Metal halides emulate bright summer
sunlight and contain all the energy peaks at wavelengths of the visible
spectrum. To plants this means quality simulated sunlight and photosynthesis at
a level much higher than that which fluorescent lamps can achieve.
In addition, metal halides have good lumen maintenance and long
life expectancy. Having good lumen maintenance means that as a lamp ages, its
decline in lumen output is very gradual. After 12 months of use at 18 hours per
day, a 1000 watt metal halide lamp should be replaced as it is only about 85% as
bright as the day you bought it. Metal halide is the best bulb technology available
for achieving the highest level of plant and flower growth. They allow the
flexibility of multi-crop, multi-season indoor gardening.