How it all began

Back in 2007 Hydro Grow was nothing more than a hydroponics equipment manufacturer. Due to customer requests at the time, we began researching LED lighting technology, and quickly realized there were no products available that lived up to their claims. It was at this time that we decided to create our own LED Grow Lights, which we spent the next two years perfecting. Our design process was much more complex than most, as we sought to eliminate all of the inefficiencies surrounding LED Grow Lights. After much deliberation, countless phone calls, and multiple mathematical comparisons, we chose 1W High Power LED's for our products, as they are the most efficient of any LED light source in terms of lumens or micromoles per watt. We then chose the highest quality and highest output LED's we could find for each nm we would use, and began our testing.
 

Beta Testing Ground Zero - 90W UFO

The most popular model of LED Grow Light when we began our design process was the 90W UFO. Our first product was centered around this design in mid 2008, creating the world's first 5 band LED Grow Light. The UFO consisted of 2 blues, 2 reds, and 1 orange, and implemented a 120 degree wide angle lens for light dispersion, much like 90% of the LED lights currently on the market. Our testing was dismal with this product, even though we spent over 6 solid months doing research prior to developing it. One of the major flaws we noticed with this product within the first minute of turning it on, was that a sizeable portion of the light emitted was not going anywhere near the plants due to the 120 degree lens, meaning it was essentially wasted. It also caused stunting to clones and seedlings, although this effect only lasted the first two weeks. Needless to say we were very disappointed that our first concept was unable to compete with a 150W HPS, so we went back to the drawing board to try again.
 

Beta Testing Part II - 120W Rectangle

Our second test product was built on a rectangular panel because they are much more practical for indoor gardens vs the UFO, since indoor gardens are normally in square or rectangular rooms. Our 120W "beta" light was finished and ready for testing roughly 8 months after our first UFO, and the test results blew us away. Prior to developing this light we devoted another 6 months to research, focusing more in-depth on photosynthesis, light intensity, and light/dark photo-cycles. During our research we discovered that the use of orange was very inefficient for photosynthesis, which contradicted other less qualified research we had read previously, so we discontinued its use. We also learned that plants do absorb small portions of light between their photosynthesis peaks, so we added white to our spectral output to fill in these gaps. Lastly we found that the use of far-red light could extend photoperiods into the night cycle during bloom, speed up the rate of photosynthesis, and provide other benefits to plants like cell regeneration and repair, so it was added to our product. To fix the light dispersion problem we experienced with our UFO, we had custom 60 degree lenses manufactured for this light, to ensure all light was aimed downwards towards the plants where it's needed. The use of these lenses drastically reduced the coverage area of our 120W light vs our 90W UFO, so we knew our design work wasn't yet complete. During our side-by-side testing with this light against a 150W HPS, we grew lettuce and tomatoes at over 3x the rate of the HPS, while using substantially less power.
 

1st Generation - 126W Penetrator

Our 1st Generation LED Grow Lights solved all the problems. The 126W Penetrator was the first model we made available to the public for purchase, as we finally had a product that was powerful enough to sell after nearly 2 years of development. In our own grow tests, this light outperformed a 400W Metal Halide when growing tomatoes hydroponically. It remains undefeated to this day after numerous side-by-side, independent grow tests against other LED Grow Lights! This model utilized our Patent Pending 60 degree lens, which increases light intensity by 4x compared to 120 degree wide-angle lenses. This lens enables full penetration through the leaves of your plants, ensuring the highest possible light absorption rate. Our lights also have less fade over distance vs any other LED Grow Light because of this lens, which is why they were named the "Penetrator". To solve the coverage area problem we faced with our 120W Beta Light, we developed our patent pending clusters of 21 LED's ,dubbed "Light Engines" , and spread them out on larger panels. Our 126W measures 19" x 12.5", which is the same sized panel used by most of our competitors for their 300W to 600W grow lights! Our design allows you to use multiple panels over larger areas, so you have a more even spread of light intensity throughout your canopy. This gives you better results and a larger coverage area than any single-point light source ever could! Because we space our LED's out and use larger boards, our thermal (cooling) efficiency is also greatly increased. Our lights run cool to the touch, ensuring the highest possible light output and lifespan from our LED's, as those factors are directly related to operating temperature. Based on the performance and functionality of the 126W, we created a 63W and 318W version for retail.
 

2nd Generation - 205W & 345W Penetrator

Our 2nd Generation panels were developed to accomplish two primary goals when compared against our 1st Generation panels: grow tighter nodes with less stretching in bloom, and reduce the overall flowering time. We accomplished these goals by changing our spectral ratios from 70% Red, 10% Blue, and 20% White with our 1st Generation lights, to 85% Red, 10% Blue, and 5% White with our 2nd Generation lights. Independent grow tests have proven time and time again that our 2nd Generation Penetrators will match or outperform HID Grow Lights, while using 65% or less watts! With the release of our 2nd Generation LED Grow Lights, we made two brand new products available to the world: the 205W and 345W. These square panels were engineered by our company, and are not available anywhere else in the world. We discontinued the 318W with the release of our 2nd Generation line, replacing it with the 345W Penetrator. The 345W Penetrator turned out to be so strong that it matched the micromole output of the sun at Earth's surface, when using it within 6" of your canopy! Now you can grow your plants with the power of the sun indoors!
 

Going Vertical - 504W & 756W Penetrator

Our vertical panel is proof that we are the market leader when it comes to the pioneering and development of LED lighting technology. Just like our 205W/345W lights, this panel can be purchased from no other company in the world! It was developed based on the requests of growers from around the globe, who wanted a more versatile LED lighting system. We spent over 4 months of engineering to develop this light, which made it's debut in June 2010. It is the World's first and ONLY Vertical LED Grow Light. It uses 6 vertical faces of LED's arranged in a hexagonal pattern, to emit light at 360 degrees like a HID bulb. There are two different power configurations offered, one at 504W's of LED, and the other at 756W's of LED. Both models feature upgraded power supplies, which were necessary due to the design of this product. Both lights also feature incredibly large heat sinks to ensure optimal thermal management for the LED's. Needless to say we thought of everything when it came to the development of this product, so you can operate it worry free in your grow room for years to come. Now the efficiency and high yields of vertical gardening are finally available with LED!
 

Future Development

At Hydro Grow we do more development and testing than any other company, and the development never stops. We are always working behind the scenes to make our lights one step better, and to ensure that they remain the #1 Performing LED Grow Light in the world. Our advancements have put our products leaps and bounds ahead of our competitors, and we're the only company divulging our entire product development process to you, the consumer! We are currently working with an accredited University, an array of independent gardeners, and several hydroponics stores, to further the development of our products. We are also designing the next greatest panel to again revolutionize the way people grow with LED, and answer the requests of our customers.   We hope you check back frequently to find out what's in store next!