Lighting for "stadium" grow

[ChronicLiving]

I am currently working on designing a medical stadium grow and have some question about lighting. Currently we have are running in a traditional manner, i.e. all plants are grown at the same level. Overhead are 9 1000 watt HPS bulbs in parabolic reflectors. The current thought is to continue running the bulbs vertically without the reflectors. Would it not be more efficient and effective to run them horizontally due to light emitting from the sides and not the ends? The space we are using is roughly 20x20x8.

 

[Steviodaddio]

I would run them all vertically if you are able to and not anticipating running air cooled hoods.

Keep your main lights with the parabolic hoods above the plants for downward penetration so you don't lose the light above the plants and then hang vertical bulbs without hoods in between them. For the sake of an example if you have four plants with one hood per plant, place one vertical bulb in the center of the four plants if you have them in a square.