A guide to LED grass grow lighting

11 Mins Read

November 12, 2025

Grass grow lighting is one of three, maybe four technologies that groundsmen around the world deem as essential to deliver a good quality and healthy grass or hybrid sports surface. Particularly in stadium environments. Various suppliers are marketing different approaches and technologies. What are the essential elements to consider?

By: Guy Oldenkotte

It all started in 2004 with an avid football fan who also happened to be a cultivator of roses who could accept the deplorable state of the pitch at the stadium of his favourite club. Knowing that it is possible to grow roses, plants and vegetables in greenhouses, where light is equally restricted as was the case at his favourite football club, he embarked on a quest to develop a solution that would introduce additional light to grass sports surfaces. The idea, and, ultimately, his product became very popular both with by grounds crews as well as architects and developers of sports venues as his solution made them realise that the design of the ultimate sports temple can now revolve around their “clients” over facilitating the “stage” for which people would come.

The HPS-lights with which it all started, are still being used, and are even preferred by some. The introduction of LED technology, first as a solution to light up the field, followed by a recognition of the advantage this technology offers to play around with different light colour and light intensity, opened completely new doors for the technology to expand on. And now, new materials and production processes even allow the rigs to which all technology is supposed to be fitted, to still be light weight as well as easy to manoeuvre or handle.

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