What kind of light bulbs work best?
1) You can use any kind of light bulb, but not all light bulbs provide the specific light spectrum that plants need to grow.
2) Halogen lights provide bright light but also gives off excessive heat which can burn plants
3) Incandescent light bulbs in lamps give off too much heat for the small amount of light it provides.
4) LED lights use less energy and stay cooler than the other two light bulbs and comes in full spectrum light or isolated blue or red color range.
5) Florescent T-5 light bulbs cost about 10 dollars, energy efficient, full light spectrum, stay cool.** Choose LED or Florescent light bulbs for effective, affordable grow lights**
How long do you keep grow lights on?
1) Vegetable plants need 12-14 hours of light per day during establishing period
2) Use a timer or control manually
How far away do you keep plants from florescent light bulb like THIS ONE?
1) 2-4"-inches from plant top
2) As plants grow, lift lights up using pulley
3) If lights too far up, plants grow spindly instead of full and leafy
Why use grow lights?
1) Start seedlings indoors during winter
2) Grow plants that are out of season
3) Grow plants in dark rooms like garage or basement
How do grow lights work?
1) Provide "imitation daytime sunlight" for plants indoors so you can grow year-round
2) Natural sunlight provides a full spectrum of color needed to grow plants from infrared to ultraviolet
3) Some grow light bulbs provide the full color range or concentrate on one color: blue light best for starting seeds and foliage, red color best for growing flowers and fruit.
Get more from Shirley at FoodieGardener.com
Find out more about lighting at HydroFarm.com
