Lighting dilema - need some experienced advice

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slothkomo Philadelphia, PA Oct 15, 2015

Our patio has become a beautiful space of lush local plants and tropicals. We live in zone 7 and we have cold winters. We have to bring everything inside asap. Last year we brought everything inside the house but lost many plants due to lack of sun and possibly humidity due to radiator heaters. We bought a humidifier to help with that issue this coming winter. What we need help with is picking a lighting set up that we can use overnight to give the plants the light they need. Our house was built in 1950 and our windows are small and positioned in a way that doesn't allow enough light to enter where the plants will be placed. We don't want lights that we have to mount on the walls or make our living space look awful. We want enough light power to just keep them alive, not to continue to grow. Here are some of the plants we have if it helps you understand what kind of lighting set up we need. Hibiscus bushes, Plumerias, Fig tree, gardenia, jasmine, clematis, bougainvillea, mandevilla, banana trees and pepper plants. Please recommend cost effective lighting options. Thanks for reading and your time.

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gasrocks Portage, WI(Zone 5a) Oct 15, 2015

I have about 1800 house plants in my house right now. Just one small south window, no basement, no green house. I use T5 HO light fixtures with 6500K bulbs in them. Very efficient. They do not put out a lot of heat which is a good thing. The initial cost of the fixtures is not cheap but they last a long time and do the job. One winter I had a fresh citrus fruit to eat about twice a week. One time I grew lettuce even. I have the light fixtures on wire shelving and they look fine. Even helps my health having all that "sunshine" around. Gene

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momlady Camano Island, WA(Zone 8a) Oct 16, 2015

gasrocks, that would be fluorescent lighting? Since you can actually grow citrus, it sounds perfect for what slothkomo needs, given that their plants want lots of light.

Have you ever investigated LED? I haven't used them much for plants, but have a couple. The neatest thing is that they turn on instantly and silently. What are your thoughts on them?

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gasrocks Portage, WI(Zone 5a) Oct 16, 2015

Current LED lights just are not bright enough and initially cost a lot. Over the years I have tried lots of different types of lights and T5 HO is the way to go. Gene

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rosewynd Anza, CA(Zone 8b) Jan 02, 2016

Gasrocks, thanks for the info on the LED lights - I just heard about them and was curious. I'll spend my $ on plants instead.

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