grow lights: Please help!

While I have my houseplants indoors for the winter, I keep them under grow lights, mostly from incandescent fixtures. I've bought different kinds of bulbs in the past, the most recent one being GE's Reveal, brand light. It says it has an 'enhanced spectrum', but it just seems to me that they colored it slightly purple and that's it. So, I bring my question before the indoor growing experts. What kind of grow lights do you use? Do you buy special bulbs? If so, what kind and from where? Do you use flourescent only? If you use an incandescent fixture, what type of bulb do you use?

Thanks in advance,
Harper

Please! Does anyone want to help me?

Hey Harper,

I use fluorescent bulbs but don't go for anything special. I buy the cheapest fixtures (shoplights for less than $8) and then buy middle of the road tubes (cool white or warm white). I usually buy the bulk packages (10 tubes for around $20). I have over 60 fixtures so far and run the lights from 8AM until 11PM though last year I ran them for 12 hours only. I have not seen any benefit of special grow lights (other than making the manufacturers richer) but then I move everything outdoors for summer where they get the best light possible.

I am swapping out incandescent bulbs as they burn out with the fluorescent bulbs because they use less power, last a lot longer, and don't produce a lot of heat. They do cost more initially and take a few seconds to come up to full brightness and some fixtures' domes are too shallow to allow fluorescent bulbs.

GE Reveal bulbs do have a hue about them that are supposed to imitate natural light but they burn out as fast if not faster than normal bulbs. Are they worth the extra cost? I tried them but don't think I would buy them anymore.

Here is a couple of shelves in one of my rooms in the basement.

I use *a lot* of lights during the winter....and I simply buy the compact fluorescents.
They're reasonably priced as opposed to so-called 'plant-lights', and they work!
Plus...they use very little energy.

Granted, there are a few plants that seem to demand *real*, natural light...but these fluorescents get most of my plants through the winter.

(Typed at the same time, there, hcmcdole!)

This message was edited Nov 9, 2006 11:21 AM

I use fluorescents, too, Harper. And like hcmcdole, I just get the cheap ol' shop lights and put a warm bulb on one side and a cool bulb on the other. I only have 4 light setups (need at least that many more...lol), so I just buy the bulbs in packages of 2, but still find it cheaper to do that way. I have a dark house, so I use the lights in the summer and winter for houseplants. I adjust the timer every so often so that their light schedule matches somewhat with the sunlight outside. They get more light in the summer. Right now, they're probably getting about 13 or so hours of light. The flowering plants should be pretty close to the lights (which you can't do with incandescent because they'd get burnt) while the foilage plants can be a little farther.

Good luck!
Cheryl

Thank you Hcmcdole! Thank you Nan! Thank you Cheryl! I am so grateful for your responses. I plan on building some shelving units and installing workshop lights in my basement, but for now, all my houseplants are scattered around the house. I can't attach workshop light fixtures on my walls or ceiling, so I especially wanted to know about the incandescent fixtures and I am so happy to hear that I can just put a flourescent bulb in the incandescent fixture. I have track lighting in each room of my house positioned to shine on the plants near the windows. That way, they're also getting light from the windows. Here's a pic of the plants around my desk. Out of view, on the ceiling, is the row of track lights.

Harper

if all your plants are in one area you could go with a HID light 150 to 250 MH or HPS on a timer or even bigger wattage depending how much you want to add to your electric bill.
Or go with the newer compact floressent lights .,. you just need to watch the spectrum of the lights used ..
watch out for one called FLUOREX (found on ebay alot) it is nothing more then a outside light to light your
yard or driveway .. I have heard both good and bad on this light. ( you get what you pay for ). they can
also be found in lowes and HD .. american lighting company makes them if i can remember correctly.

for a great compact light it is costly .. 125 to 180 bucks for a Hydrofarm unit, one of there lights puts out
10,000 - 12,000 lumans for a 3 foot x 3 foot area.


for seedlings i just use the cheep shop floressent lights with a warm and cool bulb in them or
a daylight bulb (6500K color temp)


cool (blue) 4200K and warm (orange) colors 2200-2700K in the spectrum enhance chlorophyll activity and food production. Cool light is most pronounced during the summer months when the sun is highest in the sky. It is responsible for keeping plants growth compact and shapely. Warm light, such as when the sun is lower in the sky during the fall harvest months, is responsible for triggering reproduction in plants in the form of flowers and fruits.

VbSparky, Thanks! Now, that's serious stuff! What brilliant info. Thanks for your help!

Harper

I think your office needs a sky light

hehehehehhe

nice jungle btw

Oh, don't even start with me Gaia! You're telling me I need a skylight! I've already mapped out every room in the house exactly where a skylight needs to be installed... in my dreams, LOL!! It's torture just mentioning the word in front of me...

I need a new roof soon. Maybe I should get an estimate with skylights? ...drool... drool...