Ms. Eudora’s Garden Tool Blog

If your goal is to grow plants year round or only for a few weeks in spring to get a jumpstart on your garden, then you should consider the use of artificial lights.  With today’s technology you can be assured of your plants getting the high quality, high intensity and light duration that they need to do their best.  An ample supply of herbs, lettuces and tomatoes can be grown under these lights.

Natural sunlight has a variety of colors that range from red and yellow to violet to blue hues, the same colors that are found in your average rainbow.  Since some plants will require a different color of light, intensity and time spent under the light itself,  when selecting these types of lighting systems be sure and select a system that is best suited for your home.  Plants use all these different variations of color to grow and produce buds and fruit, although some will do better with more of a certain color of light.

Selecting the right type of bulb(s) that your plants will need is extremely important.  Wattage is determined by the bulb(s) that you buy which will determine how much intensity of light the plant will receives and the closeness to the light itself because  some colors of light have a different intensity.  Basically all this means is that your Tropical Plants and your houseplants such as Ivy and Philodendrons will not require a high intensity bulb as your flowering plant such as Orchids would, however if you are growing fruit producing vegetables, they will need a High Intensity light to bud, flower and produce fruit.

Whatever type of plant that you decide to grow inside, remember that they will need rest also because resting time and growing time affects their growth rates and the setting of their buds and fruit.  The majority of vegetables are known as what’s called Long Day Plants, meaning they will need at least 14 to 18 hours of light each day.  The wrong lighting or too much lighting will cause them to become long, pale and leggy with poor fruit production.  The type of bulb(s) and where you use them should depend on what types of plant you are growing.

Of the three types of Indoor Growing Lights Incandescent, Fluorescent and High Intensity Discharge Bulbs, each has its own benefit to the plants.  Incandescent bulbs are a good source of “red light” but don’t supply enough source of “blue light” and if the plants are place to close to the bulb, they can be burned.  Halogen bulbs become even hotter and will surely scorch and burn the foliage.

Fluorescent Bulbs will produce 3 x’s more light than incandescent bulbs and they are less expensive to use for indoor gardening.

The Cool White Bulbs are a good source for “blue and yellow light” however plants that are grown under them will probably be stunted.

Warm White Bulbs have an “orange and red” spectrum, both beneficial to the plants growth  If you decide to use a two bulb lighting fixture, to achieve a good color balance combine one cool white bulb and one  warm white bulb.

Full Spectrum Fluorescent Bulbs will give you light that are most similar to natural sunlight and will be the best for houseplants, herbs and other plants.

Whatever bulb you decide on remember that you will still need to rotate your plants weekly, replace your fluorescent bulbs when you notice the ends darkening, and clean your lights at least once a month.

To determine if your plants are to close to the light simply place your hand on the foliage where the light hits it and if your hand feels warm then your plants are to close.

Growing indoor plants or an indoor garden is not as hard as one would think.  Once you pick your spot in the house, choose your lighting then select your plants it won’t be long before you will be enjoying fresh herbs and vegetables all year around.

For more information on Indoor Growing Bulbs & Lighting go to www.gardens.com

[tags] Artificial Lighting for Plants]

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