Using Regular Fluorescent Lights To Grow Plants

A compact fluorescent light cfl bulb.

Using regular fluorescent lights to grow plants.

They can be used in reflectors sized to hold from one to eight bulbs in two to four foot reflecting fixtures. Standard indoor lights do little to influence photosynthesis while using fluorescent lighting placed closely to the top of the plants can help drive this important plant process. T5 fluorescent bulbs t for tubular 5 meaning they measure 5 8 inch in diameter are a common choice for growing plants indoors. But it s not quite so simple.

The commonly used kinds of regular led lights for growing plants are fluorescent and incandescent bulbs. Use a grow tent or white reflective material around your plants to steer light back to your plant. Any type of fluorescent light will help any type of plant grow whether it is cannabis or lettuce or orchids. As a very general rule of thumb plan for one cfl bulb per medium plant.

Cfls do generate some heat compared to leds but don t need to be actively cooled. The technology has improved but for the past 25 years a regular fluorescent light is all i have been using to start seeds and grow plants with great results. Also regular bulbs don t provide the full color spectrum that every plant needs during the entire growth. Best cfl grow light setup.

While you can use any type of tube or bulb and see results you want to provide the kind of light your plants want most. Use a basic light timer available at any home improvement store to run your grow light on a regular schedule. To provide light to a few plants on a shelf you may only need a two foot fixture with a single bulb. Even though they were still producing light they ended up being no better than a regular fluorescent bulb.

However since plants are only looking for heat and light and don t care about their carbon footprint fluorescent lights work just fine as grow lights. In fact before this recent trend of led grow lights for indoor gardening purposes fluorescent lights is what most people used for their soil free hydroponic gardening. Conventional fluorescent grow lights or shop lights and compact fluorescent bulbs should hang closer to the plant one to four inches away since they put off less heat but also less light. So why spend the extra money for plant lights when they just aren t necessary.

To grow vegetables or herbs indoors you may. This will improve plants yield to a large extent and offer better harvest. However they rarely support photosynthesis and if you keep them too close to the plants the heat will be damaging. Here are some tips for using cfl lights.

Newly emerged seedlings and young plants grow well with the aid of full spectrum light both blue wavelengths and red wavelengths. Using fluorescent garden lights to enhance plant growth allows you to grow a host of plants in an interior space. Regular lights are very easy to find cost less than the grow lights and may help your plants just a little bit. Special led and fluorescent grow lights will work but so will less expensive fluorescent tube bulbs.

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