pattirose,

A good guide is to go with what greenhouse growers use. It's not a rule but a guideline that gives parameters concerning the amount (intensity x numbers of hours) of light plants get.

For veggies such as tomatoes, peppers, etc., plants need about 40,000 Foot-candle hours per day. That can be 2,000 FC for 20 hours, 3,000 foot candles for ~ 13 hours, 4,000 FC for 10 hours.

I have yet to prove this, but I think the problem with fluros, especially the plain tube type, is they do not have much penetration. They can deliver 2,000 FC at the top of the plant but toward the middle of a 4 foot mater, you will only get 500 FC. You could place a few bulbs vertically to help overcome this, or look into something like a High Pressure Sodium or Metal Halide light.

This winter/spring, I hope to try to grow tomatoes indoors using only artificial light and hopefully will have some life-experiences to share regarding the results.

Mike

Thanks for explaining that Mike, it makes things alot clearer - appreciate it.

I've been light hunting all week with little luck. Today I finally found a couple fluorescent tube fixtures, I think they were T5s (I lost the paper I wrote the specs on) one was 27" and 17 watts the other was labeled "grow light" and was a little shorter (24" I believe and only 15 watts) but it was almost twice the price. I am better off with the 17 watt right? I am also going to pick up a octopus floor lamp and put 3 CFL (23 watt) bulbs in it.

I could use a floodlight with a clamp which to me sounds easier. I would like to do this cheaply and easily. The energy efficiency doesn't matter too much as I don't pay electric here.

Like this?:

These clamp on reflectors cost about $8 each. I can buy 26 watt Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs (Lights of America) at Walmart for $1 each.

I haven't seen those anywhere, but I would love to have a few, especially at that price! Someone posted a link somewhere else for one of them and I think they were $12.00 plus shipping.
THANK-YOU for posting that picture, I am going to print it off and take it with me to show at the stores as no one seems to have a clue what I'm talking about and it's so frustrating.

pattirose,

Your lights should work good for seedlings but unless you get a lot of bulbs, it will be a real challenge growing mature plants that will set and develop fruit.

Mike

If the combination will most likely only work for seedlings until I can get them outside on the balcony in the spring I'll be happy and it will be money well spent, plus the extra light they'll throw at my orchids may help them bloom too.

I was wrong about the size of those fluorescent lights, the "grow light" is 15 watts and a T5 and $20. the other is a T8 18 watt for $12. Do I go with the cheaper T8?

I would love to have a few, especially at that price!

I bought mine at either Menards or Home Depot and I think they are called "work lights."

If i can find a couple of those "work lights" I will definitely pick them up, thank you!

I've done more reading, I went to the pepper site someone recommended and to an orchid site and a few hydroponic lighting sites and there is so much information and so many choices.
I was looking at one of those "octopus" light stands at Home Depot the other day and it had 3 light sockets and the box said don't use higher than a 60 watt bulb (incandescent) Do I have to get the equivalant CFL bulbs for it or can I go higher? Could I get 3 - 27 watt CFL or even 3 - 65 watt CFL bulbs? Could I go even higher? Would that be a fire hazard? Would it blow a fuse? Would it even work?

Do I have to get the equivalant CFL bulbs for it or can I go higher?

Only the input wattage is of concern for your fixture wattage limit, but, the price per watt for CFL bulbs tends to go up sharply after 26 watts. Yes, more than 60 watts per socket in the fixture might be a fire hazard. I doubt that the fixture has a fuse and it probably won't blow your house fuse.

Does that mean if a fixture says not to use a bulb higher than 60 watts in the socket it doesn't matter if it's a 60 watt incandescent or a 60 watt CFL? A watt is still a watt and it doesn't matter whether it's CFL or incandescent? I could put in 3 - 27 watt CFL bulbs, one in each socket? Or even use one of those Y splitter things to put 2 in each socket?
http://www.lightbulbemporium.com/satco_90_1121_90_1121.asp

Or even hook one of these things up? Scroll down to see hand drawn diagram:
http://www.rollitup.org/cfl-growing/292122-how-wire-cfls.html

I am so sorry for all these dumb questions but I really don't know anything about lighting and am trying to figure this out.

pattirose,

It's the watts that count, not the "equivalent" wattage. I have a 105 watt CFL in one of those dome-type reflectors. Not always, but in many instances, the fire hazard is not about so much as the number of watts but the heat a bulb will generate.

Mike

YAY!!! Now I think I finally understand enough to go back to the big box stores and get started. Thank you so much struwwelpeter and Mike - I can't thank you both enough for taking the time and patience to help me understand all this. I'm going to get a couple of those work lights(if I can't find them locally I will get them online) and the 3 socket floor lamp and pass on the tubes.

I found everything I wanted. It was alot easier going back to Home Depot and a Hydroponic store when I had a little knowledge and photos, especially photos, big help.

I ended up passing on the floor lamp, and I got 2 - T5s - 2100 lumens each and they clip into one another so I can add 4 more if need be. Then today I made another trip to Home Depot and found the "work lights" I bought two along with two 42 watt CFLs. Then I bought a bunch of 23 watt CFLs at the dollar store last week, I put them in a couple old small lamps. I can already see a difference just after 3-4 days of running them 24 hours. My tomato seedings have true leaves, my red pepper seeding has new leaves, snow peas are up and my dill is growing like crazy! I have them all very close to the light, about 3" away, all in a little circle around each lamp for now. (I haven't got the other lights up yet as I have to get a shelving unit tommorrow)

I do have one more question though, the lady at the hydroponic store said I need to change these T5 - 6400 Kelvin full daylight (spring) to 2700 Kelvin (fall) tubes Are those are the red ones for flowering that I've seen mentioned here? Is this neccesary?