I use regular cheap 40 watt flourescent bulbs from Wal-Mart. Last year I tried some of the grow light flourescents and didn't notice a difference except the grow bulbs were much more expensive. Of course I don't grow my peepers to maturity using these lights but only until they are ready to go outside.

John

I also use a regular (cheap) flourescent light fixture from Wal-Mart. I did replace the cool white bulbs that came with it with two 'Kitchen and Bath' flourescent bulbs just because I wanted a different hue of light. My plants do just fine with this setup.

Alan

You can get pretty much the same spectrum as a fluorescent "grow light" by mixing warm white and cool white lamps of equal wattage.

Same spectrum, less money.

Plants, whether aquatic or terrestrial, utilize red and blue light from the sun. Bulbs marked "grow light", "soft white", etc, do not necessarily meet the natural daylight requirements of plants. Best to get bulbs that approximate natural daylight.

Technically speaking, bulbs in the 5000 Kelvin (K) to 6500K color temp range are labeled as "Sunshine", or "Daylight." The GE sunshine bulbs run 5000K and can be picked up at most home and garden centers for cheap. Bulbs in the 5000K range can give off a yellow-ish/green-ish glow. Aesthetically speaking, bulbs in the 6500k range give off a more pleasing blue-ish glow. Just check for the "Daylight" designation or check the Kelvin rating on the bulbs.

There are other technical considerations when selecting plant bulbs, but color temperature is a good place to start. Hope that helps!

Here is a link that might be useful: Kelvin Color Temperatures

The bulbs i got are 4100k. Is that ok or do i need to take them back?

4100k bulbs are considered "cool white." They do not approximate natural daylight. Cool white bulbs are high in green light, which will reflect back a beautiful green hue on plants, but are lacking in the much needed red and blue spectrums. If you can take them back and get "daylight" bulbs, your plants will be much better served (Watt per Watt of lighting).

John,

Do you use cool white bulbs or natural daylight bulbs? Just curious.

Chris

Chris

I use the cheapest bulbs at Wal-Mart which seem to be cool white. These have worked fine for me for years as I only use them to grow the seedlings indoors until I put them outside.

John

first thing you have to ask is 1.are you going to be using the light to suppliment other light i.e. (sunlgiht from a window)? or 2.are you planning on utilizing this light to actually "GROW" your plants? if its the later then you're gonna need to do a lil research and choose whats best for you and your plants. for example i use a 175watt metal halide and a 200watt HPS for my peppers, but these are in hydro systems and are all grown indoors. However, if you are mearly asking about a "seedling light" or a light to suppliment natural sunlight then a few flo's would work just fine.

I rememer a post a couple of years ago that said cool white promoted leaf growth and warm promoted flowering (or was it the other way around?). Anyone remember what it was?

I just put up my 20 watt flourscent. I think I should change to 40. jimcanada, I'd be interested to find out myself. Maybe I'll do a search now.

jimcanada, here ya go.

Color Choices

Fluorescent tubes vary in the color of light they produce.

Plants don't need every color in sunlight to grow and flower. For instance, the fact that plants are green means they are reflecting and not using most of the green wavelengths in light. Plants mostly use wavelengths at the two ends of the visible spectrum: the blue end for foliage growth and the red end for flowering.

The earliest fluorescent tubes are now called cool white. These produce an abundance of light in the blue range, but insufficient red light. The so-called warm white tubes complement them by producing more red light.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cool White vs Warm

I guess my seedlings have never learned to read. I have used Cool White lights for over 20 years, starting veg. and flower seeds, even sweet corn in peet pots with great results. they are kept under lights until time to be put out in the garden. As far as perm. growing I can't say, That may be a horse of a different color.

Thanks naturalstuff. I've been using cool and warm lights together in a fixture with good results. My pepper plants grow and flower quite easily with that, tho I have never allowed them to set fruit since I am putting them out.

For what it's worth I use 2 cool whites for seedlings. After transplanting I use 1 cool white and 1 Sylvania Gro-Lux in each of my 4-ft shoplights. And I have 3 42-watt CFL's (compact flourescents) hitting the plants from 3 of the corners from the sides. I've gotten great vegetative growth using this set-up and my first little tomato is on the vine.

About a year ago I read alot on the "Growing with lights" (or under lights?) forum. The advice there seemed to be Cool Whites for vegetative growth and Warm Whites for flowering/fruiting. I've seen the same advice given elsewhere. That having been said, many of the people posting on that forum were using 1 Cool White and 1 Sylvania Gro-Lux. And they mentioned to stay away from the GE Plant & Aquarium light.

If someone can afford the intial cost and the high electric bill, HID would be the way to go. I can't right now so I'm experimenting with the shoplight/cfl method. Time will tell how effective it'll be for actually getting tomatoes and hot peppers.

While I experiment I also plan on trying to use a 120-watt Phillips Agro-lite. HD sells aluminum cylinder looking fixtures that can handle up to 300-watts. I'm going to hang it in my closet to see what results I get with it. I tried it last year but had it much too close to the tops of the plants. I walked in 20 minutes after turning it on and the top half of my Jalapeno plant was melted! So it'll need to be hung high above the plants. I'm thinking I may end up with tall spindly plants. If that experiment doesn't work I'll use a 42-watt CFL hanging in that cylinder fixture above the plants with another CFL hitting from the sides. It's all trial and error for me. One of these days I'll find the best method for growing indoors without an HID.

Jeff

snip
If someone can afford the intial cost and the high electric bill, HID would be the way to go.
snip

This is a common misconception.......

Initial cost of HID is higher, electric operating costs for HID are lower than any other light source.

I used 2 1000-watt Metal Halide lighting systems for a few months back in 1997. My electric bill went from an average of $38/month to over $120/month. The 4-ft shoplights and 3 CFL's have hardly increased my bill at all.

Jeff

evhthebest, the basic question I'd like to ask is what's the intent of the light you're looking to use?
If it's temporary light until your seedlings are set outdoors, fluorescents are the way to go. They offer the most bang for your buck.
HID fixtures and bulbs are pricey and HOT therefore they would not be practical or cost effective IMHO.

HID's (expensive) or Fluorex® (inexpensive) are better suited for long term growing of mature plants.

Paul B.

snip
I used 2 1000-watt Metal Halide lighting systems for a few months back in 1997. My electric bill went from an average of $38/month to over $120/month. The 4-ft shoplights and 3 CFL's have hardly increased my bill at all.
snip

That's because the HID used 2500 watts, the fluorescents used 200 or 300 watts. HID has the higher lumens/watt than fluorescent and HPS is the best of the HID's.

First of all If youre not serious about growing plants indoors then of course HID is not your answer. The wattage/lumens alone speaks for itself. If you want a medium between HID and Floros then PLEASE go with CFL's. get two of em around 105watts a piece then youll be fine. They are great for tightwads and beginers. LOL