Grow Lights
Depending on the time of year you start your plants, you may decide you need to use grow lights to keep them growing or to start seeds. Your choice of grow lights will vary due to size, temperature emitted, and natural light that is emitted.

Posted Thursday, April 13, 2006

Indoor gardeners starting seeds and plants become very dependent on grow lights in the winter. With a grow light you will get up to 10X more lumens per light per bulb than if you were using incandescent bulbs. Grow lights provide your plants with not only the needed heat but also the light to thrive in the greenhouse.

Hobby gardeners as well as commercial gardeners use grow light in their greenhouses. Depending on the climate and grow zone you live in; you may not have a need for grow lights. In the coldest and darkest regions of the country, though, they become a necessity.

Many grow lights come in a regular three prong format where you will not need to install any special electrical outlets. To get the most from a grow light you will use reflectors to keep the light focused in the areas you want.

Plants need light to make their own food. In the darkest and sunless times of winter when you are trying to start plants and seeds, you will need a grow light for the photosynthesis process. To choose the proper grow light you will need to review how long you are going to burn the grow light. Plants feed off of the color of a light as well as the heat from a bulb, what kinds of colors do your plants desire? And lastly, what is the needed intensity of the grow light? This is similar to buying a bulb for your home; there are different strengths of grow lights that you can buy. If you were to buy the hottest and to place the grow light too close to your plants you could destroy them.