Grow Lights for Growing Plants Indoors    by Janet Hall

Plants need light to grow. In countries where sunlight is scarce in the long winter months or where there is no outdoor space for a garden you can reproduce good growing conditions with an artificial light source such as a Grow Light inside a Grow Tent or Grow Cabinet.
Grow lights are a good alternative to sunlight when you want to grow plants indoors. Here’s a summary of the most economical types of lights available and the ways they are most commonly used.

Before buying a grow light you should work out the optimal light intensity and the type of light you need for the variety of plants you intend to grow. Vegetables, for example, grow well under standard fluorescent lights and these are also great for getting seedlings to germinate quickly. Vegetables like lots of sunlight, so the artificial light source should be able to mimic the outdoor intensity. On the other hand shade-loving plants will grow with less sunlight so a normal incandescent light will usually work well.

Why you need a reflective surface
Grow Tents come with reflective material on the inside. This shiny surface intensifies the light to give your plants maximum light exposure. White paint can also be used where there is a wider area and stronger light.

To get the maximum benefit from your setup you should move the plants close to the light source. Grow tents come in different sizes but they are generally tall enough to accommodate plants and wide enough to allow comfortable access for the gardener. You will need to adjust the height of the plant table or lower the light to make sure the plants are at the exact right distance from the light. Distance can vary between 60cm and 100cm so you will need to experiment with your plants and the type of lights you are using.

Plants need a good night’s sleep
Just as you need to sleep at night plants also like to have ‘lights out’ for set periods. You will need to time your lights to switch on and off at set intervals. But as with humans, plants vary according to the amount of ’sleep’ they need. Some plants like long days and short nights while others grow happily with longer periods of darkness.

Types of grow lights now available
Economical lights suitable for home growing systems include:
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