What Is the Difference Between Lights & Grow Lights?
Incandescent bulbs, fluorescent tubes and metal halide tubes can all be used to grow plants indoors. However, the quality of the light will vary, depending on which light source you use. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
-
Light Quality
-
Light is made up of different colors. Plants need red and blue wavelengths in order to grow. Light bulbs that provide red and blue wavelengths are labeled "natural," "full spectrum" or "balanced."
Incandescent
-
Incandescent bulbs that aren't labeled "full spectrum" or "natural" emit mostly red light. Red light stimulates flowering, but plants become spindly when grown only under red light.
-
Fluorescent
-
Fluorescent lights emit two to three times more light than incandescent bulbs. The phosphor coating inside the bulb determines the color of the light. Most fluorescent bulbs are cool white bulbs that emit mostly blue light. Blue light controls plant growth and is good for growing foliage, but plants grown only under blue lights tend to be stocky or stunted. Full-spectrum fluorescent bulbs make good grow lights because they emit both red and blue light and reproduce most of the sun's spectrum.
Metal Halide
-
Serious gardeners, including commercial greenhouses, use metal halide lights. These lights emit a white light that is closer to natural sunlight than the light produced by incandescent or fluorescent bulbs. Plants grown under metal halide lights look almost identical to plants grown outdoors.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Ryan McVay/Lifesize/Getty Images
