How to Grow Plants With Halogen Lights

When keeping outdoor plants inside for the winter, you need to provide the plants with an adequate light source that mimics natural light. Halogen bulbs are an inexpensive way to light your houseplants, but they should not be used for seedlings, since they do give off a high degree of heat. Halogen lamps emit light that falls in the red color spectrum, which is one of the best colors to promote plant growth.

Things You'll Need

• Pole lamp
• Clamp light (optional)
• Halogen bulbs
• Plants

Instructions

1. Bring your plants indoors when temperatures fall to 40 F. Find a clean, dry place to keep them. Avoid setting your plants up in rooms that will have a lot of dry heat during the winter, or in rooms that will become drafty. A well-insulated garage or basement can be a fitting choice for a winter grow room. This method is especially useful for overwintering tropical plants from year to year.

2. Sort your plants by their light requirements. Shade-growing plants need less light that full-sun plants, and combining them under your grow lights may harm your plants. Your low-light plants should be fine placed near a windowsill that gets indirect light, or you can construct two halogen grow stations, one for your low-light plants and one for your light-loving plants.

3. Purchase three halogen light bulbs for a pole lamp. Pole lamps work well as grow lamps because you can direct the light toward your plants without the light getting too close to them. Unlike other incandescent bulbs, halogen bulbs get hot. If left too close to plants, the heat will scorch your plants.

4. Plug the pole lamp in once you've installed the halogen bulbs. Turn the lamp on to make sure it works. If you don't have a pole lamp, a clamp light is an inexpensive alternative.

5. Place the pole lamp 12 to 18 inches from your plants. Turn the light on for eight to 12 hours at a time for low-light plants, preferably during natural daylight hours. Provide high-light plants with 14 to 18 hours of light. Your plants should thrive through the winter, as long as they also receive appropriate water and other care.

6. Break down your grow station when temperature are consistently over 40 F. Move your plants outside and store all grow station components for the next winter.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider purchasing a timer for your halogen grow lamp so that the light automatically goes on and off at the appropriate times.

• Watch your plants for signs of scorching. If you see browning on your plant leaves, move the pole lamp six inches further away from the plants.

References

• The Orchid House: Indoor Growing
• Gardeners: Gardening Under Lights