In order to figure out what light you should use for indoor gardening, you first have to determine how much light a plant requires. Most vegetables grow best in full sunlight, which means that you have to provide vegetables as much light as possible to grow them indoors. However, many foliage plants grow in shade so they require little light to grow indoors.
Do not forget that all plants require dark periods too. The length of dark and light periods will have an effect on the plant maturity. Studies have shown that both periods have effect on the growth of plants, and the requirement for light period changes from one plant to another.
When selecting a light for your indoor garden, do not forget to take the following aspects into consideration:
- Color temperature is the measure of color light source to a black body at a particular temperature. This temperature is measured in Kelvin. Incandescent light have low color temperature while natural daylight has a high color temperature.
- Color rendering index (CRI) is scale from 0 to 100 for a light source to indicate how colors are perceived under the source. The higher the CRI, the more accurately colors appear. Incandescent plant lights are used to highlight plant groupings and play very little role as growing light. However, you are now getting color corrected incandescent lights that are suitable for single plants like orchid or bonsai.
One of the best choices for using light for indoor gardening is the standard fluorescent. This light is excellent for starting seedlings or for growing leafy greens in cool weather. You can also use standard fluorescent for growing African violets, cacti, and kitchen herbs. You do not have to worry about the plants getting burned if they are too close to the light unlike incandescent light.
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- What Light Should I Use For Indoor Gardening ?