This is probably common knowledge to most reading this forum but for the benefit of those that don’t know or are new to this. I thought that it may be worth noting here that standard Fluorescent tubes emit most of there light in the Blue, indigo and violet end of the spectrum and very little in the red end the spectrum. What does this mean??
Sunlight is much more evenly balanced than artificial light. Pure white light is not one single colour, it is in fact a combination of many colours, but usually termed as consisting as seven colours in this order.
Red, orange, yellow, Green, Blue, indigo and violet.
Sunlight is ideally what is to be targeted for artificial lighting. A mixture of standard Fluorescent and incandescent (normal bulbs) is a better mixture as the incandescent bulbs will supply the Red, Orange and Yellow end of the spectrum while the fluorescent will supply the blue, indigo and violet.
Other methods of artificial lighting can be achieved with metal halide lighting, As used by sports centres and Drug Producer’s. These are fantastic for artificial lighting as the light that they emit is closest to that of natural sunlight, out of all the lighting types described here. There are a few large downsides to metal lights. Safety, I would never recommend installing these Metal lights unless you happen to be an experienced qualified electrician. Electrical wiring of these lights can be tricky when they are to be switched automatically, due to the large amounts of power that they consume. Also they generate a hell of a lot of heat, which must be regulated for good plant growth. They do tend to consume sewage tankers of power, so unless your surname is Packer or Murdoch I wouldn’t consider these a practical option for the home ethno gardener.
A compromise comes in the form of a fluorescent tube that cost a little more than your standard tube but has better light emission characteristics. It is called a Gro-lux tube. It running costs are the same as a normal tube but it is far better for plant growth. These tubes are also used for fish aquariums.
I have had many good experiences by using these tubes . These tubes can be obtained from most wholesale electrical distributors, Aquarium or Hydro shops.
My 2c
AD
