In this article we are going to give you some tips on how to use your fluorescent grow lights more effectively for growing plants. If you are a new grower, there are quite a few pitfalls to avoid and we will discuss a few of them here. There are also many tips and tricks that you can use to help your plants grow better and have better yields. We will provide you with some very useful information if you are just starting out growing indoors with fluorescent grow lights.
Research the plants you are growing
Whether you just want to kick start you garden in the spring, or you are looking to grow all year round, there are many different kinds of grow lights that you can buy. These lights range from fluorescents, which we will discuss here, to LED lights which are high tech and very expensive. You must keep in mind that although fluorescent grow lights are the cheapest, they may not be the most effective for the types of plants you are growing. It is common for a new indoor gardener to buy fluorescent grow lights, when they actually should have gone with something a bit better, such as high pressure sodium. Usually they will still work ok, but probably not nearly as well as the correct type of grow lights would. This may be the single most important tip for indoor growing, and that is that you really need to research the plants you want to grow and find out what types of lights will work for them.
Know how much light to give your plants
There is a certain amount of light that your plants need to get when you are growing them. If you have too little, your plants may not grow in a healthy fashion, or they may not grow at all. Too much and you also risk them becoming unhealthy, or possibly burning them. A good rule of thumb is to use about 25 watts per each square foot of grow space that you have. This will usually be an adequate amount, however if u are also supplementing the fluorescent grow lights with some sunlight, then you probably don’t need quite that much. Also it never hurts to have more, since up to 50 watts per square foot will encourage more growth and will still be safe for your plants.
Be conscious of the heat generated
When starting your first indoor garden, you must be conscious of all the heat the lights will generate if the garden is of moderate size. Since you most likely won’t start off with a huge grow space, this may not be a problem. However, if you notice your grow room getting pretty hot, say higher than 85 degrees Fahrenheit, then you should definitely look into some ventilation options. Fans can work for small grow spaces, but for larger ones ventilation pipes and exhaust fans may be your only solution. If you are a new grower, try to keep your growing area 3’x 3’ or smaller so you won’t have to worry about ventilation much.
Put your lighting at the correct distance
The last important tip were going to talk about is the distance you should keep between your fluorescent grow lights and the plants. Keep in mind that when your lights get further away from your plants, the amount of light that reaches the plants decreases quickly. For example, if you move your grow lights away from your plants by one foot, they then will actually only get one fourth (1/4) of the light. The point we are trying to make is that the closer you put the lights to the plants the better, but touching is definitely not good. Touching plants with the fluorescent lights will burn them, and your yields will suffer because of this.
We hope these tips can aide any new indoor growers with their first time. You may find it a bit difficult, but if you follow the tips here and on the rest of this site, then you should be fine. Just remember that fluorescent grow lights should be fine for whatever plant you are growing, but research it first. You can always find the information you need to answer your indoor growing questions at this site and many others. Just come back to fluorescentgrowlights.net if you have any issues with your indoor growing or fluorescent lighting.