Interested in cultivating some seeds inside?

It’s a great and much cheaper way to get your garden going. Although there is some upfront cost in getting started, depending on your setup you can even grow plants all winter long. But one of the first things you need to consider is light. Not everyone has sunny south facing windows – and even if you do, you may not get enough sunlight year round to sustain plant growth. This means you need to consider supplemental plant lighting, typically called a grow light.

There are, as in all things, several types of grow lights at varying costs and varying intensities. But if you’re interested in growing plants indoors, then you need to consider all of them; their pros and cons and then choose what will best meet your needs.

Fluorescent Grow lights are probably the most popular option out there. Low in cost to purchase and run, these lights are also great for working in tight quarters. Because fluorescent grow lights don’t give off a lot of heat, they can be much closer in proximity to the plants without hurting them or burning them.

Some companies have actually started to incorporate fluorescent grow lights into special carts and trays to you can fit maximum plant growth in minimal square footage. In some cases, keeping fluorescent lights within four inches of the plants themselves yields the best growth. There are also high intensity fluorescent lights out there, and in the case of light – the more and the white the more growth, so consider that in your buying decision.

Incandescent Grow Lights are not the most efficient in just about every way. They use more power, they produce less white light and they give off heat. The best use for incandescent grow lights is as a spotlight grow light – sort of like a focused supplemental light source for tropical plants and small clusters that need an extra boost to really get going.

The other good thing about incandescent lights is that they fit in many sockets and fixtures – especially those super convenient clip on fixtures.

Finally, there is a class of lights called High Intensity (HID) grow lights that come in two flavors. Metal Halide (MH) grow lights offer light that is closest in color and intensity to sunlight. They are very powerful, long lasting and efficient.

The other flavor is Sodium (HPS) which had a red spectrum which prompts flowering and fruiting. Some people use these lights at various times to mimic the changing seasons – MH to grow strong and tall and then HPS to flower and fruit. In the case of HID lights, you can actually grow an entire little herb garden or even grow tomatoes inside.

So if you’re just cultivating seedlings for spring, fluorescent grow lighting should offer you the intensity and light that you need. If you’re interested in cultivating a small garden, or you want to grow plants quickly and keep them strong, you might consider an HID lighting setup. If you’re growing a number of plants indoors and you have one that needs an extra boost, employ an incandescent grow light!