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Basic information for a beginner:
Natural sunlight is very helpful,
and should be used if you can, but tomatoes have very high lighting
requirements. You'll have to supplement the natural light with some
form of a growlight.
There are no growlights made that
can come close to matching the true intensity of the sun, but with
an extended daylight period (plug the light into a timer), the
plants can do very well under growlights. When it comes to
growlights, heat is not the goal. What the plants need is intensity,
and the more they get, the more fruit they'll produce. All the
plants really want is a bright, summer day. Do your best to give
them that warm summer day, and they'll do that much better.
So you'll need a growlight. It can be
fluorescents like what you'd
get at Lowe's or Home Depot if you want to do this on a budget.
There are a couple of different types of fixtures/bulbs to choose
from in the mainstream stores. The ones that most people are
familiar with are the T12's.
These are the 4' lamps that they use in ceiling fixtures. Then,
there are the T8's which are more intense, and more economical to
run. With both the T12's and the T8's, the more you use the better
your plants will do. I'd go with 4 to 6 bulbs hanging within 6" over
the plants, and then I'd have another 2 tube fixture on the wall
about 6 to 8" behind (next to) the plants with either of these types
of bulbs. Then, you'll have a choice of 'warm' or 'cool' spectrum
lights to choose from, and you'll want to mix the two (every other)
in your fixtures. This will achieve 'full spectrum', which is best
for all purpose gardening.
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The next step up in fluorescents quality
are the T5's that we
sell. These are about twice as bright as either of the other
two types, and the plants will produce bigger, better fruit
with the added intensity. The bulbs are still 4' long, but
the tubes are very thin, and very powerful in comparison to
the mainstream fluorescents. The T5's require a special T5
fixture to run them.
The next step up in quality are the HID fixtures. These
start at 250 watts, and go up in wattage from there. These
have way more intensity than any of the fluorescents, and
they will produce bigger, better produce as a result of the
added intensity. The HID's come in
metal halide
(cool spectrum), and high
pressure sodium (warm spectrum). |
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So, basically, the more light you give your plants, the
better they'll do. You can use less, but your results will
not be as good.
The only exception to the 'more light' rule
is that you have to be able to control the heat. Your plants
won't do well if the heat goes above 85 degrees.
With any of the fluorescents, you won't
have heat issues. With the HID's, the room size usually
determines the maximum wattage you can run, unless you add
ventilation to the room to remove the heat, or add air
conditioning which gets expensive to run. The 250 and 400
watt fixtures are very manageable for heat output, and
wouldn't require any special ventilation unless the area is
very small.
So that's your horticultural lighting lesson. Hope this
helps! If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. |
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