As technology advances, it makes things possible that were once not feasible. Growing an indoor vegetable garden is one of the things that have become more affordable thanks to the next generation in artificial lighting. We will look at how the best LED grow lights differ from other types of artificial lighting. Besides the initial cost of setting up a home garden, the maintenance and operation also cost money. That includes the electricity cost of having grow lights on for almost half a day if not longer.

Sunlight

One of the best things plants can get for their growth is sunlight. Natural sunlight is the primary source to provide the necessary wavelengths for vegetables and plants to grow. That is why you will see most house plants being placed near windows to get adequate sunlight. However, with starting an indoor vegetable garden, it is difficult to provide all it with the required sunlight. That is where grow lighting comes in.

Artificial Lighting

To make up for the different light wavelengths require by plants to grow, the indoor vegetable garden will need to have artificial lighting specially designed for their growth. This lighting is provided by making a fixture to hang the light right above the vegetable plants. Sometimes complete kits are available that offer both the illumination for the initial growth stage and blooming stage along with hanging wires.

Types of Artificial Lighting

Halogen Lights: They can provide a full spectrum of the wavelengths required by plants. The problem with halogen lights is that they put out a lot of heat and have to be placed farther away from the plants. If they are too close, they can damage or hinder growth. They also use up a lot of electricity and hence increase the cost of your overall garden.

Incandescent Lights: These bulbs are more working in the red wavelength; hence they are usually helpful in the flowering or blooming process.  Unfortunately, they produce a lot of heat and need to be placed farther away from the plants. They use a lot of electricity and are mostly used alongside other lights that provide a blue wavelength. As far as energy consumption is concerned, they fall in the same category as halogen lights, although the technology is different.

Fluorescent Lights: They are cheap to purchase and are considered economical, they are ok for house plants in general. You can get a variety of them for each stage or bundle them to provide the lighting that you need. It is a good and cheap method to provide light, but it doesn’t fall into the category that focuses explicitly on increasing plant growth and flowering.

LED Growth Lights: These are the latest that tech innovation has to offer. G8LED grow lights are specifically designed to provide the wavelengths that are required at each stage of the plant growth cycle. By providing the optimum wavelength and amount, it increases the growth as well at each stage. The tech uses less electricity overall meaning lower power bills for you. They also come in kits that provide a complete solution for your indoor gardening lighting needs. The size of your garden also needs to be taken into consideration, and sites like dormgrow.com offer customized recommendations.