How to Grow Plants With Soft White Light Bulbs

Houseplants consist of flowering, vining and even fruit and vegetable varieties, and bring beauty and color to the home or office. Indoor plants require the same support as outdoor plants, and need some specific conditions for success. According to the Texas Master Gardener Handbook, light is the most important factor of indoor plant growth, and comes in a range of shapes and sizes. Grow your plants under soft white lights of different intensities with the right timing and amounts for best success.

Warm white light bulbs
Cool white light bulbs
Lamps

Instructions

- 1
  Set up a number of fluorescent lamps in the growing space. These lamps provide ideal light quality for indoor plants. Set the plants on counters, tables and desks around the lamps.
- 2
  Equip half the lamps with warm white light bulbs and the other half with cool white light bulbs. Warm light bulbs encourage flowering while cool bulbs enhance vegetative growth. Use high-wattage bulbs to provide 20 to 40 watts of light per square foot. A 5-foot-square space, for example, needs 200 to 400 watts of light for ideal growing.
- 3
  Keep the lights on for 10 to 14 hours every day for ideal growth and flowering, and turn the lights off at night to maintain the plants' natural schedule. Don't leave the lights on for more than 16 hours; the plants require a certain amount of dark time to rest.

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