How to Flower With High Output Fluorescent Lighting

Whether you want your houseplants to flower all year long or you're trying to flower seedlings before transplanting them outdoors, light is key. Without enough light, plants focus energy into producing leaves to gather more light. Making flowers and fruit for such plants is too much of an effort. High-intensity fluorescent lights not only give your plants enough light to flower, they help keep them warm and blooming even during the winter months. However, you must adjust the lights so your plants don't burn or get too dry.

Sturdy table
Potted plants
Fluorescent bulbs
Articulated floor lamps

Instructions

- 1
  Place your potted houseplants on a sturdy table. The table needn't be near a window, but the temperature of the room should be about 10 degrees lower than the plants require. The fluorescent lights provide the rest of the warmth.
- 2
  Choose one of two combinations of high-intensity fluorescent bulbs. Equal numbers of cool and warm white bulbs provide a full spectrum of light to help your plants grow. Full-spectrum bulbs are more expensive, but designed to mimic sunlight. Pick bulbs based on your needs and budget.
- 3
  Screw fluorescent bulbs into each of the arms of your articulated floor lamp. These lamps have up to six bendable arms that you can shape and form any way you like.
- 4
  Adjust the arms of the lamps so the lights are about 14 inches above your plants. Allow the bulbs to warm for about an hour.
- 5
  Place your hand right over your flowers. If you can feel warmth from the lights, adjust them to 18 or 20 inches. Blossoms are much more delicate than your hand; if you can feel the heat, they're pretty unhappy.
- 6
  Turn off the lights each evening at the same time. Most plants require 6 to 8 hours of sunlight. For instance, you could turn the lights on at 10 a.m. and turn them off at 6 p.m.
- 7
  Dust the lights each week with a soft, lint-free cloth. Too much dust can ruin the intensity of your lightbulbs, causing your flowers to get leggy and refuse to bloom. Wait for the bulbs to cool before dusting.

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