Article Sphere Logo
 
Main Article Categories

 Alternative Medicine
 Arts And Entertainment
 Automotives
 Beauty
 Business
 Communications
 Computer And Technology
 Disease And Illness
 Finance
 Food And Beverage
 Health And Fitness
 Home And Family
 Home Based Business
 Insurance
 Internet And E-Business
 Legal
 News And Society
 Pets And Animals
 Product Reviews
 Real Estate
 Recreation And Sports
 Reference And Education
 Self Improvement
 Shopping
 Travel And Leisure
 Women Health And Fitness
 Women Interests And Issues
 Work At Home
 Writing And Speaking
 All 511 Categories
 
"Landscaping Gardening" Article
 Article Directory Home Home And Family Landscaping Gardening

The Costs of Lighting an Indoor Garden

By Expert Author: Susan Slobac
View Summary | Submitted: 2008-02-04 | Word Count: 484 words | Views: 76 view(s)
Susan Slobac
If you are an indoor gardener, then you know that one of the major environmental factors that can make or break your garden is lighting. Grow lights are used in the home or in a greenhouse setting in order to replicate, as closely as artificial lights can, natural sunlight. Appropriate lighting varies depending on the room you are using, any ambient light available, and the kinds of plants you are growing. You might choose HPS grow lights, or high-pressure sodium lights, LED grow lights, metal halide lights or others for their brilliant light in the right color spectrums that works well for growing plants indoors. You will want to find the most cost-effective solution for providing your indoor plants with the light they need.

Hydroponic lights usually consist of the grow light itself, a digital ballast, and a reflector. The prices on these items vary, depending on the specifics. The price of the grow lights depends on the variety and wattage. Metal halide lights can range from thirty to forty dollars. HPS grow lights are available in the twenty to forty-five dollars bracket. LED grow lights' cost can run about $16 per bulb.

All of the aforementioned lights require the use of digital ballasts in order for them to function properly. The ballast's job is to regulate the flow of electrical current through the bulb. If a ballast was not used, the pure power would surge through the bulb and destroy it. Digital ballasts keep current flowing in just the right amount so that the lighting unit functions properly. Digital ballasts provide very precise amounts of current, saving you money because there are few fluctuations in power and as a result they are very efficient. The digital version of the ballast is also preferred over older kinds because they run quietly and coolly, and they don't weigh very much, a consideration when you are hanging lights over plants. Costs for these items can range from $80 to $400 per ballast.

Reflectors are used in conjunction with lights and digital ballast to control where the light goes and to intensify the light your bulb produces. You will find reflectors ranging in price from $25 and up to $250.

Power costs vary from area to area in this country, but that is also another consideration you will want to consider when you put together your indoor garden. If you are gardening in a greenhouse with access to ambient light in sunny Arizona, for example, you will likely need to light your plants for fewer hours than you would if you were gardening in Minnesota in the winter. No matter where you garden indoors, you need to take into account that your plants will require anywhere from twelve to sixteen hours of bright light per day, whether supplied by sunlight or grow lights.
About the Author/Author Bio

Susan Slobac has been an avid hydroponics gardening for years. Over this time, she has experimented with numerous types of hydroponic lights and digital ballasts in an effort to identify what combination yields the best results for her indoor gardening projects.

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/The-Costs-of-Lighting-an-Indoor-Garden/124175

This Article has been viewed 76 times.

Comments on this Article


More "Landscaping Gardening" Related Articles

 

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Landscaping Gardening" article category.

People interested in the above article "The Costs of Lighting an Indoor Garden" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

Trees are living things which can contract different diseases. Each disease has its own specialized cure and only a professional with experience can know about them all. They could be associated with the trunk, the branches, the leaves or the root system. Wherever the disease is, it could be serious and as a layman it would be hard to judge. The survival of the tree depends on the proper identification and cure of these diseases. Proper tree care is required to keep them healthy and live a long life to be able to serve the purpose for which they were planted.
I think that ideas which China given to us, will be useful to those who want to reach high level in landscape gardening and designing. No one garden in China was not created without patience and sensation of harmony and you mast to like the Chinese philosophy.
We supply quality fertilizers for lawn care and all types of lawn turf grass. Turfgrassinc has built a solid reputation as a market leader in the industry by carrying leading edge technologies and combining them with proven products to provide the best solution at a fair price.
A wild-flower garden has a most attractive sound. One thinks of long tramps in the woods, collecting material, and then of the fun in fixing up a real for sure wild garden. Many people say they have no luck at all with such a garden. It is not a question of luck, but a question of understanding, for wild flowers are like people and each has its personality.
While having a full fledged garden is rewarding and enjoyable, lots of people simply don't have the time that is required to maintain it. Whether you have too much going on at work or too many kids to take care of, you should never try to operate a garden if you don't think you can handle it. For those people who are just too busy for a normal garden, I would suggest a somewhat recent method of gardening known as Xeriscaping.
A great way to decorate your garden is the use of vines. They are very low maintenance and look good on almost anything. If you've got a fence or separator that really stands out in the field of green that is your garden, then growing a vine over it can be a quick and aesthetically pleasing solution.
If you're a gardener that has an unlimited supply of water, consider yourself lucky. There are many of us who live in drought zones where the garden and lawn watering rules are very constrictive to the healthy growth of gardens and plants. Many people just give up when they find out how few gallons of water they are permitted to use, but some of us have just found ways to cope with less water.
Article Directory Home Home And Family Landscaping Gardening

Can't find what you're looking for? Try Google Search!
(Search in 26 languages: English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Arabic, Italian, German,
Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Dutch, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Greek, Serbian
Slovak, Hebrew, Swedish, Romanian, Polish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish, Czech, Croatian, Bulgarian)
 
 
Copyright © 2005 - by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners.
Template Design by Internet Marketing Singapore | Internet Marketing | Singapore Classified
Español Français Bulgarian 汉语 漢語 Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Finnish Deutsch Ελληνικά Italiano 日本語 한국어 Norwegian Polish PortRomanian Русско Serbian Slovak Swedish [أربيك] Hebrew