HOW TO GROW TOMATOES UNDER LIGHTS

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If you have decided to grow your tomatoes indoors under artificial lights, you will need to have some facts. To grow tomatoes you need to use one of three basic types of artificial lights.

The first, fluorescent lights are what most people use. The four types of fluorescents are compact fluorescents, standard fluorescents, high output fluorescents and HID hybrid lights.

Advantages of fluorescent lights are that you can move the lamps closer to the plants because they do not give off a lot of heat which can ruin your plants, and that fluorescent lights offer full spectrum lighting.

The only real disadvantages of using fluorescent light is their inefficiency and their light penetration is poor. A large collection of compact fluorescent lights will use as much energy as one HPS (High Pressure Sodium) light, but will not produce nearly as much usable light for your garden.

Other lights available to the indoor gardener are LED grow lights, HID grow lights, metal halide grow lights and incandescent grow lights. Any of these lights work well for indoor gardening, but are difficult to work with. Keep it simple and use fluorescent lights for your tomatoes.

The benefits of using artificial light for your growing tomatoes include getting a jump start on the growing season, having fresh tomatoes year-round no matter the climate, where you live or the time of year. You can also determine the amount of light your tomatoes receive and when they get it. Using artificial light makes it easier to give more light (by moving the lamp closer) or less light (moving the lamp further away). Plants also can grow larger, have less diseases and pests, and thrive under artificial lighting.

The best type of light to use in your indoor tomato garden is the HPS light. Your garden size will be the biggest element when determining wattage of the HPS bulb. I believe the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages when growing your tomatoes indoors and using fluorescent lighting.