Gardening

Arabidopsis is a very efficient lighting system for indoor plant propagation. It also uses a wicking system for irrigation. If we could come up with something similar at a lower cost, it holds great promise.

Offered by Toni.

Regular fluorescent grow lights are very good for starting seeds out. They burn relatively cool so you can put the plant very close to the light. They often brag about their spectral output resembling the suns. But when it comes to actual growing for vegetable production they simply don't have enough lumens (brightness). If you choose fluorescent, and they are a good choice, go for the higher output bulbs, meaning very high output (VHO) or at least high output (HO). They will require a different ballast, and if you want to boost performance and bulb life go with an electronic ballast. Compact fluorescents are also good, having a higher output than standard flo. bulbs. If you really want to grow plants go with metal halide or the high pressure sodium bulbs. In my experience, lumens are overall more important for growth than having a balanced spectrum. You can easily grow sun loving plants like tomatoes and peppers indoors using them. Plants can often absorb light at many wavelengths, and algae is especially good. Please don't overlook algae!

Offered by Stan.