When starting new seedlings, you may need to place the lamps within a few inches of the top growth. As plants grow, raise your lamp. If you hang your lights on ratcheted cords or chains, you can adjust them as needed.

These ratcheted cords are especially helpful when you need to raise and lower larger grow lamps, which can get heavy.

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You can root many tropicals, perennials, annuals, and edibles directly in water. Transplant to soil as soon as plants develop a small root mat.

You can expose cuttings to 24 hours of light to speed up the rooting process. Cool-spectrum T5 fluorescents or CFLs are good options for rooting vegetative cuttings, but be sure to place the lights at least 2 feet above the cuttings, if not higher.

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No matter what LED lamp you choose, be at least a bit wary of claims of proprietary spectrums or unique combinations of light colors. If you understand the basics of light science, you know your plants can use all the light within the PAR spectrum, and blue and red light used individually are most efficient for photosynthesis and best employed to shift developmental stages of plant growth.

While different manufacturers can create custom blends of spectrums, grow lights that produce full spectrum white light can be used successfully to grow most plants indoors.

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A great option for most indoor growers is a reflector hood fixture that includes a built-in ballast for your lamp. You can plug in and use these all-in-one options immediately without any setup. These types of fixtures can also be air-cooled: simply insert the lamp into the fixture and plug the entire fixture into a standard outlet.

In terms of both space and aesthetics, it’s nice not to have a separate piece of heavy equipment, such as a ballast, you must plug in and make room for.

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Lamps that allow you to raise and lower them on the same fixture are handy for growing plants with different light requirements. Lowering the lamp reduces the light footprint but increases the density of light delivered. Raising it increases the light footprint but lowers the light density.

This is how you can use the same lamp to grow a full-sun plant and a shade-loving plant.

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Roses are a great plant to propagate from stem cuttings. Make sure to remove some foliage from the stem before inserting into soil to reduce excess transpiration.

Since many new rose varieties are patented, it is important to only propagate for you personal use--never for sale or trading with neighbors.

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There are two main types of seeds: wet and dry. Wet seeds are produced from fleshy fruits such as tomatoes, eggplant, and squash. They typically remain inside a large amount of flesh and are not visible unless you break open the fruit.

When harvesting wet seed, rinse thoroughly to separate the seeds from the fleshy part of the fruit. After the seeds are completely clean, spread them out on a dry surface for several days before storing.

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While you may use watts per square foot to give you a rudimentary idea of how much lighting you need, don’t rely on it as a measure of overall effectiveness. Remember, a lamp that uses a lot of power does not necessarily put out a lot of usable light, potentially leaving you with a hefty electric bill and wimpy plants.

If you are growing tomatoes in an area of your home or in a grow tent, many sources will recommend about 40 watts per square foot to properly light tomatoes.

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