Large LED rigs run relatively quietly (although they do make noise), might not use as much electricity as HID lamps, may produce less heat (they claim to convert more of the energy into light), and provide a large footprint of lighted growing area.

These features make true full-spectrum LED fixtures useful for growing in an open living space where you don’t want pink- or purple-colored light. Be prepared for these fixtures to make some noise and carry a heftier price tag than other LEDs.

Gardening Under Lights Book

There are many different types of orchids you can grow indoors. Vanda orchids are particularly beautiful, but can sometimes be a little challenging for new orchid keepers.

Vanda orchids require high humidity in order to thrive. Wetting the growing medium—as opposed to directly watering roots like you might with terrestrial-type plants—increases the humidity around the root zone and leaves. Epiphytic types with aerial roots will appreciate a regular direct misting of foliage and roots (not the air around them) versus heavy watering at the root zone.

New BOOK! Gardening Under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers

It is important to increase humidity around your seeds as they are germinating. The easiest way to accomplish this is to place a humidity dome on top of your seed trays. A good humidity dome comes with a vent you can open and close to conserve or vent moisture and heat.

Remove the dome once all your seedlings have germinated and begin to produce green growth. If you keep it on too long, fungal diseases or rot could set in. While young seedlings need to remain moist, excess moisture can promote damping off disease, which causes seedlings to rot at the soil line and topple over. Too much humidity also encourages powdery mildew on young seedlings and transplants.

Gardening Under Lights Book

Chives are resilient, easy-to-grow perennial herbs. They are small bulbs that belong to the onion family and serve as ornamental blooming perennials.

After three years in the garden, you may need to divide your clump or container of chives. In the garden, plants can spread aggressively by seed. Harvest chives by snipping off leaves at the base, then chopping up to use fresh or cooked in your favorite dishes.

As LED technology advances, these types of lamps will likely outpace other types of traditional grow lamps in light delivery and energy efficiency. But currently, LED grow lamps do tend to be more expensive than their grow lighting counterparts.

As with any evolving technology, part of the bigger price you pay now (with perhaps less efficacy) is an investment in future advancement and efficiency.

Gardening Under Lights Book

Overall plant growth and development depends not only on the spectrum of light received, but also on the color combination, color sequence, and duration of each. Plants have evolved to employ finely tuned sensors to use different spectrums of light for different stages of growth and reproduction.

Plants use different spectrums of light to regulate developmental stages (such as germination, rooting, stem elongation, leaf unrolling, flowering, and dormant bud development), which is known as photomorphogenesis.

Gardening Under Lights Book

Any impressive orchid display does not happen overnight. You can start to experiment with easier and less expensive types or jump right into the deep end of the pool with pricier ones that require more care. An orchid display, such as this one at the New York Botanical Garden,is typically temporary - because different orchid species require different growing conditions. They won't necessarily grow like this together or bloom all at once.

Experimentation is always part of the fun. While orchids used to be significantly less available and far more expensive, today’s market offers a bounty of options at very reasonable prices.

New BOOK! Gardening Under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers

Ultimately, the type of grow lamp lighting you will need depends on the types of plants you are growing (leafy, flowering, or fruiting), the number of plants you will be growing, the size of the plants, and the dimensions of your growing space. The more plants you intend to grow, especially if they are larger plants, the more grow lights you'll need (or more powerful HID grow lamps) to grow them successfully. Individual plants can often be growing using just one small LED or CFL.

Don’t base your lighting decision solely on the number of electrical watts the lamp needs. Watts are an input requirement of the lamp, not an output of resources for your plant.

Gardening Under Lights Book