In addition to reflector hoods, you can also employ reflective wall coverings. Reflective material can help you bounce light around all areas of your plants without increasing the number of lamps you use.

There are different types of reflective wall covering, such as Mylar and black-and-white polymer. You will note that some reflective surfaces can absorb heat and get hot, so do not let your plants come into direct contact with the material.

Gardening Under Lights Book

When gardening under lights indoors, make sure you know how tall your chosen tomato variety will grow. If you grow vining tomatoes, also called indeterminate tomatoes be prepared for a tomato forest. They can grow 20 feet tall!

You must train indeterminate vining types of tomatoes onto support cables or trellises that will support their ongoing growth and increased size. Indeterminate vining tomatoes can continue producing new fruit as they grow.

Gardening Under Lights Book

If you are intensively gardening under lights, and are using grow tents or a greenhouse, dual arc lamps can be a good plant lighting choice. Dual arc grow lamps are hybrid HID lamps that blend the benefits of the cooler MH (metal halide) light spectrum with that of the warmer HPS (high-pressure sodium) lamps.

For example, a 1000-watt dual arc lamp combines a 600-watt MH and a 400-watt HPS lamp within the same bulb.

Gardening Under Lights Book

Ladybug larvae are ferocious predators of pests such as aphids and whiteflies. When you're gardening under lights indoors, you will have certain pest problems from time to time.

Somehow ladybugs always manage to find their way indoors when my citrus plants have whiteflies or aphids. If you find this valuable larvae on your plants, don't spray them! Let them do the pest control work for you.

Gardening Under Lights Book

Double-ended (DE) bulbs and fixtures are the next-generation evolution of HPS (high-pressure sodium) lamps. If you are gardening under lights intensively in your home, especially if you're using grow tents, DE HPS lamps can be a good plant lighting choice. DE HPS lamps were originally designed to be compatible with traditional DE MH fixtures. A DE HPS lamp connects to a fixture on both ends, similar to fluorescent tubes.

Double-ended (DE) HPS lamps can also have a longer life span than single-ended (SE) lamps. Manufacturers claim that DE lamps produce 10 percent more PAR than SE HPS lamps, and that they also provide more UV and IR light.

Gardening Under Lights Book

Struggling to keep your indoor houseplants alive? Sansevieria, also known as snake plant or mother in law's tongue, are great for low light conditions.

If you plan to grow your succulent collection tucked away in an office, a grow closet, or another out-of-the-way space, you might choose an LED with a more limited spectrum (pink-colored light).

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

Have you heard? I have a new book coming out! If you're a Goodreads user, you're in luck because I'm running a book giveaway where 5 winners will receive a signed first edition of "Gardening Under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers" from me! The giveaway will run today through the book's release date of June 6th, 2018, and you can click the link below to enter!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Gardening Under Lights

by Leslie F. Halleck

Giveaway ends June 06, 2018.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

If you want to learn how to grow just about anything indoors, any time of the year, I've written this book just for you. I hope you enjoy learning to take your indoor gardening skills to a new level!

Hey everyone, check out a sneek peek of my upcoming book "Gardening Under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers", releasing June 6th, 2018!