buy a 4-foot shop light and use 2 cool white tubes.

I'm not in the market to buy one right now. I was actually searching for tube bulb sizes because I forgot how long mine are and didn't want to look for them to measure them. We just moved and it's still crazy. I'm just confused as to why there are so many options. What do each of these have to offer?

The blue (cool) end of the spectrum promotes foliage growth while the red (warm) end tends to produce more blooms.

Al

I would second jean001. Got to WalMart, perhaps Home Depot, and buy four foot shop lights and their least expensive cool white tubes.

Then go lurk at the Growing under Lights forum for a year or two before doing anything more expensive.

Didn't even know of such a forum (didn't think to look either). Thanks so much! I already have some grow lights I've had for years so I'm not in the market to buy anymore at the moment (at least I think not, but I just bought an indoor greenhouse too). I'll head over to the Growing Under Lights forum...gotta get a better hang on those footcandles before I buy more Orchids!

Mr. Crockett from Victory Gardens suggested one white cool and one white warm. They work fine..

http://www.ledlightsliving.com/led-grow-lights-c-105.html
http://www.ledlightsliving.com/led-panel-grow-lights-c-105_98.html
http://www.ledlightsliving.com/ufo-led-grow-lights-c-105_96.html

Here is a link that might be useful: led grow lights

The color all depends on what you're growing. As Al said, blue/cool white lamps promote foliage, and the red/warm white lamps promote more flowering. For orchids, I agree with Toni....one of each. Keep in mind though, what you think is bright, isn't necessarily bright. 2 lamps isn't very much light, especially if you have a T12 fixture. You must be pretty much right on top of the plants with a 2 lamp fixture, because fluorescent light intensity drops off VERY fast. As I said in other posts, if I were to start growing under lights again, I would replace my 400w metal halide I used to use, which worked awesome, with a 4 or 6 lamp T5 highbay fixture.

Joe

P.S. Buying the cheapy shop lights from big box stores will cost you more in the long run. They are inefficient, and they don't actually contain real ballasts, in turn burning up lamps faster then a normal ballast fixture.

Color specific LEDs generate more specific spectrum than any traditional light source. However, what they have in specificity, lack in intensity; therefore making them a âÂÂless than idealâ candidate for a large grow area.