The benefits of growing under lights are hard to ignore. There is simply no better way to grow an abundance of stocky green seedlings. If you grow flowering plants indoors, such as orchids, African violets, citrus and hibiscus, lights will keep them blooming mostly year-round. If you want a wintertime harvest of vine-ripened tomatoes, herbs and salad greens, that also can be accomplished with lights.

By learning how plants use light and the many bulb and fixture options on the market, you can select an indoor lighting system that is perfectly suited to the types of plants you want to grow. Not all plants require the same color, intensity and duration of light.

The Right Intensity of Light

Most flowering houseplants do just fine being 10 to 12 inches away from a light source. Non-flowering plants can be placed as much as 36 inches away from the light. But many flowering plants, as well as most vegetable plants, require a much higher light intensity in order to flower and produce fruit.

The Right Duration

No matter what types of plants you are growing indoors, you must be sure to always give them a rest. When it's dark, plants respirate, which is an important part of their growth process. The balance of rest time to active growth time affects many biological processes, including the growth rate, and the setting of buds and fruit.

Plants are usually divided into three categories relating to their preferred day length: short-day, long-day or day-neutral. Short-day plants, such as chrysanthemums, kalanchoe, azaleas and begonias, will thrive on less than 12 hours of light per day.

Long-day plants require at least 14 to 18 hours of light each day. Most vegetables and garden flowers are long-day plants, and if they don't receive enough light they get pale and lengthy. Day-neutral plants, including foliage plants, geraniums, coleus and African violets, are usually satisfied with 8 to 12 hours of light all year-round.

Types of Bulbs

You can choose between incandescent, fluorescent and high-intensity discharge (HID) bulbs, each of which has its own benefits. Your choice should be determined by the type of plants you want to grow, and where you plan to locate your indoor garden.

Whether you grow under lights for only a few short weeks each spring, or make it a year-round hobby, today's technology makes it easy to ensure that your plants get the quality, intensity and duration of light they need to stay in peak condition.

Stands

A grow light stand can be old kitchen table extended with plywood and you can use scrap wood to build up a second level. With two levels, you can hang lights under the top level and lights from the ceiling.

Some lights and stands can also be manufactured to be attached or separate items. These stands can be made of wood or metal.