Publisher's Synopsis
Growing plants under lights indoors are something you might have heard about but haven't attempted. Many people believe growing plants under lights is a costly and complicated business but the truth is anyone with even a little gardening know-how can set up lights for growing plants indoors.It might be that the climate you live in just doesn't suit your favorite plants or you could see vegetable crops dying or not grow big or tasty enough in your back garden.Put simply, a grow light will help your plants or crops flourish in a place where there is little or no natural light. You might live in a Nordic country or in a climate that sees the shorter amount of daylight hours at certain times of the year. This is when a grow light will help you continue to keep your plants healthy.The right amount of light is absolutely crucial to a plant's survival. A plant needs to be able to photosynthesys to live. This is where a plant takes in light and converts it into a chemical which is then used to give the plant food and water. A by-product of photosynthesis is oxygen, which means the harmful carbon dioxide on our planet is turned back into oxygen by this process.A grow light will replicate the spectrum of light that is similar to our sun although you can buy specific lights to boost specific plants (more about this later on). Growing plants under lights have been done since 1868 when Russian botanist Andrei Famintsyn used the process in his research - so it has definitely been a tried and tested method for a long time! Without the right amount of light, a plant will grow long and thin and any vegetables or crops will be small and bitter (think about tomatoes if you've not put them in a place with enough sun).When you purchase produce from the grocery store and the items have a tart or bitter tastes, this usually means they were grown without adequate light.