Advantages and Disadvantages of Fluorescent Grow Lights

There are many different types of indoor lights you can use to grow your plants. Fluorescent lights are very common and offer a few advantages and disadvantages when compared to some of the other types. This article will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of using this type of lighting.

Heat

One of the biggest advantages of fluorescent grow lights is that they generate low amounts of heat. Therefore, you will require less ventilation and fan noise. Too much heat output is a particular problem with HID grow lights.

Efficiency

Fluorescent grow lights are also very efficient. When compared to incandescent bulbs, they're capable of producing double the number of lumens. Also, fluorescent lights can last approximately 20,000 hours which is much longer than their incandescent counterparts.

Cost

You will also like the fact that fluorescent grow lights are very inexpensive. HID and LED lights are very costly at purchase time. You will find it more expensive to install these types of lighting systems.

Maintenance

Fluorescent grow lights are also very easy to maintain since you can replace them easily. Incandescent lights are easy to replace too. However, LED lighting isn't easy to maintain. You may have to replace the whole system if a single light fails.

Placement

Fluorescent grow lights aren't without their disadvantages though. You won't be able to situate them far away from your plants since they can't project very far. You'll need to place them no more than five inches away from your plants.

Durability

Another issue you'll find with fluorescent grow lights deals with durability. The tubes are very fragile, so you'll need to be extremely careful when handling them.

These are some of the advantages and disadvantages of fluorescent grow lights. They generate low amounts of heat, so you won't need as much ventilation. They're also very inexpensive and easy to maintain. However, these lights need to be placed closely to plants and aren't the most durable variety.