Grow Lights?

Now that technology has advanced, and provided a large number of options for lighting that plants find beneficial when sunlight is in low supply, I find the options almost overwhelming.

LED is a reasonable option, but like most leds, they are expensive.  The first time payout for such a new tech, and I will have to do more research to find out if they work, as they are using blue and red light principles, which I know very little about.

Incandescent is an option, but expensive to run in power consumption.  They are also not as bright as less power hungry options.

Halogen is an old favorite, but has a voracious power appetite, and it turns the idea of growing extra seedlings, or an indoor window garden into an not for profit operation.

Fluorescent has been around for ages, and has bulbs available for plant and aquarium usage.  The power usage is low, compared to most other options, save for LED, but without a fixture, there is still a startup cost involved.

I will do a bit more research, and find out how reliable LED's are for growing, as normal lamps and track lighting should be able to handle them, making the fixtures cheaper, but the bulbs the main problem.

Still, considering the lower power requirements, they might be the best and most viable alternative when the sun is lacking.

There go my breaks and lunch hours at work.  In the end, this is all worth it.  I love seeing new sprouts, and not using those fatalistic words that I have come to hate.

"I can't."  Because the only one stopping me is me.

So, bloody hell, you bet I can!

Update - within only half an hour, I found a website that told me why my standard bulbs, although higher power consumption, were doing much less for my plants then the regular CFL's I had started with.

Bloody hell.  What a waste.  Should have did the research first.  Got lots of CFLs, but only a few standards.  As soon as I get home, out go those power hogs, and back go the CFLs.

For those who want the info, here is the site.
http://www.fullbloomhydroponics.net/hydroponic-grow-light-guide-fluorescent-hid-led/