Question
i have a few asian pitchers and adalaes and got a simple question about lighting.  Is a flourescent light a must?  because i have a few light bulbs that give off a slightly yellow color and im not sure if the plants will grow the same with them.

Answer
Hello Matt,

If you are relying primarily on artificial lighting for your plants you will need florescent lights since incandescent light is completely the wrong spectrum. Cool white florescent tubes or true daylight florescent tubes for the 48 inch shop lights (40 watt tubes) are the closest to the natural spectrum that you can get without spending extravagant amounts of money for shorter lived lighting. Another aspect of such lighting is intensity. Ensure that you have about 12000 lumens for your plants and that they are at least 4-8 inches from the tubes for best results. Each tube should be around 3000 lumens, so you would need 4 tubes in two twin mount florescent shop light sets side by side. It is easiest to set up some shelves and just hang the lights from the shelves on adjustable chains with the plants set up in pots under the lights.

Christopher