Question
Which grow light should I buy for my aloe?

I just moved to a loft with a north facing window that we keep shaded until late morning.  My aloe vera is not getting enough sun, about 6 hours a day when it used to sit in a bathroom window and get eastern sun without any shades on the window.  I would like to set up a grow light for it so it can get 6 more hours of light but I know that it cannot take direct light, or anything too strong (I've had the leaves burn before).  My questions:

How many hours of light a day do aloe veras need? What kind of wattage is best in a grow light for an aloe vera (60? 150?)?  How many lumens of
output should I look for in a grow light (or is this not important?)?

I have seen so many different kinds of light and all I have understood so far is that there are red spectrum for flowering, and full spectrum for
everything else.  I know I want a spot grow light but I don't want to make a mistake and ruin my favorite plant that I dearly love.

Answer
Sara,

Ok, get the spotlight fixture and a grow light bulb that is 75 - 100 watts full spectrum light bulb. I wouldn't worry about lumens. Place the spotlight fixture 3-4 feet from the aloe and plug it into a timer that will have it on about 14 hours a day and turn it off for 10 hours.  Because of the distance from the light it will not burn it. In nature aloes grow on the plains of South Africa in full sun, they actually love the sun and grow best with as much as possible. There they do not get sunburned because they are always in that harsh sun and are used to it. Ours, grown in our homes, are not so if we put them outdoors during the summer in full sun they will get sunburned. Under the light it should not have a problem as long as the light is 3-4' away. You are right, light from only a north window is not adequate for an aloe plant.
Good luck.
Darlene