Agrobrite FLC32D Compact, 32 Watt, 6400K Fluorescent Spiral Grow Lamp, 1 Count (Pack of 1), Brown/A

I'm a huge fan of this light, and I both recommend this product and intend to buy it again. I live in an area where it freezes at night from around October through April, even though it gets into the 90s during many of those days, but I am too busy to move dozens of potted plants in and out each day. I have too many plants to put them in windows, so I converted a guinea pig cage into a small, indoor "garden." (This had the added benefit of protecting my plants from the cats!) I looked into full fluorescent fixtures to support my plants during the long indoor months, and couldn't justify the cost of the multi-bulb fixtures, so this bulb in a cheap clamp-light fixture more than fit the bill. I have a few cheap grow-lights (single fluorescent bulbs sold in their own small fixtures from, say, Wal-Mart or True Value) and this bulb all on top of my "plant cage" (about 18"x36") and it's obvious that the plants under this bulb are growing the most intensely. My spider-plant bloomed under this bulb, when it wouldn't bloom outdoors, and even potted miniature roses thrived. Now that it's summer, I've moved most of my plants back outdoors, but this bulb is still getting plenty of use. I have a 50-gallon aquarium, and I'm too cheap to buy enough plants to landscape (aqua-scape?) the whole tank. I bought a few aquatic plants from my local fish store, and currently have them planted in a corner of the tank where this light bulb is placed to shine through the glass. There is noticeable plant growth even from day to day, and I believe that in a month or so, I can spread the plants throughout the tank for a much lower total cost than if I had just bought that many plants to begin with. For those of you that know aquarium plants, you know that Amazon swords and wisteria really require a LOT of light, and that the light intensity decreases as the rays pass through the water. I think the fact that this bulb can encourage plant growth underwater speaks pretty highly of its intensity and quality as a grow-light. Regarding the bulb's lifespan: I have this grow-light on a timer, and it's been on for between 12 and 16 hours a day for nearly 6 full months now. Before I got the timer, it was on 24 hours a day for a week or three. That means I've easily gotten 2,000 hours out of this bulb so far, and it still seems plenty bright, and is still supporting rapid plant growth. If and when this bulb burns out, I'm definitely buying more. It may not be the most glamourous bulb, and the cheap clamp-lights that I use are hardly elegant, but if you want to support your plants without sunlight, this is the bulb to get.

I decided to make a basement garden with the triple light fixture already in place. I bought three of these CFLs and built a table for my garden with wood planks and cinder blocks formerly used for storage shelving by the previous owner. I planted seeds two weeks ago, and already have sprouts with several plants. Also, my houseplants, which were suffering in my east facing house due to lack of sunlight, are doing much better downstairs in the grow lights. I wouldn't recommended putting these in normal fixtures as they are bright enough that just two light up my entire basement whereas two normal CFLs did not, but if you are growing plants indoors, these work great. They don't put off heat, so if you're doing what I am doing, you probably need a heater to take the chill out of the air if you want plants to actually grow.

The plants love these lights. The red lights in the pictures are another Amazon product I bought. Red helps with flowering while these bulbs help with foliage. Only complaint I have is that the bulbs usually don't last a year. Consider that I keep them on 12 hours a day though, so a little over 4000 hours life. Prices have come down in the last year as well.

The light emitted by grow lights is designed so that the wavelength hits the right areas of the electromagnetic spectrum for optimal photosynthetic processes to occur. Grow lights may be used for a variety of reasons from germination to winter growth. Because they mimic sunlight (about 5,000K), they can be important for use with indoor plants or as a sunlight supplement in areas where sunlight is not adequate for the plants being grown. Grow lights can also be necessary for particular plants that favor a certain area of the light spectrum, in which case the color and intensity of the bulb should be tailored to the particular plant. These variations should also consider the stage of the plant's life cycle as the needs of a plant change over time. Part of the reason plants do not get enough "good" sunlight in winter has to do with the Earth's tilt; because the tilt is not at a right angle to the sun, light reaches Earth at different angles in the course of a year. This causes variation in growth light quality. Of course, there are several types of bulbs to consider depending on the type of plant you wish to grow under specified conditions. Besides the compact fluorescent grow lights, I have also used LED and incandescent varieties; overall, I am happiest with the compact fluorescents and LEDs because of their long life and high output. Many types of grow bulbs may be used; the Agrosun® 32W Compact Fluorescent gives off 1,800 lumens/6,400K and is equivalent to a 120W incandescent bulb, yet lasts significantly longer (10,000 hours with the fluorescent vs. 3,000 hours with the incandescent). They offer the most light for the least amount of electricity. Compact fluorescent grow lights are best used for propagation and larger plants. Three main versions of compact fluorescents are available: 2,700K (warm/red), 5,000K (full spectrum/daylight), and 6,400K (cool/blue) as is afforded with this product. To get the most out of your grow lights, I highly recommend using them in a reflective cone lamp (usually found between $10-$20) because the mirrored bulb-housing maximizes the efficiency of the light by concentrating it where needed instead of the light escaping to areas that don't need it. In addition, the reflective cones are fitted with clamps, making them ideal for mounting above your plants or to numerous other surfaces. Here are two links to reflector cone lamps: Hydrofarm LKIT60 Dayspot 60-Watt , and Woods 0151 18/2-Gauge SPT-2 Clamp Lamp with 8.5-Inch Reflector, 150-Watt, 6-Foot Cord . Lastly, I recommend researching your plant's photoperiod, the amount of time it should spend in light/dark conditions per day. I have had a great experience using grow lights and feel they have improved the quality of my indoor plants and even allowed winter growth. They do, however, emit heat and should be kept away from flammable material such as drapes and dry leaves. UPDATE: I am currently using this bulb to germinate avocado seeds; the process usually takes 2 months and can only be done during specific times of the year. Using this bulb, I have been able to germinate three seeds within 6 weeks (and it's winter!). The avocado trees, after just 9 weeks, are now 8", 7.5", and 9" in height, respectively. To me, these results reaffirm the importance of correct sunlight for growth and also give pretty good evidence to this product's quality/reliability. I am truly impressed.

Works perfectly for my purposes. 6-12 inches above indoor succulents and keeping them with enough light to have their sun stressed colour.

This bulb keeps my mini-greenhouse warm, and I was able to grow little sprouts from seeds in 2 weeks. I'm on my 3rd week now, and I have a few more sprouts growing. My greenhouse is located in the basement, in the dark. The only source of light for my seeds are from this bulb(s). I bought 2 for my mini-greenhouse with the intent that I can put 1 bulb for every 2 shelves. It works, would highly recommend.

Just a heads up, these are so much brighter than I expected. But the plants love them and they really brighten up the room. Also good for when Gondor calls for aid

Works well so far, gives off far more light than I expected.

After a week plants are noticeably greener and look healthy and happy. Will definitely repurchase and planning on adding some more.