Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 12/21/2011

Question
I am planning on getting two T12 four foot, four light, fixtures and putting (SYLVANIA 2-Pack 40-Watt T12 4-Ft. Fluorescent Light Bulb) in them. Each light has 3300 lumens, times 8 for the number of bulbs.

I currently have my Venus flytrap, pitcher plant, nepenthes, Drosera 'Pretty Rosette' sp., Binata, Capensis, Spathulata, and butterwort under a grow light that gives off 1000 initial lumens and keeps them somewhat warm. My room is generally around 72.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

So far my plants have been doing quite well, although I know the light setup I have up currently is not giving them enough light. (The spot where they are located is directly under my window, so they also get sunlight which is probably what is helping them to do so well indoors with the little artificial light I've given them so far.) My venus flytrap's traps are very dark red, my pitcher plants, after some time, are turning reddish with purplish veining.

Will the amount of lumens I've described above be good enough to help them grow better? They receive sunlight through my window every day as well. I'm trying to figure this out because after Christmas I'm going to buy them better lighting. I just need to know if this will be good enough.

Thanks for your time in reading answering my question!

Answer
Hi Devon,

The two-fixture light set-up you're proposing to do is very similar to what we use on shelves when doing seedlings, cuttings, etc...  It should work very well for you.  You might consider using T-8's rather than T-12's even though both are fine.  T-8's are 32 watts and more energy efficient.  However, they have a lower initial lumen output, but they maintain a more consistent lumen output over the lifespan of the tube.  T-12's are brighter at first, but then begin to decline.  We see this all the time.  After a couple of months the T-12 tubes begin dimming, and they rarely last more than one year.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com