Light source for tropicals wintered inside?

[Peter Hobbs]

Hi all, just wondering about your thoughts on providing a light source such as a grow light for tropicals wintered inside. Being new to chilly Canberra from warm Queensland it's all a bit new to me. Cheers, Peter

[Anth]

Metal halides are great they put out heaps of light I thunk from memory 1000 watt. You can get T5 aquarium tubes as well that are lower wattage but in my opinion they are not at good.
I word of warning halides heat up so make sure there is good clearance between the light the tree and you roof

[shibui]

Way back in the past I used special fluoro tubes. Called something like 'grolux'?? They were supposed to give a better spectrum of light for plants than ordinary lights. Metal halide might give the same light, I do not know. I would go in to a hydroponic supply place or African Violet specialist and ask for advice.

[Anth]

Grolux are still Available in aquariums and are a regular fitting tube.
T5 are a tube but much thinner and you will need to buy a fitting for them same as metal halide . Hydroponics place will be the best place to get advice and also aquarium shops that specialize in corals. They have lights that will grow corals so they will Defiantly keep your trees happy.

[The Ficus Guy]

I grow my trees indoors year round. I prefer T5 lights as they're cheaper to run and don't give off any heat. I can place them so that the tops of the trees are directly touching the bulbs without having any problems.

[Peter Hobbs]

Thanks for all the responses