Once upon a time on usenet songbird wrote:
[snip]
for the price of the electricity you'll be burning up
i'd look into LEDs. also, i'm not 100% sure but i think
that halogen puts out UV (can damage eyes and increase skin
cancer risks).

I'm in the southern hemisphere and will be looking into LED grow lighting
this winter. I've been experimenting with mixes of blue and red LEDs over a
couple of fish tanks and have been getting excellent results with the plants
for the cost (both of the LEDs and the electricity).

White LEDs are in fact UV LEDs coated in phosphors (much like the inside of
a flourescant tube) so aren't as efficient as coloured ones. Getting the mix
right for photosynthesis and just running those colours is a very efficient
way to grow under artificial light.

--
Shaun.

"Humans will have advanced a long, long, way when religious belief has a
cozy little classification in the DSM."
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)