Steve, yes, that' a good idea to change the bulbs every year. Even
though the lights may "shine" the quality of light decreases. The
human eye cannot tell this, but the plants know it.

Also, the center section of the long tube has the best light for
plants. The quality decreases as you go to the two ends.

So a few tips for using fluorescent lights:

Change bulbs once a year.
Position the plants towards the center of the bulbs.
Place the plants as close as possible to the lights, but not touching.
Keep the lights on for approximately 18 hours a day, generally. In
late winter to early spring you may want to increase the light
duration a little.
Use Cool White bulbs if you want vegetative growth.
Use a "plant light" bulb if you want flowers/fruit.

Good luck!

Bill Valavanis

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