On Jan 18, 1:23*am, omid373
wrote:
Dear Friends,

I am new to this forum and I hope I could find many new friends here.
Recently I bring some little cactuses to my home.But after a week I
think they are droopy.
Already I have not access to sun light in my home and I think this is
why they are not succulent.
Now can any one tell me how can I provide artificial light for them? Is
regular florescent lamps good?what about type (yellow(like sun) or
white(like moon)) and power ?
and if not what should I do?
Also I can add their picture if it is needed.

--
omid373

With the priviso, It depends on the cacti and how much area they
cover, lets start;

The bottom of this site has a bit of info on some of the common
lights available, Metal Halide (MH), Higt Pressure Sodium (HPS) and
Fluorescent (Fl) http://www.topbulb.com/find/grow-lights-bulbs.asp
and the CFL such as he
http://www.sunlightsupply.com/p-1213...row-light.aspx.
I would go w/ the HID for now, that will change in the future as LED
and some of the newer super lights get in production.

I do not recommend a 2ft Fl, no lumens to speak of. 4 ft shop lights
are ok, but at a basic level, the color is not really important,
lower temp (yellow) is ok, bright white is alright also. Fl is my
last pick unless it is a 4 tube or better T5HO. even then shop smart,
the indoor garden stores are too spendy. Shop he
http://www.prolighting.com/t5hibayli...FaEZQgoda1P66w

For a small area and a couple of plants, a 68 W CFL such as you find
he http://www.conservationmart.com/p-81...fl-spiral.aspx
put on a spring clamp will do well. It has 4200 lumens, enough for a
low light plant in ~ a 1.5 -2 Sq Ft area and you can put it close
( law of inverse square). I got one from HD in a bargain bin 20
bucks, here is another http://www.1000bulbs.com/product/8254/FC85-S50OD.html
.. As I said these works fine for a 2x area. just follow the plant's
photo period

After the 68w-85w CFL range , any boost up in Watts ( w/ exceptions)
is going to have a mogul base ( larger screw in ) and usually some
sort of ballast or a self starting ballast, adding to the initial
cost but now we are at the entry level for HID lighting. so really go
HID you can use it for your orchids later. as you may have seen in
the CFL link above, these are 80$ w/o shipping to 130$ at a store.

For the same price points Home Depot, many of the Ace Hardware chain,
and Amazon have a 70w and a 150W HPS they sell as a security light.
HPS has a spectrum advantages over MH and FL but new stuff is coming
up all the time.

70W~ 6400 lumens : http://www.shoplinkz.com/p/Intermati...-120V-FL070HPS
150W~ 16, 000 lumens : http://www.shoplinkz.com/p/Designers...al-Flood-Light

These are affordable and provide the horsepower you need . Be warned
you will have to configure a mount, adjustable is best and know the
best height for you plant(s).

LED need to come in at around 5-10 W per LED and they come down in
price. Many from overseas are nothing but cheap recycled traffic
light. But know the LEDs do work for plants.

good luck