Is this your bulb?

Oh dear, not good. They really shouldn't be allowed to sell these as plant lights. They are best suited to lighting plastic plants :)

Get some fluorescent tubes. A 2x40W shoplight will produce more light than your four GE bulbs and use a third of the electricity. I have no idea how much light your palms need, but they are pretty big plants, so probably two or three shop light pairs at a minimum. You should probably have the lights on a minimum of ten hours a day, maybe more up to fourteen hours a day if these types of palm like high light levels.

Consider using fluorescent tubes mounted vertically around the plants if they have foliage low down.

any flourescent tubes will work? are you talking like the tubes that are in work/utility/tool areas? I thought their was special flourescent tubes made just for plants. So a basic tube will work? thanks for helping me out. anymore info would be greatly appreciated.

Yes, cool whites from HD will be much better than the bulbs you have, simply because they put out so much more light. For maximum light, look out for 48" high output T8 lamps, they should be marked at about 3,000 lumens. There are special plant fluorescents which may be a little better, also "daylight" bulbs which some people prefer.

If you don't like the way a standard cool white bulb makes things look (they can appear a bit flat and grey), then look for a tube with a high CRI. Over 80 is pretty good, over 90 will make colours appear very realistic but are quite expensive.

One rule of thumb is that if it "looks" bright enough, it's about a third as bright as it should be.

That 65 W bulb is probably only putting a hundred foot-candles on the plant, and less at the bottom. Even a low light palm would do best with about twice that.

shrubsnbulbs had a good suggestion, I will add another-you could opt for a CFL (compact fluorescent) which might concentrate the light better on the plant. Go for a 150or 200 watt which will use more power but also produce about 12 times as much light as the bulb you have. The 40W tubes work just fine, but you might get a more "square" light pattern with this.

They aren't cheap though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Compact Fluorescent Lights

Ok I think i have got the problem solved. I went to home depot and i bought 4 shop lights. the shop lights hold 2- 48 inch x40watt t12 bulbs for a total of 8 bulbs. I took all 4 of light fixtures and i mounted them all around the plants so i have a fixture on every side. I placed each shop light at a different height so this way every part of every plant is getting light. I hope this works i returned them ge lights that i paid 15.99 for and i got the shop lights for 7.99 a piece and 3.99 a pair for the lights. I saved a whole bunch of money and hopefully this will cost less electricity also. thanks

What about the fluorecent plant/aquarium lights that are sold at hardware stores? Are those made to enhance colors or grow plants. I will be growing ginger, canna, and plumeria. Thanks for any help.

zitro

Zitro, fluorescent/aquarium lights are designed to produce blue, violet, and UV light. They are not good for plants.

Spataro51, your four shoplights actually use the same electricity as five 65W bulbs so you probably aren't going to save a lot of money on your utility bills. The good news is that they produce around five times as much light as those bulbs. I'm sure you can see the difference in the light. I looked up your three palms and it seems that they all prefer quite bright light and are not ideal indoor plants. The Washingtonia particularly likes lots of sun although it will tolerate lower light levels. They should all appreciate your new lights and you are unlikely to ever give them too much light. Just make sure the lights are timed to go off for 10-12 hours each night.

For the future, you should look at HID lighting. A 250W lamp would produce a little more light and use about 2/3 as much electricity. A 400W lamp would use a little more electricity but produce twice as much light. The drawback is the high initial cost, several hundred dollars, but you would make the money back in utility bill savings in a couple of years. Definitely use this approach if you decide your palms need more light or you need to cover more plants.

Thanks i appreciate you taking the time and helping me out with the lights. I will defiently come back here again and look you up if i ever need any more info! spataro51

I also have one question..
i bought sylvania gro lux T8 fluo. bulbs...58 w x 4..
is it good for plants?

Yes, grolux are specifically intended for plant lights and will do the job, provided you don't mind the weird pinky light.

ok thanks...
just one question...do plants need to have dark period?
i believe yes, right?
i was thinking to push them a little and to have lights all 24 hours a day....
!?

There's a law of "diminishing returns" with many plants once you get past about 16 hours a day of light. Most plants need a dark period to do their best, and even those who don't don't seem to actually benefit from 24 hour light. Plus, it costs more money!

ok..
since I have read everywhere that plants do need some period of rest,and you also confirmed that, my question is:
is it neccessary to combine day light (coming from the window) and artificall light
(meaning sylvania gro lux made particular for growing plants) or only artificial light is enough?

I turn my flour lights on at about 9:00 am and i leave them on until about 11:00 at night. I like the sun light and the artificial light together because where i have my plants the window is a glass block and i don't get sufficiant light so with what sunlight and artificial light it gets good amounts of light. Then at night of course is the dark time.

ok..i'll try that too...
which lights do you use?

Combining outside light and artificial is great. I run a 400 w ceramic metal halide on a timer w/ a 4' vertizontal reflector. The light goes on at 7 pm and runs until 1pm the next day,(18 hrs) My grow space is a windowed back porch within a porch kind of thing. The lamp provides enough heat while on so I don't need the heater during the coldest part of the day, as my space is not heated, and when off I still get some light from the windows, which I like. I set the thermistat at 68 while the light is off. This is my first year growing indoors so I did alot of research. From what I've learned, the right light is only one component here. Good soil, the right nutes, adequate ventilation, watering habits and general plant care are just as important, if not more...I'm happy to report, so far, so good....I'm doing tomatoes, hot pepper, bell pepper and eggplant. The plants are thriving...I'm suprized how well there are doing actually. I love gardening!