Hi Lisam, Well, you mentioned âÂÂlightâ (singular). If youâÂÂre planning on using just one light fixture, the light it puts out really wonâÂÂt cover much area. However, if youâÂÂre just going to grow a very few seedlings, you might get by with it. I assume youâÂÂre figuring on planting the seedlings outside when weather permits. As for what kind of bulbs to get⦠although most fluorescent T8 bulbs would work, a higher kelvin temperature is usually recommended for vegetative growth. Look for bulbs rated from about 5000K to 6500K (often called something like âÂÂNatural Lightâ or âÂÂDaylightâÂÂ). The intensity of the light is very important, so go for those with a high âÂÂlumensâ rating; 2600 to 2800 lumens is pretty good and should be easy to find. If you have a choice, the higher the CRI (color rendering index) the better also :-) As long as itâÂÂs over 80 though, it should be fine. Hope this is helpful, Art This post was edited by art33 on Thu, Mar 13, 14 at 13:48

What type of fixture are these bulbs in? A 4" recessed housing is going to have a problem with bulb choices. They just don't make a brighter par 20 bulb in an LED that will not have electronics failure in a small recessed housing, especially if there is insulation on top of the housing. Anything that says "spot" instead of "flood" may help a little bit, but you really need more lumens, or more light bulbs.

Although normally the answer would be no, Elmer, in this case it is a walk-through dining room which is seldom used. I have something similar to a shotgun house with a straight path from living to dining to kitchen to office. I have candlestick lamps on the back wall that turn on before sunset and go off at midnight; those are the ones I want to experiment with. I mostly use the room when I am sewing on my machine. I would always have the choice of turning on the chandelier for a softer light if I wanted. Marylee H, it's a custom color. I believe Home Depot has a display showing the various lights, so I'm thinking of taking a sample of it there to test. And really, how stark can 5000K be? Guess I will find out.

Old incandescent tungsten lighting had a 2700 K color to it, its towards the red end of the color spectrum, that is what we are used to. I replace with 3000K LED's (it's the color of halogen incandescent bulbs), 3500K is OK as well. Go too far beyond that, and things begin looking unnatural, it looks out of place inside a home. And, as Celadon points out, always go with 90 CRI or greater to keep colors looking correct. The 100W equivalent LED's will be quite bright, so, yes, do adjust the equivalent light output downward as you see fit. Or, put a dimmer on them. I don't find the bulb brand to be too critical. I buy at the box stores on price in 6 or 8 bulb packages, and, yes, occasionally one fails prematurely.