• Even plants in a dark basement can thrive under artificial light.c and plants. Focus on short plants image by Supertrooper from Fotolia.com
  
  Plants use a process known as photosynthesis to transform light energy from the sun into food that is used by the plant cells. Most plants cannot survive without light and a quality light source can improve the quality of plant growth. Indoor plant growers often resort to artificial light from light bulbs to simulate sunlight. Depending on the type you use, the light bulb can improve plant growth or it can prove to be detrimental.
  
  

Possible Damage

• A large portion of traditional household bulbs are known as incandescent bulbs. Incandescence is a term that describes a kind of light emission generated mostly by heat. According to the Oregon State website, incandescent lights produce mostly red light on the color light spectrum. Red light is not known for fostering strong growth in plants. The red light produced by incandescent light bulbs also gives off a lot of concentrated heat which can easily damage plants. If incandescent bulbs are placed too close to plants, the emanating heat can rob the soil of essential moisture, dry out the plants and cause wilting or burning of the plant foliage.
  
  

Accelerated Growth

• ACF Greenhouses recommends using a metal halide bulb to encourage plant growth. Metal halide, or MH, bulbs produce a blue light in the color spectrum. Blue light is gentle but strong, and an MH bulb can be used as a substitute for sunlight throughout the day. The blue light of a metal halide bulb stimulates plant growth without causing dryness or burning like incandescent bulbs. Many indoor growers use metal halide lamps because MH bulbs encourage plants to produce a rich growth of green foliage. The MH bulbs are ideal for lettuce plants and spinach, and reef aquarium enthusiasts often use the bulbs when they need a high intensity light source to grow coral.
  
  

Increased Buds

• HPS bulbs are also known as high pressure sodium bulbs. HPS bulbs give off an orange-red light. ACF Greenhouses notes that this spectrum of light can help trigger growth hormones in the plant that stimulate the formation of buds. Orange-red lights often cause plants to grow quickly, but the plants typically grow only vertically, and they may become weak and lanky if the high pressure sodium bulbs are used exclusively. Once the plant has been established with mature, even growth, a high pressure sodium bulb can be an ideal light source to stimulate bud growth and flowering in fruiting plants or trees.