Moon's Graden

I intend to by a "Table Top Light Garden" to start seeds
or grow house plants. What kind of fluorescent tubes
do I need to buy?

Yvan Roux in Rimouski (QUEBEC)

I've had good success with warm white and cool white tubes at a 1:1 ratio.
There are also a number of special horticultural lamps available (e.g. Gro-Lux,
Vita-Lite), but they are more expensive than the warm white and cool white
tubes and, to my knowledge, are not demonstrated to favor plant growth any more
than the warm/cool whites.  The light tends to be more pleasant from many of the
horticultural lamps, though, and some people think it makes plants and flowers
look somewhat nicer.  There's another kind of horticultural tube available,
called "Power Twist" or something like that, that emits *more* light than
traditional fluorescent tubes and has a longer service life, I think.  The
tradeoff is that they are substantially more expensive.  I've been considering
buying some.  Does anyone have experience with these?

Scott Meyer

Scott, the power-twist does emit more surface area light,
which can be measured with instruments, if not by the eye.
in applications where higher light output is desired, the
increased expense is the sacrifice you make... don't get
something for nothing you know.

and as for a *good* flourescent grow tube to get, try
Verilux Day Light tubes... two thumbs up.