What is the difference between bulbs/lights used to supply plants with light in hothouses, and normal bulbs?

Question

If you want to grow a plant in an area which has no sunlight, you need special, expensive lamps. The bulbs are obviously what make the units so expensive. I am curious to know specifically what makes these bulbs so very different from normal lightbulbs that you would use in a desk lamp, or the overhead light in the living room.

Thanks.

Answer 1

It's true about the full spectrum light. It simulates the sun with a host of things not visible to the human eye.

The link below will add insight for a curious mind.
http://www.lightsources.org/cms/?pid=1000166
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This page is devoted to providing the general public, educators and media with tools to further their understanding of lightsources, how they work and how experiments are done in these facilities.
http://www.lightsources.org/cms/?pid=1001272

Also the grow light can be put into any type of socket, infact just a regular lamp socket with a cord will work.
I use one all the time for my house plants.

Answer 2

Bulbs that "feed" plants are called "full spectrum" bulbs. They're not necessarily more expensive, but they provide full spectrum light which mimics sunlight. A ray of sunshine is "full spectrum" meaning all of the colors of the rainbow. You'll notice that incancescent bulbs do not cast a rainbow when refracted...only full spectrum bulbs will do this.. All but the most sensitive plants will grow in fluorescent light, which is actually less expensive in the long run than an incandescent bulb...and certainly more inexpenisve than a full-spectrum bulb. Unless, you're planning to farm indoors, I would buy fluorescent bulbs. Although, if the area truly has no sunlight, like a closet, you'll need to keep the fluroscent bulbs..(it should be obvious that I don't know how to spell fluroscent) on all day.