• Simulate natural outdoor light for your indoor plants with UV bulbs.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  UV lights for plants, or grow lights, provide light similar to sunlight for plants grown indoors. UV lights allow you to extend your growing season, maintain the health of plants always kept indoors, or start seedlings for your spring and summer garden.These lights use special bulbs that create the artificial sunlight. Different types of bulbs are used in these lamps, each offering benefits depending on the environment and needs of the plant.
  
  

Metal Halide

• Metal halide lights (MH lights) are one type of high intensity discharge (HID) grow light bulb. This type of bulb produces light mainly from the blue light spectrum, useful for green leafy plants and for keeping plants compact. MH lights produce plants more like the plants that grow outdoors, and is the best option for plants with little to no outdoor light exposure. MH light is efficient at plant growth stimulation, and the bulb burns longer than an incandescent bulb.
  
  

High Pressure Sodium

• High pressure sodium (HPS) lights are the other type of HID light. HPS lights produce orange or red light, which helps promote flowering, fruiting and budding in plants. This light is very efficient and has a longer life than a MH bulb and may produce large quantities of flowers or fruit on plants. However, they do not produce blue light and may cause plants to grow too tall and thin as well as having a pale appearance.
  
  

Flourescent Lights

• Modern versions of fluorescent grow lights (such as CFL and T5) are both energy efficient and effective in producing healthy plant growth. More of the light produced by fluorescent bulbs is used by the plants as opposed to light produced by MH, HPS and incandescent lights. Fluorescent lights also produce less heat and may be placed close to the plant without harming it.
  
  

Incandescent Lights

• Incandescent lights are best for providing supplemental light to houseplants that already have access to some form of natural light. These types of bulbs are also least expensive. Drawbacks to the incandescent bulb is that it has a short life and is least efficient for plant growth.
  
  

LED Lights

• LED lights are bulbs that use light emitting diodes. These types of lights are the newest addition to grow lamps. Benefits of the LED bulbs include low energy use, long life and low heat production. Like the fluorescent bulbs, LED lights also produce efficient light used by plants for photosynthesis. LED bulbs are more expensive, however, and give plants an unnatural look when the light is turned on (which is problematic for plants that are out for viewing).