Hi Joanne,
I believe they are supposed to be changed annually. In my case I wait until they burn out which can mean a few years.
Fred in NJ

It's safe to say the sun will last for another 3 billion years, maybe more. At that point, you'll want to find a replacement.

Cute, Frank, cute. LOL I have heard 1 1/2 years. I am cheap though and tend to drive them til they drop. I can get a good 3 years out of some of them. My plants look just fine.

Larry

I'm glad to see sense of humor.
I originally was going to post "until they go out" but wasn't sure if it would be appreciated.

Is there any con to using it until it goes/burns out? It's not hurting the plant, right?

Dora

Nope, the light output just lessens with time. You just get less light to the plant. Again, my plants bloom just fine even with old lights.

Larry

I bought a shop light and 2 plant/aquarium lights at walmart tonight. Came home, put the lights in, plugged it in.... nothing! So next time I'm not leaving the store until I TEST it first AT the store... ugh.

I too have had problems with lights from WM. Home Depot has the best prices for shop lights.

One thing to remember is to try not to replace both bulbs at the same time. The change in intensity can cause a culture break.

Barbara

Barbara,
What is a culture break?

Is that like culture shock where you go from one thing to another and its just too much to handle at one time?

Dora

Dora,

Brand new lights are very bright for a few weeks. If you replace two old bulbs at one, the intensity of the light can be rough on some of the violets. Or so I have been told. I have replaced two bulbs at a time once or twice and didn't see any problems, but then I have 24 inch bulbs. Maybe 48 inch bulbs can make a difference because the intensity is over a wider area. Just a thought.

Larry

Hi,
When I purchased my new light stand I automatically put two new bulbs in each fixture. My plants began to bleach out and turn a sickly yellow. I reduced the number of hours the lights were on for about a month and eventually they all came back. As for a culture break, click the link below and look at the break in my Picasso and how I dealt with it.
Fred in NJ

Here is a link that might be useful: The Violet Voice