Winter is here, and that means the days are shorter. Sometimes, the early darkness can make us all feel a little down. Of course, your indoor plants will feel the same. Some indoor plants can thrive in low light, but most indoor plants need bright, indirect light to grow well and healthy. We know that we’re stating the obvious, especially that there’s not enough light this cold season. That’s why it’s recommended to have grow lights for your indoor plants.
You might have heard of growing indoor plants under lights, but you haven’t tried yet. Some might think it’s complicated and costly, but it’s easy to set up. Additionally, there are different types of grow lights that you can buy according to your budget.
The Usages of LED Grow Light
Grow light has 4 usages: propagate, growing food, seedlings, and limited light.
Limited Light: Grow light can help indoor plants to grow healthy and strong, especially during the colder months. Grow lights can also be used as artificial lighting for rooms with limited light or no sunlight.
Seedlings: Grow lights can be used to assist with the propagation of indoor plants from seedlings since seedlings need enough light and warm temperature to grow healthy.
Growing Food: Of course, if you have an indoor garden of greens and herbs, you definitely need to grow lights for them to grow correctly.
Propagate: If you love propagating plants to give as gifts or as a side hustle, you must have grow lights to properly propagate your indoor plants.
How Long Should a Grow Light Be Left on?
The answer depends on a few factors, such as the type of grow light you’re using, the growing environment of your plant, and the type of plant you have. However, in general, grow lights need to be on for at least 8–10 hours a day. If your plant needs light all day, then it’s best to choose LED grow lights.
We recommend that you place a grow light above the plant since plants tend to lean towards the light source, so it’s best to place it above them.
Additionally, grow lights emit heat, so make sure that your plants aren’t touching the grow lights or too close because it can cause leaf burn. Also, if you have low light indoor plants, choose less powerful grow lights. However, if you have large indoor plants, option for LED grow lights since large indoor plants need lots of light to grow well.
Lastly, it’s best to use a timer for your grow lights. It will be convenient because the timer will automatically turn on or off the grow lights according to the times you set it up.
ECO Farm LUX 600W Samsung LM301B UV+ IR Dimmable LED Grow Light
Features:
The ECO Farm LED Grow Light delivers growers and indoor gardeners the ability to stimulate pre-visibility, boost yields and increase quality all season long. The grow light utilizes Samsung LM301B chip design, to deliver spectacular PPF output up to 2.8 umol/J, The light intensity is higher, the light attenuation is smaller, and the lumen and PAR value are better than ordinary LED. It enables you to obtain a 30% higher output than HPS. At the same time, it also has an ideal full-spectrum and amazing heat dissipation: excellent full-spectrum mixing of Samsung LM301B 3500K+red light 660nm+IR 730nm+UV 395nm. This durably constructed LED grow light has 6 bar technology to deliver smooth, even light over the canopy. In addition, the plant grow light uses an advanced waterproof power supply, installed in The outside of the lamp is easy to replace. This kind of growth lamp is a full-period lighting solution suitable for all growth environments (including humid environments) and is an ideal choice for greenhouse or indoor lighting.
Model: LUX 600W SAMSUNG 301B
Spectrum: 3500K+red light 660nm+IR 730nm+UV 395nm
PPF： 1501.6μmol/s
Efficacy： 2.8μmol/J
Flux： 95494lm
Input Power： 600W
Input Voltage： 100–277V
Power Factor： ＞0.95
Dimming： 0–10V
Light Distribution： 120°
Working temperature： -20℃-55℃
Lifespan： ＞50000hrs
Dimensions /(mm)： 1000*1000*113mm
Certifications： CE、Rhos、Fcc
Warranty： 3 years
iSpirix iCann1700X LED Grow Light
Features:
These indoor plants grow light has the popular design of 8 lighting bars focused on distributing more light as even as possible across the plant canopy. Plus, this LED grow light offers a fully programmable spectrum to adapt to each phase of the plant cycle. High efficacy of 2.4 µmol/j and up to 630–700 wattage power consumption contribute to high efficiency growing operation, almost 50% energy saving than traditional HID and HPS. The PPFD for this light is also quite impressive. Superior delivered PPF and PPFD exceeding 1000 W HPS. That’s enough to boost your plants’ yield according to a 20–40 mole of light per day requirement. Besides that, it is dimmable from 0 to 100% so you may easily adjust the intensity of the light for the veg and flowering phases.
PPF(light output): 1550–1700 μmol/s
Wattage: 630–700 Watts
Efficacy: 2.4 μmol/J
Coverage: 4x4 Feet; 5x5 Feet;
THD: 20% max
Operating Temperature: -20°C to 40°C
Mounting Height: ≥ 6” (15.2cm) Above Canopy
Dimming: 0–10V Wireless smart control system
Weight: 44lbs/19.5kg
Warranty: 5 Year Warranty
Can Plants Grow Under Normal Light Bulbs?
Have you ever wondered if plants would grow under regular household lights?
Of course, using regular household bulbs to grow plants will be cheaper than using grow lights. But the question is; Will plants grow under regular lamps?
The answer is yes in some cases and no in others. First off, the average incandescent and fluorescent lights can be used to grow plants in your home, but they have a number of drawbacks compared to specialized grow lights. Incandescent bulbs emit an enormous amount of heat in proportion to the amount of light they emit, which is not very good for plant growth. Fluorescent light bulbs stay cool and are relatively cheap, but do not specifically target the wavelength of light that plants need.
If you’re growing plants that do not bloom, then a generic fluorescent light, which emits high levels of blue light, usually marked “daylight” or “cool white” will be sufficient. The color temperature of these bulbs is usually about 5000k. For plants that produce fruits or flowers, bulbs that emit light in the red part of the spectrum will be much more appropriate. The color temperature for these bulbs is usually between 2000k and 3500k.
Regular home lights will work fine if the plants to be cultivated are getting some natural light from outside and if the intensity of the artificial light is good. If the number or size of plants is large, or if there is no access to some natural light, then regular home lights will not be powerful enough to make plants grow to their full potential. Just like us, plants compete for resources, and you’ll need the best indoor grow lights to really make your indoor plants thrive.
How Do I Choose An Indoor Grow Light?
Indoor gardening involves the use of many tools and utensils that are not needed in traditional landscaping. The idea is to create an environment similar to the natural setting that plants grow in to trick them into growing inside enclosed spaces.
While most other natural components needed to grow indoor plants are relatively more uncomplicated, supplying abundant light to plants can be challenging, thanks to the multiple features of light that need to be matched with sunlight.
Those include the temperature and intensity of the artificial light. Plus, a gardener must also consider the needs of their crops in order to create an ideal lighting setup.
When choosing a grow light, keeping all of that in mind can make selecting an indoor grow light pretty complicated. However, with a few guidelines, even beginners can pick out the best indoor grow lights for their gardens.
When evaluating growing lights, first consider the location of your plants. Doing so will give you an idea of the current level of light present in that space so you can analyze how much more light will your plants require.
Next, consider the amount of heat your crops require. Some plants prefer warmer climates while others like to be in colder climates.
Before you set out to buy a growing light, read up on your plants’ specific temperature needs. And once you are clear on those, only then pick out a high or low-intensity lighting solution.
You also need to consider the spectrum of light offered by a lighting product. Understanding the light spectrum can be difficult and get too technical. In simple words, some lights offer the spectrum values that are needed by plants, which are mentioned on the package of every product.
Typically, A 2700K bulb will be a good starting point for flowers but is not high enough for vegetables. In general, vegetables require 6500K, which is a wide-spectrum option.
Cost is also an essential factor to think about when choosing a growing light. LED lights can be quite expensive, but they save a lot more in the long run while CFLs are cheap but do not last long. Whether you choose to save in the present or the future is up to you.
Lastly, choosing between an LED light and CFL can be tricky. An easy way to do it is by purchasing the lights based on the area you need to cover.
If you need to supply light to a bunch of plants, choose an LED light, but if you need to provide light to a specific plant, go for a CFL system.
Conclusion
Using the right grow lights in your urban garden can make a world of difference in the health of your plants.
When you set out to buy grow lights for your houseplants, be sure to factor in all the necessary considerations before making a choice. And if you are a novice planter, get your hands on any of the mentioned products without worrying, and they’ll surely serve you well.