Table of Contents
Grow lights for indoor plants allow you to cultivate a wide variety of plants at any climate during any time of year. These growing lights are specially designed to substitute natural sunlight, stimulating photosynthesis and providing the right color spectrum where the plant can grow and flourish.
Can any LED light be used as a grow light?
LED Bulbs for Grow Lights You can use any LED bulb to grow plants if they are emitting enough light. Plants often also look for warmth to come from the light source and we know LED bulbs do not provide much of that.
What type of light is best for growing plants indoors?
Like plants growing outdoors in the sunlight, indoor plants grow best under full-spectrum bulbs, which produce a balance of cool and warm light that replicates the natural solar spectrum. They’re excellent for seedlings as well as houseplants, culinary herbs and other plants.
Do indoor plants need grow lights?
Light is one of the most important factors for growing houseplants. All plants require light for photosynthesis, the process within a plant that converts light, oxygen and water into carbohydrates (energy). Without adequate light, carbohydrates cannot be manufactured, the energy reserves are depleted and plants die.
Can I put a grow light in a regular lamp?
Yes. If the regular lamp has the correct socket type and wattage capacity, a grow light bulb should fit into a regular lamp without any problems.
How do I choose a grow light?
Grow lights should provide the proper spectrum of light for photosynthesis, which key to plant growth. Before purchasing a light, be sure to check out the provided color spectrum. Lights that provide a full spectrum are the ideal choice for your growing space. This is where LED lights come in handy.
What color LED is best for plants?
Blue is the most important light for plant growth, because it is readily absorbed by chlorophyll and converted into energy through photosynthesis. That said, blue light on its own is not nearly as effective as blue combined with red.
What is the difference between LED lights and LED grow lights?
What’s the difference between LED lights and LED grow lights? Standard LED lights only provide illumination while LED grow lights have a wider spectrum of both blue and red light that promote vegetative growth and flowering, respectively.
What color grow light is best?
Blue light has the best absorption by the plant due to the green pigment every plant has, also known as chlorophyll. This chlorophyll absorbs the blue light and transfers it into energy through photosynthesis making the plant grow faster because it’s able to get more nutrients.
What makes a grow light a grow light?
Most grow lights provide full-spectrum light. Most of the light plants use is from the blue (“cool”) and red (“warm”) ends of the spectrum; they use little yellow and green light. Blue light stimulates vegetative growth (foliage and roots) while red light stimulates plants to produce flowers and fruit.
Do normal lights help plants grow?
The Takeaway. So, to answer the question, yes you can use a regular light bulb to help plants grow. Your best bet would be to place a few LED lights designed for plants near your plants that need a little extra light. Be sure not to overheat the plant or to give it too much sun.
Will grow lights burn plants?
Can You Burn Plants with Grow Lights? You can burn your plants – regardless of what they are – with grow lights. But it’s usually not the light intensity that does the burning. Rather, grow lights that emit a lot of heat, and if placed too close to the plants, can cause photo-bleaching and even burn the leaves.
What’s the difference between a grow light and a regular light?
Regular lights only provide illumination; that is to say, they are engineered as an artificial light source in order to lighten your dark spaces. On the other hand, grow lights are specifically designed to generate the right amount of light so plants can photosynthesize.
Do all LED lights help plants grow?
A regular incandescent light bulb can help some plants, but they’re the least efficient in terms of helping plants grow. On the other hand, specialized LED grow lights provide both the needed output and the full color spectrum that will make the most impact on your plants in terms of growth and development.
How bright should a grow light be?
Vegetable seedlings and other “full sun” plants require about 2000 to 3000 lumens (at minimum) per square foot of growing space. So, if you’re growing just a single standard tray of seedlings, using a grow light that emits 3000 lumens is sufficient. Otherwise, do the math and scale up to a brighter light.
How big of a grow light do I need?
As a rule of thumb, aim for 20 to 40 watts per square foot. Divide the wattage of your bulb by 20 (such as 400 watts divided by 20 = 20), and then divide the wattage of your bulb by 40 (400 divided by 40 = 10).
How long should plants be under a grow light?
To be effective, grow lights really need to be on for at least 8-10 hours a day. This can vary up to 16 hours, depending on the conditions. That’s why LED grow lights are so popular – when they have to be left on all day, it’s best to use an energy efficient type! Always position a grow light above the plant.
