One of the biggest myths there is about indoor plants is that they don’t need much light. Somehow, if you put a plant inside, light the amount of light it gets doesn’t matter.
Rubbish! To live indoors in our homes, and to keep providing us with lush and leafy growth, plants need all the light they can get, regardless of where you put them. Not only do grow lights work, but they work wonders.
This then sparked an idea – what other questions do people need answering about grow lights? What else do people need to know when growing plants indoors?
Let’s take a look.
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What is a Grow Light (or Plant Light)?
A grow light (or plant light) is a specialised light for plants that is specifically designed to give them the right type of light in the spectrum that they need.
Plants use light differently to humans. Where we use light to see, plants use light as energy to photosynthesise and grow. So, making sure they get the right type of light is critical.
The light we get from normal LED light bulbs generally has a very limited color temperature range – warm light, cool light, or daylight (natural light).
Plants need different color wavelengths, something only a full spectrum grow light can provide.
Can I Use a Normal Light Bulb as a Grow Light?
While regular light bulbs may produce some of the specific light waves needed for plants, they’re not designed to provide plants the specific light requirements they need.
This is because they’re designed to brighten our homes, not photosynthesise plants – if they do it’s a coincidence, not an intention.
With grow lights, the spectrum of light used, the intensity of the light, the color temperature and even the design of the light fixture itself all go towards providing a plant with the optimal amount of energy they need to grow.
Regular light fixtures just don’t compare. We’ve written a lot more on the right bulbs for grow lights here.
But They Look the Same?
Some grow lights may appear to look similar to regular household lights – same design, same light.
Looks can be deceiving however – just because they look the same, doesn’t mean they are the same.
When it comes to the design, all lights (regardless of their function) will tend to follow a similar style.
There are a few major design styles the majority of people want in their homes, and most if not all light fixtures will be designed with this in mind.
Where Should My Grow Light be Positioned?
It’s going to sound obvious, but think about how a plant gets sunlight when it’s out in nature – from directly above!
Grow lights need to be positioned pretty close to your plants, and as unobstructed as possible so that your plants can absorb as much of the light produced as they can.
This is why the best position for your grow light is directly above your plant, i.e. hanging down from the ceiling, encouraging it to grow straight up – just like it would outside.
You’d be surprised how many people we see using tiny clip-on grow lights attached to the plant pot, meaning what little light gets produced shines from underneath the plant.
You can’t blame them entirely, as it is a way of ensuring your plants and the lights blend in with the surroundings, but it’s just not going to be very beneficial for the plant at all.
How Long Should a Grow Light be Left On?
How long you should leave a grow light on for depends on a few factors – it’s not just a one size fits all answer (unfortunately!). These factors include
- the type of grow light you’re using,
- the kind of environment your plant is in, and
- what your grow light is being used for (e.g., foliage growth, vegetables or flowering)
We have an extensive guide on grow light timing here, but here’s a few guidelines you can follow:
- Grow lights should ideally be left on for at least 8 hours to be effective, but preferably more – in some conditions this will increase to ~16 hours. (Note: Because of the time and electricity required to power these lights for these long stretched of time, you can see why LED grow lights are so popular – low energy costs and efficient electricity usage is the name of the game!).
- Always position your grow light(s) above the plants – you’re trying to replicate sunlight after all. As well, plants will naturally start to lean towards their light source to allow for more photosynthesis, so you want your plants growing up rather than sideways.
- If your grow light gets hot (some types will), make sure it’s not touching plants or getting too close to them. This is a sure-fire way of burning your plants. Not ideal!
- Young plants, as well as those plants that do well in the shade can get away with less powerful grow lights, whereas larger plants (and plants with big leaves that absorb lots of light) will need the more powerful lights.
How Far Away From my Plants Should the Grow Light Be?
Typically, your indoor plants should be within a few feet of the grow light to catch enough of the light they produce. The closer your light is, the more intense the light gets (and the higher the risk of burning your plants becomes).
Now, the specific distance will depend on the light’s strength and type. To play it safe, start with a bit more space than you’d expect (4-5 feet), and then move the light closer, keeping an eye on how your plants react.
Also, consider how many plants you’re providing the light to. The closer a light is to a plant, the less width that light can cover.
So, if you’ve only got one plant to provide light for, you can put your grow light a bit closer, because you’re not worrying about the light being far away enough to shine on several plants at once.
If you are lighting several plants however, you have to place the grow light further away to cover multiple plants. But keep in mind that the further your light is from the plants, the less light they’re going to receive.
What Color Grow Light is Best?
Grow lights come in all different colors, however most nowadays are full spectrum grow lights, meaning they emit light spanning the full spectrum that plants need.
This is vital, because plants use different light for different uses, such as flowering, fruiting, and leaf growth.
White light full spectrum grow lights are my personal choice, as they do the job and they look very clean too.
But if you prefer, you can also get grow lights in red, blue, or a combination of red and blue. Red light is mainly used by plants for flowering, while blue helps with vegetative growth.
Do be wary though – if a plant gets too much of one colour, they can grow a little deformed or out of shape. Balance is the aim of the game here!
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