Indoor plants can transform your living space, but keeping them healthy and thriving requires a bit more than just watering and the occasional dose of fertilizer. One crucial element often overlooked is light—specifically, grow lights. While natural sunlight is ideal, not all homes receive enough of it, especially during the darker months (cough cough Alaska) or in spaces that lack windows. If you’ve noticed your plants struggling, it could be due to insufficient light. Enter grow lights, the unsung heroes of indoor gardening!
In this blog, we’ll dive into why indoor plants need grow lights and how to use them effectively to ensure your plants stay vibrant and happy year-round.
Why Do Indoor Plants Need Grow Lights?
Plants need light to perform photosynthesis, the process that allows them to create food from sunlight. Outdoors, plants can access sunlight for most of the day. However, indoors, especially in apartments or homes without ample natural light, this process can be stunted. Without enough light, your plants may appear weak, leggy, or have stunted growth. Some might even stop growing altogether!
Here’s why grow lights can be a game-changer:
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Mimic Natural Sunlight: Grow lights provide the light spectrum that plants need for photosynthesis, much like the sun does outdoors. Without this, your plants can’t effectively produce energy and grow.
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Boost Growth in Low-Light Environments: Even in rooms with windows, the amount of natural light may not be enough for plants to thrive, especially in areas with harsh winters or in rooms with limited sun exposure. Grow lights supplement natural light to ensure your plants get the light they need.
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Extended Growing Seasons: If you're growing plants indoors during the off-season (think: winter gardening), grow lights can help extend the growing season, before your plant goes dormant. With grow lights you can prune, repot, and fertilize your plants all winter long, leaving you with ultimately healthier plants.
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Improve Plant Health: Without proper lighting, plants can become leggy (stretched out) or experience slow growth. Using grow lights promotes compact, healthy, and strong plants by encouraging uniform growth patterns.
Types of Grow Lights
Not all grow lights are created equal. The type of light you choose will depend on the specific needs of your plants, how much light they require, and the size of your space. Here are a few of our favorite grow lights:
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Soltech Aspect Pendant LED Growlight
The Aspect is a pendant-style LED indoor plant light engineered to grow your plants efficiently while seamlessly blending into your home décor. With a burn time of 15 years, and low energy consumption, the Aspect Pendant Light is our #1 recommended grow light. Click HERE to shop. -
Soltech Vita Grow Bulb
The Vita is an LED grow bulb that supports the growth of your plants with its highly precise photosynthetic spectrum while illuminating your space with brilliant, warm white light. We love this bulb because you can swap it into almost any light fixture to keep your home aesthetic the same. With 5 years of burn time, low 20k watt energy consumption, and a light spectrum that blends into your home, the Vita Grow bulb is another top choice for your home. Click HERE to shop. -
Soltech Grove LED Growlight
The Grove LED Bar Light, perfect for under-cabinet or wall mounting, beautifully elevates plant growth and room aesthetics, making it ideal for a variety of indoor houseplants and herbs. With this sleek design, warm light aspect, and low 11 watt energy consumption, the Grove Bar is an excellent choice. Click HERE to shop. -
Mossify Adjustable LED Plant Light
The Adjustable LED Plant Light is a minimal, adjustable and energy-efficient LED light ideal for a wide variety of houseplants. This innovative light is designed to cater to the unique lighting needs of your plants, ensuring they receive the optimal amount of illumination for healthy growth and vibrant foliage. With its 50,000hr burn time, adjustable power output, and wall timer, this is a great option for individual plants that need a boost. Click HERE to shop.
How to Use Grow Lights Effectively
Simply installing a grow light isn’t enough—you also need to ensure it’s positioned and timed correctly to get the best results. Here are some tips to make sure you’re using your grow lights effectively:
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Choose the Right Light Spectrum: Different plants have different light needs, but in general, most houseplants benefit from full-spectrum LED, which mimics natural sunlight. Shop our recommended grow lights HERE.
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Adjust the Distance: Too much light can be just as harmful as too little. Placing your grow light too close can cause heat stress and leaf burn, while placing it too far can prevent adequate light absorption. Your grow light packaging will tell you how close to place your plants.
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Understand Light Duration: Plants need a period of darkness for healthy growth, so it’s essential to provide them with a day-night cycle. Most plants thrive on 12–16 hours of light per day, followed by 8–12 hours of darkness. Using a timer can help regulate the lighting schedule automatically, which is especially useful if you’re using grow lights for extended periods. We recommend installing a wall timer, shop our favorite timer HERE.
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Position Lights Correctly: Ideally, grow lights should be positioned directly above your plants, but if you have tall plants or a large setup, you may need to adjust the light to ensure an even distribution. Reflective materials, such as Mylar or white walls, can help reflect light evenly across your plants.
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Continue to Fertilize: With your new light setup, most plants will continue a consistent growth cycle. Our rule of thumb is that if your plant is growing, you should be fertilizing. We recommend fertilizing no less than 1x per month. Shop our recommended fertilizers HERE.
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Monitor Your Plants: Even with the right lighting setup, plants can still exhibit signs of light stress. If you notice white burning on your leaves, adjust the light intensity or duration. Conversely, if plants are leggy and stretching toward the light, they may need more exposure, or to be placed closer to the light.
- Adjust Watering Schedule as Needed: Ample light causes roots to uptake water more rapidly (as your plant will be photosynthesizing more). Be sure to monitor your plants watering needs and adjust accordingly.
Conclusion
Grow lights are an essential tool for maintaining a healthy, thriving indoor garden. By providing the correct spectrum of light, adjusting the positioning and duration, and selecting the right type of grow light for your plants’ needs, you can give your indoor plants the best chance at flourishing—no matter the season or light conditions in your home.
Whether you’re growing houseplants for aesthetic appeal, herbs for cooking, or even vegetables in a small indoor garden, grow lights can make all the difference. With a bit of knowledge and a proper setup, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a successful indoor gardener!
Have you used grow lights before, or are you considering them for your space? Let me know in the comments!
