October 20, 2023
During these shorter winter months, with less light coming through your windows, you may be wondering if your plants are getting what they need to grow. While lower light this season may be enough for some houseplants, other houseplants will need increased light to keep growing. There are also some plants, such as garden seedlings and flowering plants, that may require stronger light than your home provides.
If you’re considering introducing artificial light into your home, here’s what you need to know.
Given that there are so many plants available, there’s no single answer to this question. However, there are some general rules of thumb to follow.
Low-light houseplants
Originating from shady or understory areas, these plants do well in north-facing windows or corners. They need little direct sunlight, surviving mainly in indirect light year round. These plants need 10–15 watts or approximately 50–250 lumens per square foot to thrive. They include:
Calathea
Pothos
Philodendron
Peace lily
Snake plant
English ivy
Medium-light houseplants
Well-suited to an east or west facing window, these plants do well with indirect light. They need 15–20 watts or approximately 250–1,000 lumens per square foot to thrive. Medium-light plants include:
Rubber plant
Fiddle leaf fig
Asparagus fern
Spider plant
Jade
Peperomia
High-light houseplants
Growing in direct sunlight when in nature, high-light plants do well in south or southwest-facing windows. They need more than 20 watts or more than 1,000 lumens per square foot to thrive. High-light plants include:
Poinsettia
Cactus
Succulents
Jasmine
Orchid
Citrus
Hibiscus
Before purchasing a grow light, research the requirements for the plants you already own (or the plants you hope to grow). Find out what intensity of light they require, how many hours of light they need per day, and which spectrum they prefer. If your space doesn’t provide adequate light, look for a grow light to fill the gap.
HLG Greenhouse Pro HE HV 630W LED Grow Light
Features:
The HLG LED Grow Light is a commercial grade LED grow light designed to help growers achieve maximum yield and quality. It features high-efficiency LEDs with deep red enhancement, a slender linear design that minimizes shading of plants, and integrated reflectors that maximize photon delivery into the canopy. The HLG Greenhouse Pro HE LED grow light is also easy to install and use, and is compatible with controllers.This lamp has Full Spectrum White and Deep Red LED’s, with an efficacy of 3.4 µmol/joule.
Geeklight grow light 480W hydroponic led grow light
Features:
Geeklight grow light has top bin lm301h/b and UV IR smart app control. High energy efficiency of 2.75 umol/J; extremely high output, more efficient than traditional HID lamps and other plant lamps on the market. RJ12 daisy chain hydroponic led grow light. Monster board pro support to exchange from Veg to Bloom pattern, gaining higher yield in different stage; Daisy Chain function can bring you big convenience to control all lights through one light or control box; Uniform par map can Help plants grow more uniform. It has a unique appearance, through power supply and ventilation holes, no fans, low noise, and very low ambient heat, so there is no need to worry about burns or damage to plants.
1. Understand the needs of indoor plants
Of all the factors in growing healthy houseplants, light is the most difficult to provide. 1 With the exception of a few species that prefer deep shade, most plants have adapted to receiving hours of full-spectrum bright light. sun
Full sun plants require at least 6 hours of full sun
Medium-light plants or plants that thrive in indirect light, including the most common houseplant species, need 3 or 4 hours of bright light
Most shade plants still need about 2 hours of sunlight per day
In order to best provide light for your plants, it is first important to research the unique light needs of your plants. Once you have that understanding, you can set up your space in a way that best meets those needs. If your environment doesn’t match the required light levels, it may be helpful to use a grow light, which is an important tool for indoor plant enthusiasts. LED grow lights are the most efficient type of grow light on the market today in terms of energy usage and also offer excellent versatility in terms of light intensity and color spectrum.
2. Match the size of your plants
A core component of horticulture lighting needs is plant size. Larger plants require more light and therefore require a larger grow light for proper exposure.
3. Leave appropriate spacing between lights
When setting up grow lights for indoor plants, it’s important to consider placement and spacing. A general rule of thumb is to keep at least 3.5–4 inches of space between the bulb/shade of your grow light and the leaves at the top of the plant (also called the canopy)!
To help achieve this, there are several different light fixtures available that may be most effective depending on the location of your indoor plants.