Indoor gardening has gained immense popularity. But it isn’t an easy job. Like any traditional method, you need an appropriate amount of light to grow your indoor plants. But, how to choose the right grow lights for your indoor garden?
Firstly, grow lights are the substitute for sunlight. It clearly means, your chosen grow lights will have to work just like the sun works for any other plants. This is called photosynthesis, and it’s required for your indoor plants too. That’s why you need to choose the right grow lights depending on what you’re growing.
So, this blog will help you to choose the right grow lights for your indoor garden with a step-by-step process.
Step 1: Understanding the Types of Grow Lights
You should not feel intimidated just because of the complex jargon and terminologies related to grow light. You only have to know some of the basics of grow lights before you choose one for your indoor plants.
There are 3 main types of grow lights available for indoor gardening. These are:
- Fluorescent Lights
- High-Intensity Discharge (HID)
- Light Emitting Diode (LEDs)
Feeling confused, right? So, among these, which grow lights to choose for your indoor garden?
Let’s make your farming mission easy by discussing 3 types of grow lights.
Fluorescent Lights
To grow young plants and seedlings, fluorescent lights are handy. Also, Fluorescent emits a balanced light spectrum suitable for numerous indoor plants.
This tubelike bulb comes in 3 different sizes, including T5, T8, and T12. However, the narrower the size, the more efficient and brighter it is. If your plant requires low to medium amounts of grow lights, then you can certainly choose this affordable fluorescent bulb.
But, why are fluorescent bulbs affordable? Because it takes 75% less energy compared to incandescent lights.
In case you need a high amount of exposure for your houseplants, you can choose the T5 size. Each Fluorescent T5 tube emits almost double the amount of light compared to standard fluorescent lights.
Besides, most of indoor plants grow fine if they get 4000 to 6000 Kelvin light bulbs. T5 is a 6500 Kelvin, full spectrum light. For a side note, flowering and fruiting stages may require lights that have higher intensity.
Two main types of fluorescent bulbs are:
1. Fluorescent Tube (Thin, can fit into small spaces)
2. Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs)
Things to know about CFLs Lights:
- Most models emit lots of blue and red light.
- Use 20-30% less energy than incandescent bulbs.
- 8x-16x incandescent lifespan
- 7–15% energy efficiency
- cheapest light investment of 3 major types
High-Intensity Discharge (HID)
As the name suggests, if you need high intensity grow lights for your plants, then HIDs are a suitable option. Also, Metal Halide (MH) and High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) are popular for their high light intensity.
However, if your indoor garden plants are going through the vegetative stage, then blue light-emitting MH bulbs are ideal.
On the other hand, if it is a fruiting and flowering stage, then you can pick an HPS bulb that discharges red and orange lights
Light Emitting Diodes (LED)
LED grow lights can emit the proper light wavelengths needed for your photosynthesis. LED lights discharge two types of light spectrum which include blue and red wavelengths. Notedly, blue light promotes vegetative growth, and red light increases flowering and fruiting stages.
However, LED grow lights are energy-efficient and customizable for all growth stages. You can adjust the color spectrum to fill the need of your indoor plants with modern LED grow lights. This customizable feature of LED grow lights will help you to make sure optimal photosynthesis for your plants.
Also, unlike typical HIDs grow lights, LED lights produce less heat. That’s why you can hang them closer to your plants without jeopardizing heat stress.
Here is a list of important features of LED grow lights:
- Energy efficiency and longevity
- Customizable light spectrum
- Minimal Heat Output
- Full Spectrum offerings
- Targeted Light Delivery
- Lower Environmental Impact
Step 2: Determine the Right Spectrum
Hope you’ve already understood the types of grow lights. You might have already decided which grow light to choose for your indoor cultivation. But this is not the end of the world. Now, in this step 2, we will talk about determining the right spectrum for your indoor gardening.
So, what color light is best for plant growth? The answer is each growth stage needs a specific light spectrum for optimal plant development.
Blue Light (400-500nm)
Plants, especially leafy crops get better for the blue light spectrum. It encourages to open stomata (Tree leaves and needles exchange carbon dioxide and water with the atmosphere via stomata) and it allows more Carbon-di-oxide (CO2) to get into the leaves.
Furthermore, blue light makes chlorophyll absorb the most light, which is necessary for photosynthesis. This blue light spectrum helps seedlings and young plants during their vegetative stages when they are growing roots and stems.
Red Light (600-700nm)
Since chlorophyll pigments absorb red light, it is the best light spectrum for photosynthesis. Red light promotes stem, leaf, and general vegetative growth, especially tall leaves, and flowers.
However, Blue light must be used in a balanced way to counteract any overstretching, such as misshapen stem elongation. Besides, red is the most responsive light spectrum for plants. It’s very effective when combined with other PAR (Photosynthetically active radiation) wavelengths.
In simple words, red lights stimulate flowers and increase yield. So, it’s very vital for the flowering, budding, and fruiting stage.
Step 3: Measure Light Intensity
This step is about measuring light intensity for your indoor plants. To make sure the optimal amount of light for your plant’s healthy growth, you need to measure the light intensity.
Why Light Matters for Plants
Plants need the right kind and amount of light to grow well. But judging light can be tricky since our eyes adjust to brightness. Greenery Unlimited suggests three ways to measure light:
- Simple eye test
- Light Meter App
- Physical light meter tool
Let’s explore more methods for measuring light intensity for indoor farming.
Foot Candles
Foot candles are a common way to measure light for plants. They tell us how bright space is for plants. More foot candles mean more light. It’s like a plant’s food.
Simple Method
Eye Test: Hold your hand up and look at shadows during the brightest time of day. Strong shadows mean high light, while faint shadows mean low light. It’s a rough estimate.
More Accurate Method
1. Light Meter App: Use a light meter app on your phone (like “Light Meter”) to measure foot candles. Point your camera towards the light source, and it will show you the light level in the foot
2. Light Meter Tool: A physical light meter (like Dr. Meter) is reliable. Remove the cap, turn it on, set the range, point it towards the light, and note the reading.
Interpreting Foot Candle Readings
Plants have different light needs. Low-light plants need around 25-foot candles (1 foot-candle is equal to 10.7639 lux), while high-light plants need at least 150-foot candles. Find the recommended levels online. Light can vary due to time, weather, and indoor lighting.
A final note on measuring light intensity for your plants: Just like humans need good food, plants need good light. Without enough light, plants become weak and can die. So, place plants where they get the light they need to thrive.
Step 4: Calculate Coverage Area
To choose the right grow lights for your indoor gardening, you need to calculate the coverage area. It’s so vital for making sure consistent grow lights distribution across your hothouse.
Manufacturers often provide recommendations for coverage areas based on the light’s specifications. However, to calculate the coverage area manually, you can divide the total light output (Measured in lumens) by the recommended light intensity (Measured in Lux/foot-candle) for your plants.
Also, consider the following factors while choosing a coverage area for your greenhouse plants:
- Different plants have varying light needs.
- Consider factors like light angles and hanging height!
- Make sure to create uniform coverage.
On a final note, always ensure that all your plants are receiving proper amounts of grow lights and not getting heat stress.
Step 5: Prioritize Energy Efficiency
While choosing the right grow lamp for your indoor farming, prioritize energy efficiency. As LED grow lights consume less power compared to traditional lights, they will lower electricity costs over time.
Besides, their reduced heat output helps to control the climate in a better way within your indoor garden. Therefore, if you choose an energy-efficient lighting solution, it will not only save you operational expenses but also create more sustainable and environmentally friendly growing indoor gardens.
Step 6: Manage Heat Generation
To manage heat generation for your indoor cultivation, we suggest you choose LED grow lights. LED grow lights are known for minimal heat emission. Unlike HID lights, LED grow lights generate significantly less heat.
Besides, to create a more balanced and controlled growing environment, indoor farmers and gardeners don’t need additional cooling equipment in their indoor garden setup.
Overall, to minimize the risk of heat stress on your plants, LED grow lights are undeniably suitable options to pick for your indoor farming. Hope this step will help you to streamline your gardening process.
Step 7: Assess Durability and Lifespan
As an indoor gardener, you obviously need Grow lights that have durability and enough lifespan. So, while assessing grow lamps for your indoor garden, you should keep in mind two things:
1. Durability and Lifespan
2. Better Plant growth
Both of these requirements can be fulfilled by LED grow lights. LED lights often outlast traditional options like Fluorescents and HID lights. Also, LED lamps have extended lifespan which means you’ll face fewer replacements and less maintenance over time.
This longevity will not only save you money but also assure consistent light quality for your indoor plants.
In short, regarding LED grow lights, LEDs have epoxy lenses instead of glass which makes them more durable. And it ensures proper amount of lighting coverage throughout your indoor garden which will give proper growth and development for your houseplants.
Step 8: Budget Wisely While Choosing Grow Lights for Indoor Garden
You should create a balance between initial costs and long-term advantages when budgeting for grow lights. It’s obvious that high-quality grow lights will cost higher prices and they will provide you with better benefits like healthier plants and increased yields.
But we suggest you purchase a grow light that will give your plants optimal light spectrum and proper amount of intensity. So, allocate your funds wisely so that everything on your indoor farm runs in a proper way and leads to healthier plants and increased yields.
Step 9: Seek Reviews and Recommendations
Say Hi to your fellow indoor gardeners. Bookish knowledge and direct experience aren’t the same thing. So, before making a final decision, you should seek reviews and recommendations from your fellow indoor crofters.
You can read about their experience related to grow lights. They can provide you with real-world performance, valuable insights, and reliability of different options.
While you seek reviews about specific grow lights, you should make sure the following checklist:
- Performance
- Durability
- Intensity
- Coverage Area
- Plant growth
- Yield Rate
- Cost
- Energy Efficiency
- Heat Stress
- Environmental and sustainability factors
Step 10: Explore Additional Features
Finally, don’t forget to check out the extra features certain grow lights offers. For instance, adjustable spectrum settings which permit you to customize the light output and match the different growth stages of your indoor plants.
Also, the timers feature helps automate the lighting schedule. And remote-control options increase the convenience of adjusting grow lights without needing to be physically near the grow lamps.
The Bottom Line
We hope you found the answer to “How to Choose the Right Grow Lights for Your Indoor Garden.” To recapitulate, selecting the right grow lights for your indoor plants might make you feel puzzled. But if you understand what houseplants thirst for instead of sunlight, you can surely pick the right grow lights for your indoor garden.
Despite this, our research indicates that Light Emitting Diodes, also known as LEDs, are the most advantageous choice among the many alternatives like high-intensity discharge (HID) lights and fluorescent lights.
LED grow lights are in the lead for two main reasons. Firstly, they stand out because of how well they use energy. Besides, LEDs grow lights save money and they are good for the environment. Also, LEDs use electricity much more efficiently than other types of lights.
Secondly, they outperform other types of lights regarding plant growth control. Also, LED grow lights discharge less heat, so they can be put close to plants without causing heat stress.
In short, LED grow lights are the best option for your indoor garden. They make it ideal for growing plants by producing low heat production, narrow light spectrum, and high efficiency.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How to Choose Grow Lights for Indoor Garden
To choose grow lights for your indoor plants, you have to make sure what your indoor plants need. It includes the amount of light, intensity of light, light spectrum, and amount of heat. Also, you must consider other important factors based on the different stages of the plants before choosing a grow lights.
2. Which Grow Lights Is Better for My Indoor Garden?
Overall, LED (Light-Emitting Diode) grow lights are suitable for indoor cultivation compared to other types of lighting like fluorescent bulbs, incandescent, and HIDs bulbs.
3. How Bright Should Grow Lights Be for Indoor Plants?
Standard tropical house plants need full spectrum bulbs with a good green-blue balance. The majority of houseplants thrive with 20 to 25 watts per square foot or 500 lumens.
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