Grow Lights for healthy Indoor plants

Indoor grow lights - a light solution for your indoor plants

Indoor plants make the house a home. Plants need light, as much as they need water and nutrition; grow lights are the best solution to growing healthy indoor plants. Without adequate lighting, which is common indoors, your plants tend to grow scraggy and look unsightly The leaves usually become yellow and plants die out soon enough. Grow lights are a blessing to plant lovers who are busy and have very little time for their plants. They ensure that your plants have enough light and remain healthy and attractive all through the year. I find it very tedious to keep changing pots from one place to another in search of sunlight and grow light seems to be the welcome solution to my problem.

Indoor grow lights - your plants need them

Grow lights are essential to keep your plants healthy through the long winter months. They keep your plants active and growing. If you are growing seedlings in large numbers then you could count on grow lights to make your seedling and your hobby or business flourish. You cannot afford to overlook the benefits of grow lights if you have flowering indoor plants. Grow lights keep your plants blooming all through the year, making your house colorful even during the long winter months.

What you need to know while using grow light for indoor plants

Understanding and caring for your plants is as important as buying them. Some plants need more water and more light than others. Knowing your plants can help you provide the right environment for growth. When you buy plants get some information about what they like and don’t like. This will make caring for them easier and safer. Many indoor plants die just due to over-watering.

Not all indoor plants require the same amount of light. Some need intense lighting, while others don’t. Choosing your indoor grow lighting system according to the needs of your plants is very important. Foliage plants need cool blue grow lights as they encourage the plant to be stocky and grow more leaves.

Flowering plants like African violets, euphorbia milli, adenium etc. need red light to bloom, it would benefit to use a combination of cool blue white light and warm yellow white light for your plants. This is a natural phenomenon with sunlight which has a complete spectrum of colors that plants need for healthy growth, blooming and to produce fruits.

Plants need rest too, so the lights need to be on only for a part of the day. A safe bet would be to keep the light on for a maximum of 8-10 hours. Plants need to respire, as much as they need to grow, so be considerate to your plants and they will reward you will with their healthy luscious looks and flowers.

Tips for safe and efficient use of indoor grow lights

Placing indoor plants at the right temperature is important. Placing the plant too close to the grow light bulb could cause serious burns to your plant. A good way to judge the right distance is to put your hand where the top of the foliage would reach and check - it should not feel warm.

Rotate the plants often, may be once in ten days to ensure that all your plants get sufficient light.

Flowering plants and colored foliage like coleus or crotons can be placed directly under the bulb while the foliage plants can thrive on the sides.

It would still be a great idea to rotate the plants, naturally there are bright days and cloudy days. So keeping things as close to nature as possible is the key.

Bulbs need to be cleaned periodically so that your plants get maximum advantage from the light. Dust and grime tend to reduce the intensity of light to as low as 50% at times.

Changing bulbs as they blacken is necessary as you plants may not be getting the light they need.

Choosing grow lights for indoor plants

Incandescent grow lights These are the common kind we use in our homes. They provide intense light and heat which is great for flowering plants but not for foliage. Yet care should be taken to keep plants at a safe distance.

Fluorescent grow lights provide more light than the incandescent bulbs and are a cheaper and better option.

Full spectrum fluorescent grow lights provide a balance of cool white light and warm white light. This may be a wonderful choice if you want to use a mix of plants under them. You need not worry about whether they are foliage plants or flowering plants.

LED grow lights are the best, as they are energy efficient. LED grow lights last for 4 to 8 years due to which frequent replacement of bulbs is not required.
They do not produce excessive heat like incandescent lights and plants can be placed close to without fear of plants getting burnt.
Due to the reduction in heat, period between watering cycles is longer. Your effort in looking after the plants is also reduced considerably.

Now sit back and enjoy your plants as they grow and bloom under your indoor grow lights without you having to do much to care for them. Wishing you more colorful days ahead!