All green plants need adequate amounts of light for photosynthesis, a process through which plants synthesis nutrients from water and carbon dioxide. Some plants require less sunlight than others, but no plant can thrive in total darkness. That’s a recipe for death as far as plants are concerned.
But here’s the thing: House plants live indoors, where there is far less light compared to outside. So how can you ensure your plants grow normally indoors?
Well, the answer is artificial light. However, not all artificial lights are created the same. If you really care for your plants, you shouldn’t look past LED lights. Read on to know why that is so, how to use artificial light for plant growth, and answers to some more questions.
Why LED Light is Best for Indoor Plants?
LED stands for light emitting diodes. These bulbs are the most common type of grow light nowadays — and for good reasons. For starters, LED bulbs are supremely efficient, producing very little heat compared to their brightness. Also, you can find LED bulbs in a wide variety of options, screw-in replacement bulbs to stand alone desktop and clip-on fixtures and high-intensity greenhouse lights.
Furthermore, LED lights provide full spectrum lighting. That said, many LEDs can also be customized to the specific bandwidth required by your plants. On top of this, there are several LED bulbs which you can program to emit different levels of light intensity at different times of day. As a matter of fact, some also offer smart technology, enabling you to control your indoor lights through your smartphone.
Incandescent lights, on the other hand, are hardly a good choice for growing plants. That’s because they utilize only 10% of their energy as light and waste 90% as heat. So, unless you wish to cook your plants, these lights are hardly suitable for light-loving plants, such as ZZ Plant, Anthurium, Rubber Plant, Zanzibar Gem, or Devil’s Ivy.
There’s one more thing you must keep in mind. Not all LED lights are equally good. You should always opt for CRI90+ LED bulbs as they emit the most balanced light. On our website, you will only find CRI0-+ LEDs because we don’t compromise on quality.
How to Use Artificial Light for Plant Growth
Here are some tips to help you use artificial light in the best possible way for plant growth:
- Place the LED lights 6-12 inches from the plants. This way your plants will get adequate amount of light without the light overheating them
- Turn off the lights for approximately 8 hours every day. Generally speaking, use the LED lights for growing plants for roughly 12 to 16 hours a day.
- It is okay, sometimes even recommended, to change the light configuration. Moving your LED lights around a bit or keeping them on or off for a bit longer or less may have a considerable effect on the overall plant growth
Frequently Asked Questions
What Type of Grow Light is Best?
If you want to use artificial light for growing plants indoor, use LED light bulbs. That’s because they produce light that can cause plant growth, last a long time and are cheap to run, and are much cooler compared to incandescent bulbs and, as such, are less likely to burn plants.
How Many Lumens Do I Need for Indoor Plants?
For growing plants indoor, the optimal light is 7000 to 7500 lumens per square foot. However, for plants requiring only minimum lighting, roughly 2000 lumens per square foot should be fine.