Let's Talk Grow Lights
- fang&folium
- Mar 7
- 3 min read
How to supplement lighting to help your plants thrive!
Not providing adequate lighting is the number one reason plants fail to thrive. Plants need bright light, and what you may think is bright may actually be completely insufficient for most plants.
If a plant needs bright indirect, it should be receiving a minimum of 3 hours of direct sunlight each day. That means the suns rays need to actually touch the plant. Consider the direction your windows are facing and how much direct light actually enters your home each day.
North facing windows will provide the least amount of light.
South facing gives the most light. Plants can usually be placed up to 8 feet away from a south facing window and still receive adequate light each day.
East facing gives bright morning light, which is great for most plants requiring bright/indirect light.
West facing gives hot afternoon light, which is also great for most plants requiring bright/indirect light.
Cacti and succulents, which require direct sunlight, must be placed directly on a south facing windowsill - and even then will require regular rotation to prevent stretching.
If your windows do not provide enough light, or you've run out of available real estate next to your windows, you can easily supplement with artificial lights. You don't even need to buy a fancy grow light!
Light Bulbs
You just need a lamp fixture and a bright LED bulb - around 60w is best. I prefer daylight with higher kelvins. Such as this: A19 Light Bulb Pack
I also like Sansi grow light bulbs, such as these: Sansi Grow Light 3 Pack or these, which are SUPER bright Sansi A21 Bulb
Light Fixtures
Lamps with a shade are best. Here are some examples but if you're looking for a deal, check your local marketplace or thrift store!
Desk Lamps:
Floor Lamps
Grow Light Strips
Proper grow light trips certainly have their time and place. If you have a cabinet or shelf, these are very easy to install and provide excellent results. Barrina are my favourite brand.
IMPORTANT: The timers that come with the grow lights tend to malfunction, and will not resume if power is disrupted. Make sure you use an independent mechanical or digital timer.
Not Recommended: Multi-Head Grow Lights
I personally hate the multi-head grow-lights that are usually an offensive blurple colour. Not only is the colour unnecessary and overstimulating, they only last around 2 years max before the bulbs will start to die out. Since they can't be replaced, you have to throw out the whole fixture.
Using a lamp creates less waste since you only need to replace the light bulbs.
Timers
Nobody wants to be responsible for turning grow lights on and off each day. Set it and forget it with a mechanical timer. Digital timer options are also available, but I prefer mechanical for the following reasons:
Power outages when you are out of town: you may not be notified by app if your power goes out and digital timers sometimes need to be reset manually. If you have a mechanical timer, the timer will pick right back up where it left off when the power comes back on.
Very simple to use and program.
Connect a power bar to the timer if you have multiple lights to attach.
This is my favourite timer. Note it has two, 3-prong outlets. Some less expensive timers only have 2 prong outlets. I probably have over a dozen of these throughout my house and grow areas!
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