Grow Lights for Home and Garden
As we approach the shortest day of the year and officially enter into the winter season, many of us may be looking for a little extra life and light to warm up our spaces. Indoor grow lights can satisfy both needs, stimulating plant growth year-round and bringing added brightness to living spaces even on the darkest days of winter.
Christmas cactus under 9W GE grow bulb.
Light in adequate quantity and quality is one of the most important factors for plant growth. During the cold season, lower temperatures and light levels may require use of grow lights to sustain and establish tender plants. Although many low light houseplants do not require supplemental lighting, most edibles, large floor-plants (fiddle-leaf fig), succulents and flowering ornamentals (e.g. African violet and orchids) will benefit from lamps.
Starting seeds with a Sansi 15W LED E26 bulb using a gooseneck desk lamp.
Generally speaking, plants need significant quantities of blue and red wavelengths of light to perform photosynthesis. People can also respond and benefit from exposure to those spectra. Blue light is known to be an energizing component of daylight, it helps suppress the melatonin hormone and is a common component of cool-white colored bulbs. Soft and warm bulbs tend to be more on the warm spectrum and are often used for flowering plants and in bedrooms because it allows for melatonin release and promotes sleep.
Dill growing under warmer 32W LED bulb from GE vs cooler 15W bulb from Phillips
Lighting options for indoor horticulture have been covered in previous articles. Like many light bulbs in homes or office building, LEDs are a popular option for plant production because of their energy efficiency, low heat and highly customizable color options. And there are increasingly more LED grow lights sold to fit standard light sockets and produce full spectrum i.e. white-colored light that is visually pleasing for us humans. This allows for grow bulbs to be used in fixture all around the house in concert with our traditional lighting needs—think desk lamps or artful pendant light.
No matter what you choose… May your days be happy, your heart be light, your Holiday merry and the New Year bright!
