It’s no secret that plants need light to grow. Even low-light plants, like ZZ or snake plants, still need indirect light to thrive. When growing plants indoors, you have to take advantage of the brightest windows, but even then, you sometimes need more.

Whether you’ve started growing indoor lettuce during the dark days of winter, or you’ve run out of room in your plant paradise, every plant lover eventually needs more light. To help you in your search, here’s a guide to choosing the best grow lights for your plants.

How much wattage do I need to grow indoors?

The simple answer is: it has nothing to do with wattage.

Wattage is a measure of electricity consumption, and while it helps to know how much wattage your grow lights use (so you can make more economical, energy-efficient choices), it really has nothing to do with how much energy your plants need to grow .

Rather than looking at how many wattages your grow lights are using, it’s more important to understand the growth spectrum measured in micromoles (µmol). You’ll need anywhere from 180 to 1300 µmol to grow plants with grow lights, depending on how light-hungry your plants are. Indoor plants are at the high end of the spectrum: they need 800 µmol to develop 85% of their natural potential, or 1300 µmol to develop 100% of their natural potential. On the other hand, kitchen herbs, salads, and other foliage plants only need 180–380 µmol.

For spectra between 400–700 nanometers (nm), you can use a PAR meter to determine the intensity of your grow lights in moles — in other words, any spectrum suitable for plant growth.

Grower’s Choice ROI E420

Features:

Utilizing Grower’s Choice proven 3K full PAR spectrum, this LED is perfect for professional cultivators and grow enthusiasts alike, who require a powerful LED fixture with a lower profile frame. This new, sleek LED is also perfect for hobby growers or entry-level professional cultivators who want to maximize their yields while working with limited space. The ROI-e420 is controllable with Grower’s Choice Master Controllers and is compatible with all quality master controllers. Cultivators can set the fixture to turn off and on at desired times, program sunrise/sunset settings, program dimming options and set protective fail-safes to dim or turn off the fixture in the event of excessive room temperatures, such as in the event of an HVAC failure, potential saving gardens from heat damage.

Spectrum King LowPro Veg 420 Watt LED Grow Light

Features:

The Spectrum King LED Grow Light is designed for commercial and large growers who do vertical farming on the shelf. The LowPro Veg 420 Watt Grow Light makes it easier than ever to grow plants on a shelf close to the plant. This incredible light produces great coverage with only 6 inches to 3 feet of clearance from your plants. With its low-profile profile and easy installation, we’ve made it super easy to grow plants on shelves close to them. Add manual dimmers for finer control or larger installations Get our remote power system and program your light schedules, levels, group sections together…

How Do You Pick The Best Grow Lights?

No matter whether you’re an absolute beginner or a seasoned grower, using the right kind of lighting is absolutely vital for your grow results. Lighting quality is a substantial factor determining successful development and yields of your plants. If you’re looking to buy grow lights, however, you’ll soon find out that there are lots of options to consider, with heaps of technical info to take in.

So how do you find your way in the confusing world of grow lights? Allow us to help you on your way with some useful grower tips.

First off, you’ll need to consider the various factors that influence your choice of the best grow lights. These include the costs of purchasing and using lamps, the surface of the room where you intend to grow, ventilation, and the various stages in the life cycle of your plants.

Costs Of Grow Lights
When you set out to find the perfect grow lights, you’ll soon notice how easy it is to spend a fortune on your equipment. It may be a good idea to determine your budget before you begin, so you’ll know what your spending limits are. Sure enough, there are lamps that will set you back less than 100 euros, but these are probably low-quality bulbs that are unlikely to produce the light spectrum you need. Still, there is no need to go for the most expensive equipment out there, either.

Consider how often you intend to harvest, and whether your grow goals make big investments worthwhile. In addition to the costs of purchasing lighting, you may want to take into account how much power your preferred lights will use.

In fact, energy consumption of your grow lights can weigh heavily on the overall costs of growing plants. HID bulbs such as xenon lights are relatively cheap to, but their energy use can still make them expensive on the long term. LED lights, by contrast, are more expensive to buy, but they are much more energy-efficient and usually last longer, making them more sustainable and more affordable in the long run.

Ventilation
Ventilation and air circulation are also factors to take into account when picking grow lights. What is the usual temperature, and how do drafts and air currents contribute to its climate? Does the room serve other purposes (i.e., is it also a bedroom)? That can be a factor if you use lights that generate lots of heat. Going for LED lights may be a smart move here, since they don’t emit much heat. If the room has a natural chill, heat-emitting lights may be a better choice instead.

Grow Phase
The phases of the plant life cycle also determine which lights work best. Young plants in the vegetative phase need lighting with different wavelengths than flowering plants. It makes sense to consider these differences when choosing your grow lights.

The first stage of growth is the germination stage, right after your seeds pop. At this vulnerable stage, blue light is most effective just as it is throughout the remainder of the grow phase. Be careful with your fragile seedlings though: intense lighting or lamps that are too close to the plants can cause stretching problems.

Throughout the vegetative phase, plants mainly need light ranging in the blue end of the spectrum. This lighting spectrum is expressed in nanometres, representing the wavelengths of different frequencies. Throughout the growth phase, you’ll mostly need blueish light with wavelengths ranging between 400 and 500nm. This type of lighting encourages activity of leaf surface stomata, boosting the pace of photosynthesis and speeding up healthy growth.

Light in the blue end of the spectrum.
This does not imply, however, that you can just use any random bulb and slap a blue filter over it. Be sure to check whether your intended grow lights can handle this part of the spectrum, and the ease with which you can switch from one part of the spectrum to the next.

By the end of the vegetative phase, you can gradually switch from blueish light to frequencies that approach the red end of the spectrum. This simulates the transition from spring to midsummer, when the days are starting to grow shorter in outdoor conditions.

Conclusion

Lighting is the most important factor affecting the growth of indoor plants and the first thing to check for plant decline. This is especially noticeable in winter, when houses get less light. Choosing grow lights for your houseplants may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be; there are plenty of great options out there. The LED grow lights above will help your plants grow better. Thanks for reading!