Greenhouse plants do well in natural light for most of the year. However, to keep your plants flourishing year-round, you may need supplemental grow lights. For example, the light may be blocked by trees, shelves, or even other plants; or the days may be too short to provide your plants with enough bright light.

Whether you’re just starting out or an experienced greenhouse gardener, grow lights are a great addition to any greenhouse. These artificial lighting systems can supplement or even completely replace natural light, as long as you choose the right one for your gardening needs. Factors such as lighting, cost, and light spectrum are all important considerations when choosing grow lights for your greenhouse.

If your greenhouse isn’t getting enough light, grow lights are the solution. The right amount of supplemental light not only enhances photosynthesis, but also speeds up germination and guarantees healthy flowers. Read on to find out everything you need to know about choosing the right grow lights for your greenhouse, plus our advice for you!

Why use grow lights instead of sunlight for houseplants?

The most obvious reason to use grow lights rather than just the sun is convenience. This means you can grow plants anywhere there is an electrical outlet. North-facing kitchens, windowless basements, balconies shaded by neighboring buildings — it doesn’t matter. Grow lights offer the opportunity to grow in areas that have no natural light at all.

Another big reason is consistency. Don’t worry about a period of cloudy weather at the height of fruit development and limiting your growth. You will always have enough light. It also allows you to grow plants year-round, no matter how short or snowy the days are.

Spider Farmer G5000 480W Full Spectrum LED Grow Light

Features:

Spider Farmer led grow light has a unique elongated light bar design, which provides more even and comprehensive canopy coverage. Equipped with 1680 high-efficiency diodes, the G5000 LED grow light delivers 480 watts, achieving an impressive 2.8 umol/J PPE, covering a highly productive full-cycle grow of 4x4 feet. The G5000 Grow Light is a full-spectrum LED grow light (660–665nm, 3200–4200K, 4800–5000K) with different wavelengths of light, perfect for every stage of plant growth. The dimming button can adjust the brightness of the light, 10–100% dimming to meet the needs of plant growth.

ECO Farm SP-400 Samsung Foldable Dimmable Full Spectrum LED Grow Light

Features:

This ECO Farm LED grow light uses high-quality and durable drivers and 6 passively cooled light bars to provide full-spectrum and wide-coverage light for vegetable and flowering growth stages. This plant growth lamp has a high energy efficiency of 2.8umol/J and can produce a total PPF output of 1176 umol/J. It creates a uniform light spread in a place very close to the crop canopy, and provides for indoor planting, greenhouses and planting tents. A great effect. Compared with conventional similar wattage HPS solutions, LED lights can achieve 30–40% HVAC capacity and up to 30–60% increase in output. The ECO Farm LED plant growth light has a built-in 0–100% dimming control knob to control the dimming ability. Up to 100 lamps can be connected in a daisy chain. IP65 wet environment protection grade, waterproof and dustproof. The LED plant growth lamp adopts high-quality aluminum heat sink design to efficiently dissipate heat. It has no additional fans, and the quiet planting environment has zero noise.

Phlizon FD4000 Plant Led Grow Light

Features:

The upgraded PHLIZON FD4000 450W high-efficiency LED ceiling light with daisy chain function is specially designed for greenhouse and indoor applications, and is very suitable for full-cycle growth. The elegant design minimizes the interference of sunlight and at the same time provides more opportunities to enter the plant canopy. The ultra-efficient and compact design of the built-in driver utilizes thick waterproof aluminum skin to provide excellent heat dissipation and longevity. Efficient full-spectrum SMD chips provide ideal conditions for providing consistent crop quality. The daisy chain dimming function allows gardening professionals to adjust the PPFD to improve performance and yield.

Rayonled GLMF400W LED Grow Light

Features:

This LED grow light is the latest products from Rayonled’s team of lighting bioengineers. Backed by their impressive expertise in LED technology, this medical-grade unit has everything to appeal to both hobby and commercial growers. The GLMF400 is designed for plants in the vegetative stage the spectrum minimizes the stretch and allows for better and faster root structure, bigger stems and more dense leaves. From the spectrum to the certifications, it has been thoughtfully crafted to compete with the top grow light on the market.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Grow Lights

When choosing grow lights, you need to ask yourself the following questions to make the best choice:

How big is the garden?
Will you be using grow lights to start the seeds or a year round growing cycle?
How tall are mature plants?
How complicated is the setup?
How often should you change light bulbs?
Should the light bulb be fixed or moving?
How Energy Efficient Are Grow Lights?

Enough grow lights should be installed to cover the space for even lighting. You must measure the space and consult an expert to determine how many grow lights to use.

It’s also important to determine how you’re going to use your grow light — will you use it when the seeds are starting to grow or throughout the growing season? If you plan to use grow lights throughout the growing season, use grow lights that are low maintenance and long-lasting. If you choose LED grow lights, you will save more electricity and maintenance costs, because the bulbs do not need to be replaced frequently and work with high power. A light bulb can last nearly ten years.

Setup is equally important — do you want a fixed position for your grow lights, or do you want to install casters so you can turn your grow lights around in various areas of your garden?

Energy efficiency is critical because some grow light types consume more electricity than others. In general, those substances that consume more energy generate more heat. In a greenhouse, heat is trapped. If the temperature is not controlled, the heat will kill the plants. This is why it is crucial to choose grow lights that generate very little heat.

Conclusion

In this guide, we have tried to emphasize the importance of different grow lights for plants.

There is no doubt that even with artificial light sources, we can grow the plants of our choice and ensure that they are also properly maintained in the long run.