Artificial light can be very effective for indoor houseplants! Of course, all light is not created equal. Just like you may need to move your houseplant around before you find the proper natural light, you may need to adjust your grow light to find a setup that makes your plant happy. Consider the Unique Light Requirements of Your Respective Plant– plants have varying light needs. Some plants require high light intensities, while others thrive in low light conditions. It’s essential to research each plant’s specific light requirements to provide the right amount of light to grow and thrive. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum): Recognized for its arching green and white variegated leaves, it is easy to grow under artificial light. With 3.5 square feet of space on each tier, you should have plenty of room for seedlings and a variety of other plants. Meanwhile, two full-spectrum fluorescent bulbs cover a large growing area. High-tech reflectors direct light downward, reducing glare and encouraging plant growth.

The beauty of indoor grow lights is they allow herbs, seeds, houseplants, and flowers to flourish year-round. However, they need the right amount of sunlight and darkness to thrive. Johnson says that for germination and seedlings, you can run lights 16 to 18 hours per day until they are a few inches tall. "As they mature," she adds, "you can slowly reduce to get them on a similar light pattern for spring before you transplant them.” Light intensity is the brightness of light. The amount of light produced by a bulb is measured in a variety of ways and, unfortunately, two different bulbs may report their light output using different measurements, making it hard to compare. The distance between a light source and a plant impacts the light intensity.

Short day indoor plants, such as chrysanthemum, Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti and poinsettia, require short days to flower. You cannot reflower them indoors unless they are grown in short days. If lighting a wall or other flat surface, position lights with enough space between to prevent a continuous bath of light. The idea is to add depth with intermittent light washes. Choose the Appropriate Light Spectrum– plants primarily use the light spectrum’s blue (400-500 nm) and red (600-700 nm) parts for photosynthesis. Blue light primarily serves the growth of leaves and stems, while red light helps flowering and fruit production. I recommend full-spectrum grow lights as they mimic natural sunlight and provide a balanced spectrum. Some LED lights are even able to turn certain diodes on and off. That means you can start with blue light during vegetative growth and then phase in more red light as your plant begins to flower. Pros:

The houseplants listed below are some of the best plants for low light conditions, and several are very easy to grow. Dragon Tree – DracaenaLow-light plants require little to no direct light. In their native growing environments, these plants are “understory plants” meaning they grow underneath the branches of larger plants.

If plants don’t receive enough light, they will become stunted and experience an overall decline in health. If you’ve ever placed a plant in a dark room, you know what we’re discussing. Above: A daytime view of bullet lights installed at the base of a manicured installment of trees in a project by Coen + Partners. Photograph by Paul Crosby. There are various types of Begonia including tuberous, fibrous-rooted, and rhizomatous. Fibrous-rooted and rhizome-forming Begonias are the best type for indoor cultivation; avoid the tuberous Begonias.Pothos (Epipremnum aureum): A trailing plant with heart-shaped leaves, pothos is adaptable to various lighting conditions. The wavelength of light relates to the color that humans perceive. Plants absorb light between 400-700 nm for photosynthesis. Therefore, this range of light is known as photosynthetic active radiation (PAR). However, plants absorb blue light (400-500 nm) and red light (600-700 nm) the best. Incandescent bulbs are the least-expensive option, but they’re also the least energy efficient. They also have fairly high heat outputs, which is not the most ideal growing condition. Growing Season Keeping houseplants alive can be a strenuous task. You need to place them in the proper location to make sure they get the right amount of light, and you have to water them correctly — because there is such a thing as overwatering your plants. Although water is, thankfully, easy to find in most places, proper lighting may not be. You might live in a place that doesn't face the sun, your home may not have a lot of windows or perhaps putting your plants in a certain place in your house doesn't fit your aesthetic. That's where indoor grow lights come in: You can use them to properly care for your plants no matter your lighting situation.