Kitchens by Riland

Plant lights are artificial sources of light used indoors to replace the natural light of the sun that plants need to grow. For this reason, they are also called grow lights and are extremely useful in the winter months to boost healthy seedlings. Most homes, even those in the Southern Areas do not get enough sunlight inside the homes in the beginning of spring. The light bulbs used in plant lights are LED, fluorescent, high-pressure sodium or halide. These are different from the compact fluorescent or incandescent light bulbs. Plants need only the orange or blue color spectrums of the sun’s light. They do not use the entire spectrum of the sun’s rays. Glow lights or glow lamps give out cool or warm light. Cool light lies in the blue color spectrum and is considered favorable for growth of foliage. Warm light lies in the orange color spectrum and is good for flowers and fruits. They are many kinds of plant lights:

Fluorescent plant lights: This kind of plant lights are the most popular choice for indoor gardening. They can be kept close to the plant but will not damage the plant. However, fluorescent light bulbs do not give out strong light and as such can be used to grow plants only about six to eight inches in height. They are most suitable for low light plants and seedlings. If you are using two fluorescent light bulbs to grow seedling, you can use one cool white bulb and one warm white bulb to achieve a good color balance. There are a variety of fluorescent light bulbs to choose from: standard fluorescents, compact fluorescents, HID hybrid and high output fluorescent lights.

Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium Plant Lights: metal halide lamps give out cool blue/ green/ violet light while high-pressure sodium lights supplement the metal halide lighting with warm orange/red light. The former is therefore used during the growth phase of a plant and the latter during its blooming phase. They must be kept 12 to 18 inches away from the plant and can be used to grow a plant about 24 inches in height. These are the most effective of all plant lights.

LED plant lights: Unlike other grow lights, LED lights use less energy and generate less heat. They provide all the light a plant needs, but do not stunt the plant. They last for 50, 000 hours and are recyclable.