This is arbitrary because while any LED can support plant growth, the light source must cover the entire spectrum needed for photosynthesis, flowering, and growth. In this article, we noted that while any LED light can grow plants, it is best to use LED lights designed for horticulture to ensure that your plants thrive in all stages of growth.
As you’ll see in this article, the answer largely depends on the type of plants you’re trying to grow, the time of year, and your home’s exposure to natural light. This is a very simple answer, in fact all you have to do is consider how long a plant needs light in its normal habitat or is naturally exposed to light.
You should aim for 14-16 hours of light per day, but just as important as proper lighting is getting your plants to rest during the night. Adding an extra couple of hours of light in winter: If your plants only get a few hours of light in winter, a lamp can give them a little boost.
When you have a plant that you don’t really want to grow anymore, some plants grow big and unruly and you can get it the size you want, but you want it to be a feature. Even if you have placed your houseplant where it gets some sunlight, you may need to provide it with extra light if it is not showing normal growth. A plant that doesn’t get enough sunlight will show this in stunted growth, wilted leaves, and yellow leaves at the bottom of the plant.
These lamps are known to generate a lot of heat, so they should be placed away from the plant if you are planting plants using this type of light. According to various gardeners, these bulbs are the cheapest to use as they have a full spectrum containing red and blue light which are great for indoor plants. Fluorescent lights do not get hot, so they can be placed near plants. With good LED bulbs, they use fewer watts (electricity) and produce brighter light than conventional grow lights.
Because they use less electricity and emit less heat, LED bulbs are much better suited for indoor gardening than fluorescent or incandescent bulbs. Fluorescent lights stay cool enough to be placed next to plants and use far less energy per lumen (the amount of light they emit) than incandescent bulbs, saving you on the bill. Halogen and CFL lamps have a much better yield for plants than incandescent lamps.
However, regular LEDs usually don’t have enough light output or power to help plants bloom. In addition, conventional LEDs usually do not have the optimal color spectrum of light required for growth. The general answer is yes, but you need to consider the fact that while some conventional LED grow lights are nearly as efficient as LED grow lights, most do not emit the specific color spectrum required for plant growth.
In order to successfully grow plants using LEDs, you need LED grow lights that emit a certain color spectrum and a sufficient level of intensity. As a general rule, yes, you can use any LED grow light, especially white LEDs, as they have a good mix of different wavelengths that plants need. Regular LEDs MAY emit enough light of a certain color to help your plants in very small amounts.
Some plants grow even more efficiently indoors with LED lighting than outdoors, especially if the wavelength of light emitted by the LED is sized for maximum plant growth. Obviously, these plants need the full spectrum of light, given that the main purpose of growing indoors is to mimic natural growing conditions.
However, these wavelengths are present in specific ratios that are ideally balanced in plant-optimized LED luminaires to meet the needs of plants. The problem with regular LEDs is that they mainly emit green and yellow wavelengths, which most houseplants don’t use for energy production.
Conventional LED bulbs cannot be used for growing, although they can emit some of the wavelengths required by plants. Regular LED bulbs can also help your plants, the white light they emit is good for plants but they are not as complex in terms of light spectrum as grow lights nor do they provide enough power needed for many garden plants in the apartment. So instead of buying a lot of regular LED bulbs, I would recommend opting for LED or compact fluorescent bulbs, which are traditionally cheaper and give good results as they only need to be placed 6-7 inches from your plants.
Regular incandescent bulbs may be helpful for some plants, but are the least effective at helping plants grow. Incandescent light bulbs are the cheapest technology, but they are also the most energy efficient and have a relatively high heat output. Fluorescent lights are more affordable and can be a good option if you’re new to home gardening or just growing a few plants.
Regular incandescent bulbs are not used for indoor growing because they generate too much heat and can burn tender foliage. The most popular types of indoor grow lamps are incandescent or fluorescent lamps, but you can also use LED lamps, halogen lamps, and traditional horticultural lamps such as high pressure sodium (HPS) and metal halide (MX) lamps. The most common types of lamps such as fluorescent lamps, incandescent lamps, high intensity discharge lamps (HID) and LED lamps can be used as a grow light source to keep plants healthy and thriving.
However, if you want to grow plants from seedling to maturity, regular bulbs may not be enough to cover the plants you need, especially red and blue wavelength grow lights. Since red, blue, and green light promote plant growth, you can assume that any standard LED will provide at least part of the spectrum of light required for growth. Since normal lighting will likely use a combination of red, green, and blue LEDs, the plant can definitely use some of the light it produces.
You want to give your houseplants a boost, but it seems silly to buy expensive plant lights when regular LEDs work just as well. You need bulbs that provide enough energy for plants to bloom, and many regular light bulbs won’t. For example, LEDs that are ideal for growing tomatoes may not be as effective for growing cannabis. So, if LEDs are needed to care for your houseplant in multiple steps, it is a good option to purchase a full spectrum or dimmable LED bulb.
But because LED technology is so customizable, each bulb is unique, and you need bulbs that produce the exact combination of red, blue, and other wavelengths your plants prefer. White light is great for plants, so white LED bulbs are great for growing.