What Color Light Do Tomato Plants Grow Best Under?

Tomato plants need adequate light for tomatoes to develop.

When selecting lighting for indoor gardening, the lights chosen must have enough intensity in the proper colors to be successful. If the lighting for tomato plants is not adequate, the plants will not bear fruit.

Requirements

Tomato plants need more than one type of light to grow. Although they don't need exposure to every color present in sunlight, blue and red light are required for proper development.

Red

Red light allows the plants to produce flowers and set fruit. Lack of red will cause tomatoes to fail. High-pressure sodium lights provide adequate red light but must be paired with other lights to be effective.

Blue

Blue is another crucial light wave color and is present in lights that are very high in intensity. Because these lights are strong in blue light but weak in red, they provide balance with the red lighting. Blue promotes foliage growth, but blue alone will not support tomato plants. Metal halide is an example of blue light.

References

• University of Florida IFAS Extension: How to Build a Plant Lighting System; Sydney Park Brown, Kathleen C. Ruppert, Kalmer D. Hendry and Bart Schutzman; November 2010
• National Gardening Association: The Light Stuff; Charlie Nardozzi