How to Use Grow Lights for Plants
Plants need light like people need food. The plants absorb sunlight through their foliage and use the energy to convert carbon dioxide into sugars and starches for growth. Plants that do not get enough sunlight may appear weak and spindly, or growth stunted. Houseplants are often selected for growing indoors because they have low light requirements and can survive well on the light from windows. But in some homes, natural light is not sufficient. Grow lights can help supplement the lighting requirements of plants in low light situations. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Determine the lighting needs of your plant. Most plants fall into one of three categories: low-light, medium-light and high-light plants. Desert plants such as yucca require a high amount of light. Most tropical plants and popular houseplants such as spider plants, devil's ivy and mother in law's tongue are examples of low-light plants. Medium light plants include palms such as the bamboo palm and the kenta palm. The plant tag in a garden center will usually indicate the light requirements of the plant.
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Select grow lights based on the frequency in the color spectrum that they emit. Most plants do not use light in the yellow and green spectrum. Instead they use light from the red and blue spectrum. Lighting options include cool fluorescent tubes, light emitting diodes and high intensity discharge bulbs. High intensity discharge bulbs emit the best light but also burn hotly. Light emitting diodes do not emit heat and produce light within the correct color spectrum, but often do not produce enough light to be effective. Cool fluorescent lights do not emit much heat but often have to be supplemented with red incandescent bulbs in order to produce light within the correct spectrum for a plant.
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Position the lights based on the plant's light needs. The more powerful the light and the higher the plant's lighting requirements, the closer the plant must be to the light. Low light requiring houseplants such as devil's ivy or spider plants may be placed as far away as 4 feet away from a 40 watt fluorescent light tube. By contrast, plants with high lighting needs should be placed less than 1/2 foot away from a fluorescent lamp that contains four tubes with a combined wattage of 1,000 watts. In general, most plants should be placed no more than 12 inches from a light source. The intensity of the source may then be changed based on the plant's needs.
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