The best grow lights for indoor plants will ensure your green babies are thriving, even when skies are gray and temperatures are less than ideal.
It can feel challenging tending to leafy friends during if the weather isn't playing ball or your small pace is lacking natural light. That's where grow lights can step in to fill the void.
If you're attempting to keep your collection of indoor plants in tip-top shape this winter and beyond, we found some budget-friendly selections on Amazon that will step in when the sun is out of office.
The best grow lights for indoor plants
Paris Lalicata, a community associate and plant education director at The Sill, notes that with the proper tools, anything is possible. Gardening in an apartment is definitely a reality, largely thanks to these artificial substitutions for sunshine.
"When using grow lights you want to ensure you have them placed at the proper distance from your plants, depending on the intensity of the bulb," Paris notes. "This helps to ensure the grow light isn't too far away inhibiting growth, or too close which can cause chlorosis. Generally, you can keep grow lights on from anywhere between eight to16 hours depending on your plants' needs."
These little lifesavers can get pricey. If you're interested in a splurge, Paris recommends investing in Soltech products, but if you want something more accessible, we scoured Amazon reviews for a few fan-favorite, wallet-friendly selections.
And if you're in need of a leafy addition to go with the light, the best plants for an indoor garden will do nicely — and the best self-watering planters, all under $20, will help them out when you're feeling a little frazzled by the watering schedule.
What to shop
Whilst we have not tested these items in-house or at home, we have spent hours searching for grow lights online, reading product specs, paying attention to customer reviews, product ratings, and comparing price points when curating this shopping edit.
We found several selections to help plant parents of various experience and plant-growing skills.
Price: $29.99
Customers are drawn to this particular grow light for a number of reasons: it's easily maneuverable, the tripod can tend to collections of all sizes by extending from 15 to 48 inches, and its timed settings from three, six, and 12-hour intervals help keep leafy friends in check when plant parents are not by the clock. There are a variety of different-colored lights to tend to plant needs: blue LEDs to help with chlorophyll synthesis (the plant's powerhouse), red LEDs to assist in the germination process, and warm and cold white lights to enhance photosynthesis (how it makes energy) and chlorophyll synthesis, respectively.
Price: $25.99
This light aims to provide similar strength to full-spectrum sunlight at noon, right in your living room. Clip this sucker onto your side table and let your little group of greens flourish. Shoppers find the light to be warm and effective, but not overwhelming. If you have lots of little succulents and such scattered throughout your home, this is a perfect, cost-friendly selection. The sturdy clip means even if you are short of counter, table, or shelf space to pop a light, you can attach it wherever you need and use the bendy, lengthy goose neck to position it where needed.
Price: $8.99
Don't need the structure, just the bulb? Turn to this Amazon bestseller. With over 7,000 five-star reviews, plant parents continue to return to this bulb for all of their lighting needs. It's helpful throughout all stages of the plant growth cycle and works well with leafy greens, and produce such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and herbs, perfect for your indoor herb or veg garden.
Meet our expert
Paris is a community associate and plant education director at The Sill, which was founded on the notion that plants make us happier, healthier humans. The self-taught expert has over 200 plants in her own collection, so she's the perfect go-to for those who need assistance with their plants and champions the positives of using grow lights to help your plants thrive.
Now that you have the (faux) sunshine situation squared away, it's time to concern yourself with aesthetics. We can help! There are plenty of adorable plant pots that make a statement and keep your greens secure.
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