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Make Indoor Plants Thrive with LED Lighting
LED lights seem to be everywhere these days—even gardeners are hopping on the trend by using LED lighting to grow and maintain indoor plants. As highly efficient LED lights are becoming more widely available, gardeners are recognizing the numerous advantages they have over traditional plant lights.
LED Lamps vs. Traditional Plant Lights
Traditional lamps used for indoor gardening burn out periodically and can get really hot, potentially burning the gardener or the plant and its roots. They are also known for being highly inefficient.
An LED light bulb, on the other hand, can last up to 50,000 hours, never gets too hot, and is recyclable. The LED lamps can be placed closer to plants without the worry of overheating the soil and stunting a plant’s growth. They’re also much lighter in weight and are less fragile than their traditional counterparts.
A lot of heavy equipment is needed when using traditional grow lamps for an indoor garden. The lights cannot be mounted in different ways, necessitating the use of inconvenient light reflectors. LED lighting for indoor plants is customizable, as the lamps can be placed above a plant, to its side, or wherever it would benefit the plant best. The effects of natural sunlight can be mimicked by placing the small lights around the plant, which is beneficial for long or cascading plants.
Advantages of Gardening Indoors with LED Lights
Because the LED light is so efficient, using only 6-9 Watts, it will save a gardener hundreds of dollars in energy bills. The low voltage also reduces the risk of accidental fires or electric shocks in wet areas. The long-lasting LED light bulbs, which don’t experience degradation, rarely need replacing. Because LED lights don’t contain vapors, mercury or glass, they are easy and safe to replace.
Different plants respond better to certain colors of light, and LED lights come in a variety of colors, which means gardeners can purchase the color of lighting best suited for their indoor plants' needs. Plants can use this targeted light more efficiently than broad-spectrum, receiving light that’s bright enough for their well-being but that won’t create a white-light glare to the human eye. Without the annoyance of an overwhelming light, gardeners can display their plants in a common area of the house instead of having to leave them in a basement or garage.
The payoff for using LED indoor gardening lights is not only being able to grow plants in your living room or office, but seeing a plant’s flowers bloom more vibrantly for a longer period of time. Natural light is the best for plants, but the hot sun can cause soft petals to fade, form dark spots, or burn. The LED light will protect flowers from developing blemishes, which is great news for those who love to grow roses and other delicate plants.
Tips for Indoor Gardening with LED Lights
Gardening with LED lights is a bit different than gardening with a traditional lamp, so here are some tips to help you get started:
Don’t overwater. A person who is used to gardening with a traditional indoor lamp may be accustomed to giving their flora extra water because of the heat produced. With LED lights, however, these gardeners tend to overwater their plants. Since the LED lights produce significantly less heat, plants experience less water evaporation, eliminating the need to water plants as often.
Provide some heat. Because LED lights are lower in temperature, an indoor gardener needs to make sure the plants are kept in a room that’s 70-80°F, or the plants will grow slower. Some indoor plants, such as tomatoes, benefit from higher temperatures, so adding a small 60 Watt light bulb may be necessary at times.
Allow for some down time. Just as plants benefit from the light, they also benefit from the dark. Plants need rest, and they like the darkness; absorbing and using light causes them to work, which can make them tired. Consult with a gardening specialist to see how much light a plant should get on a daily basis.
The benefits from using LED lights for indoor gardening are endless. Now anyone can have the little garden of their dreams in their home even if they don’t have a window sill or a lot of space with the help of a little creativity and a good LED lamp.
~ Flora Richards-Gustafson, 2010
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