Grow Lights for Indoor Plants

Learn about using grow lights for indoor plants to supplement the light in your home and help your houseplants grow and thrive.

We all know plants require sunlight to grow properly. The problem is that they often do not get enough natural light indoors. That means you need supplemental light or an artificial light source to supplement their exposure to daylight.

Here's what I use in my dining room. There is a large set of windows however, it is northwestern facing, so there isn't much light coming through. Southern facing windows are much better but still may not give you the amount of light you need.

More Indoor Gardening Ideas: Homemade Potting Soil.....Rolling Plant Stand from a Wood Crate.....DIY Industrial Pipe Plant Hanger.....DIY Hanging Basket Planter

This post contains some affiliate links (that means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, there’s no additional cost to you, but I will earn a very small commission. ) i.e. as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Clamp Lights with LED Grow Bulbs

I have used clamp lights attached to two ceiling hooks from the previous owner. This was before we added the industrial pipe plant hanger. I'm sure I could hang the clamps on the pipe as well. Often you'll see clamp fixtures like these used for photography. Two of these offer a decent amount of coverage area for the entire space.

You may need more or less depending on what types of plants you want to grow. Something like succulents requires a high amount of light, whereas low light plants such as snake plants or ferns will grow well in lower lighting conditions or set further away from the light source.

I'm using LED grow bulbs inside the clamp lights. This LED grow light is energy-saving, durable, and perfect for general purpose plant growth. More importantly, these light bulbs are cooler than regular lights to help with humidity, and they are full-spectrum light that mimics natural sunlight.

There are other types of grow lights, namely fluorescent grow lights, and some people like them for seedlings as they are much more affordable.  However, fluorescent lights don't offer as much light intensity and don't last very long.

Adding a Timer

I have both lights plugged into an electric timer set for 12 hours. This makes sure that the grow lights are on for twelve hours even if the sun is not.

You can also play around with the distance from the lights using hangers at different levels, or crates and stools to place plants closer or further away from the grow lights. Just keep an eye out for any burning leaves that would signal they are too close to the light.

During the summertime, I often move many, if not all, of these plants outside so they can enjoy the direct sunlight. However, during the rest of the year, I like to use grow lights indoors for growing beautiful and healthy plants.