Growing Plants Efficiently with Artificial Light

The unpredictable British weather can pose challenges for gardeners, especially when growing fruit and veg. Sunshine is crucial for a successful crop, and a dreary summer can lead to disappointing harvests. To overcome this, consider boosting your growing potential by planting crops indoors and using specially designed grow lights.

These lights can extend your plants' growing season, providing the necessary light all year round. With the right kind of artificial light, you can give your plants a helping hand and achieve the best possible results, regardless of the weather outside.

Top Tips for Growing Plants Indoors

Steve Alexander, owner of Chillies on the Web, uses grow lights to ensure he can cultivate the highest quality produce for his business, regardless of the weather. To grow the chillies sold on his website, Steve uses 30-watt T8 Gro-Lux lamps from LampShopOnline, which are specially designed to support plant growth in an indoor environment.

Here are Steve’s top tips on how to start growing your produce at home:

Plants of all types need good conditions, but the consistency of these conditions is crucial.
Providing a set amount of light for a specific duration each day helps plants generate a consistent amount of energy, leading to great plants that grow quickly.
Growing larger produce requires patience and commitment.
It's essential to have enough space to grow your crops successfully, so be prepared to clear space in your garage or shed for your growing projects.

What lights are necessary for different plants?

The lighting used for growing crops varies depending on the type of plant, so when setting up a growing room or greenhouse, a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work. Every plant has unique lighting needs and may respond differently to various light spectrums, which are colours within the full light spectrum. For example:

The BLUE SPECTRUM of light enhances leaf and vegetative growth.
The RED SPECTRUM encourages flowering.

However, it's possible to combine different coloured light spectrums to meet specific planting needs.

Choosing the right grow light for your plants is crucial to ensuring effective photosynthesis. You don’t need to invest in large, expensive lights for basic growing; small lights are generally sufficient for smaller produce. However, growing fruit and vegetables successfully requires more effort and will likely necessitate specific lighting.

The Benefits Of Different Types Of Grow Lighting

Fluorescent Grow Lights

They are excellent for stimulating the growth of seedlings.

They are capable of shining the full light spectrum.

They emit less heat than most other types of light, meaning that they can be put directly over seedlings without damaging them.

They are perfect for smaller areas, however, they aren’t suitable for supplying light to larger areas, such as a greenhouse.

T5 fluorescent lights are more efficient and lightweight than other fluorescent lights, making them particularly useful for plants.

T5 lights also produce a greater light intensity while using less energy.

Metal Halide Grow Lights

Metal halide grow lights emit the violet and blue light spectrum, which helps plants develop strong roots.

They are often used as a primary light source when sunlight is unavailable.

They last for long periods of time, averaging 10,000 hours.

This type of light also promotes leaf and vegetative growth and is therefore useful for green leafy vegetables.

Metal-halide lights are best used for starting off seedlings and supporting early plant development.

High-pressure Sodium Grow Lights

High-pressure sodium grow lights cast an orange and red light spectrum, which encourages flowering and fruiting in plants.

This type of spectrum is prevalent outdoors during the summer and autumn seasons.

These lights are most often used to encourage mature plants that are beginning to produce fruits.

They are best used in larger spaces, such as greenhouses, to supplement other light sources.

They can last for up to 18,000 hours.

LED Lights

Modern LED grow lights have revolutionised indoor gardening with their efficiency and customisable light spectra.
They offer benefits such as energy efficiency and lower heat output.
LED lights can be tailored to provide light for different growth stages.
High-quality LED lights mimic natural sunlight, promoting optimal photosynthesis and healthy plant development.
Their long lifespan and reduced electricity consumption make them a cost-effective and sustainable choice for growers.

Incandescent Lights

Incandescent lights cast a reddish-yellow spectrum but lack the amount of blue light required for successful growth.

They emit too much heat to be suitable for growing plants.

The only way that they can be used to benefit plants is when they supplement other lights for growing house plants.

Where should the light source be positioned for maximum effect?

Positioning grow lights at the correct distance from your plants is crucial. If the light is too far away, plants won't absorb enough light, hindering growth. Placing the light too close can burn the plants. A good test is to place your hand where the light hits the leaves; if you feel warmth, the light is too close.

The optimal distance varies by light type, but generally, grow lights should be positioned between 10 inches (25.4 cm) and 40 inches (101.6 cm) from the plant.

How much light do plants need?

As artificial light is used to emulate natural sunlight, plants need some time in the dark, just as they would outdoors. During the dark period, plants respire, which is essential for their growth process. The balance between rest time and active growth time also affects bud and fruit development. Therefore, it is important to periodically give your plants a break from grow lights.

Generally, a common light duration is 12 hours. However, botanists categorise plants into three types based on their preferred day length: short-day, long-day, or day-neutral. Adjusting light exposure according to these categories can optimise plant health and growth.

Short-day plants thrive on less than 12 hours of light per day. These include:

Chrysanthemums
Kalanchoe
Azaleas
Begonias
Poinsettias
Christmas Cacti

Long-day plants require at least 14 to 18 hours of light each day. These include most vegetables and garden flowers.

Lettuce
Spinach
Radishes
Potatoes
Petunias
Foxgloves

Day-neutral plants thrive on 8 to 12 hours of light all year round. These include:

Foliage plants
Geraniums
Coleus
African violets
Tomatoes
Peppers

How do I ensure that the plants are receiving the optimum amount of light?

Here are some tips to help keep your grow lights in good condition and ensure your plants thrive:

Rotate and Rearrange Plants: Rotate and, if possible, rearrange your plants weekly. This ensures each side of the plant receives an even amount of light. Fluorescent tubes emit more light from the centre than the ends, so plants in the centre receive more light than those on the edges.
Monitor and Replace Ageing Bulbs: Keep an eye on the bulbs and replace them as they age. For fluorescent tubes, ageing is evident when the ends of the tube darken. The light output of bulbs diminishes over time, with old tubes potentially emitting less than half the light of new ones.
Clean Bulbs Regularly: The amount of light emitted from a bulb can be significantly reduced if it is dirty or dusty. Clean all fluorescent bulbs monthly to ensure they emit the maximum amount of light.

Plants in the Spotlight

Choosing the right lighting for your plants can seem challenging, but grow lights are readily available at LampShopOnline, including our extensive grow lights range. Simply check the recommended lighting for your particular plant’s requirements, and you can easily find the correct lighting combination from our wide range of bulbs.

Using the correct lighting gives you the best chance of growing year-round, healthy, and happy plants, no matter what the Great British weather throws at us. If you need any help, call the LampShopOnline team on 0113 417 0115.