A grow light turns a dark shelf or windowless room into a garden. The good news: modern LEDs are cheap, cool, and easy. The trick is picking the right kind and using it on a timer.
What to buy
- Full-spectrum white LED, around 2000–4000 K. The purple "blurple" lamps work but are harsh on your eyes and no better.
- Enough light, not just a bulb. A shelf under a strip light beats a single bulb across the room.
- A timer. Plants want a day/night cycle. Run 12–14 hours.
Distance matters
Keep the light 15–45 cm above foliage. Too close scorches; too far stretches the plant. Adjust by watching growth.Who needs one
Windowless rooms, north-facing flats in winter, and anyone growing herbs, succulents or calathea that wants more than the home gives. Start with a shelf light over your thirstiest plants.
Can any LED bulb work?
Only if it's full-spectrum and bright enough. A regular household bulb is too dim and wrong colour for growth.
How many hours a day?
12–14 for most. Too little and plants stretch; too much and they never rest.
Picking the right setup
For a shelf of plants, a full-spectrum LED bar is cheaper and easier than bulbs on a stand. Look for "full-spectrum" and a colour temperature around 3000–4000 K (a warm-white that's easy on the eyes and still grows well). Avoid the purple "blurple" lamps unless you like the look — they grow plants no better and are harsh to live with.
| Need | What to buy |
|---|---|
| A few herbs / succulents | One bar 15–30 cm above the plants |
| A shelf of tropicals | A strip light per shelf, on a timer |
| A dark corner | A floor lamp with a full-spectrum bulb |
Using it well
Run 12–14 hours on a timer so plants get a day/night cycle. Too little light and they stretch; too much and they never rest. Keep the light 15–45 cm above the foliage — close enough to matter, far enough not to scorch. Watch new growth: compact and green means it's right; stretched and pale means move it closer or longer.