Light for House Plants: Everything you Need to Know

Keeping indoor plants and seeds thriving can be challenging when you fail to provide a reliable lighting source, especially during scarce sunlight.

Follow this guide if you are unsure how much lighting your indoor plant demands and where to shop them.

What are the Light Requirements for Indoor Plants?

All plants require light for photosynthesis, converting sunlight, oxygen, and water into carbohydrates or energy.

Like humans with varying appetites, plants boast changing light requirements. Here are four different factors you should know about.

1. Light Intensity

In simple terms, light intensity describes brightness (the amount of light energy that falls on a surface per unit area).

If you are wondering, the intensity or brightness determines how much light reaches or is available to the plant.

In fact, it becomes a crucial factor because too bright or dim lighting may not have a desirable effect on the plants.

It is measured in PPF (photosynthetic photon flux), lux, foot candles, or lumens to give you a better idea.

For example, bright sunlight (over 10,000 lux) can burn sensitive plants, while a dimly lit room (20-30 lux) will be insufficient for sun-loving plants.

2. Light Distance

Yes, distance from the light source can affect a plant’s growth because the intensity decreases as light travels away from its inception.

If the light is too weak, the plant may not be able to photosynthesize enough, and too intense light will burn the plant.

Remember these few tips when placing artificial light close to your plant.

Moreover, you must monitor the plant’s condition equally to adjust the light distance to ensure optimal growth.

3. Light Duration

Also known as photoperiod, the light duration determines how long a plant is exposed to light to attain desirable results.

It may be essential for germination, flowering, and fruiting, which require various duration of light.

Some plants require more exposure to light, 8 hours or more, than others, for example, flowers and vegetables.

Most indoor plants that bear foliage are called short-day or day-neutral plants that do well in short-light duration.

Check out this table to learn more.

4. Light Spectrum

Often referred to as light color, the light spectrum is vital for any plant growth.

Different wavelengths (measured in nm) of light affect plant growth differently, and certain wavelengths are necessary for specific stages of development.

• Most plants grow well in full-spectrum lighting, a combination of blue and red (400-700nm) with smaller amounts of green, yellow, and Infrared.
• Blue light (400 nm) helps with the vegetative growth and development of leaves.
• Red light (700 nm) helps with flowering and fruiting
• Far-red light (>700 nm) especially helps with germination.

However, you need not be too picky about the light spectrum as much as the duration, distance, and intensity.

Indoor Plants Based on Light Requirement

Indoor plants require as much light as any outdoor plant, but the light intensity and duration will vary.

Remember, indoor plants are attuned to living in the existing light conditions, where their growth will depend on the light available.

Before getting a plant or starting seeds, determine your space’s quality and hours of natural light. Then choose plants with light requirements that match your indoor environment.

That said, each indoor plant has a light requirement sufficient to observe healthy, even growth and is classified into three types.

Plants with Special Light Requirement

The light requirement will vary according to the season, where plants require more light in the summer and less in winter.

Notably, plants native to tropical regions require more consistent light throughout the year and may need additional artificial lighting during winter to remain healthy.

Similarly, growing cannabis requires more light than other indoor plants.

Provide anywhere from 18-24 hours of light with a blue light spectrum between 400 and 500 nm during the vegetative stage from high-intensity discharge (HID) lights.

Germinating seeds indoors would be an exception, requiring a uniform light intensity throughout the growing period.

The light should be between 200-400 umol m-2s-1 for 14-16 hours each day and kept 2-6 inches above the tray, which is best achieved by medium or bright light.

How to Choose the Artificial Light for House Plants?

Choosing the best artificial lighting for your indoor plants would depend on their requirement, time of the year, and indoor growing conditions.

As previously mentioned, the best artificial lighting would depend on whether you are growing a low, medium, or bright light-loving plant.

Here is a table describing what artificial lighting your indoor plant would require.

Based on this fact, you can choose the type of artificial light bulbs for house plants.

Best Grow Light for Plants Indoors

Here are a few best grow light recommendations, including some stylish grow lights for indoor plants.