Grow Lights for Houseplants – Carla’s Hoya Haven

There is no subject more confusing to new houseplant enthusiasts than choosing a grow light. I read dozens of websites on the subject. Some were just link farms back to Amazon. Others were blog posts where the author rambled on in a vague noncommittal way with links back to Amazon. Others were way too technical. All I wanted to know was which light to buy if I want to keep my houseplants alive over the winter months. It’s now 2.5 years after I began my houseplant journey. I’ve purchased several grow lights during this time. I’ll list them below along with what I’ve learned about grow lights.

You’ll probably wonder why I have so many grow lights. I got carried away with my plant collection. I have nearly 200 house plants. I live in a townhouse in an 8-plex in a middle unit so I only have windows on one side. My three big windows face west in the summer but the winter months are a bit short on light. Either my plants learn to live in the dark or I run grow lights about 8 hours per day which is more than enough to keep them thriving.

The first grow light I purchased was one of the popular Amazon models, the EZORKAS Grow Light, 80W Tri Head Timing 120 LED 9 Dimmable Levels Plant Grow Lights for Indoor Plants with Red Blue Spectrum, Adjustable Gooseneck, 3 9 12H Timer, 3 Switch Modes. Over 14K reviews with 79% of reviewers giving 5 stars to this product. It must be a winner. I set this up in my garage to get some bulbs growing for spring. There was a warning on the box mine came in about what to do if the product burst into flames. That was a little disconcerting but I plugged the light in anyway. I did not find this light to be any more effective than just the little bit of sunlight streaming through my garage windows in early spring. Also, this is some seriously blurple light. If for any reason you’d like the police to drive by your house more often just put one of these in your garage. With all that blurple light shining through your garage windows you’ll attract the attention of the police in no time.

The next two lights I purchased were from Lowe’s. I chose a Utilitech 5.69-in 1-Light Silver 33-Watt LED Grow Light which I hung from the ceiling over a ledge using a 3M Command hook. This held up surprisingly well for two years before the hook pulled off the ceiling and the light fell onto my plants. I should have used a hook. This light is intense. The only plants that could tolerate this light well were Aeoniums.

Aeonium Voodoo. It’s 19″ tall not including the pot with a 14″ rosette. Grown entirely under the Utilitech grow light.

The other grow light I chose was the Good Earth Lighting Grow light 24-in Plug-in LED Under Cabinet Light Bar Light which I attached using 3M Command picture hanging strips. They stick well to shelves and so/so to metal framing. I have nine of these lights and I’ve grown a wide variety of plants under them including Peperomias, Pileas, Aeoniums, Sansevieria, Agleonema’s, a small Fishbone Cactus and even a baby Croton. These lights have performed well, are only 20 watts and my plants are happy. The only things that disappointed me were no red light and at the time of purchase the lights were two feet in length. There was an 18″ model but my Dakota bookshelves from Menards are three feet in length. My plants tend to grow towards the light. Over time I’ve realized that these lights are best for low and medium light plants. Bright indirect light plants need a bit more light to grow strong stems and display more color. Good Earth has now come out with newer models with timers and red light. The lights I have were $36 at the time of purchase but have dropped in price considerably since then. I see the Good Earth Lighting 1.7-in 2-Light White LED Grow Light is $60. Something to think about.

As I added more plants and more shelves I finally found a three foot grow light I wanted to try. The BoostGro LED Grow Light Full Spectrum 5000K Daylight + 660nm Red Linkable Indoor Plant Lighting Fixture (3 FT, Black) fit my shelving units perfectly. They put out a little more light for some of my higher light plants. They have some red light. I use them in in the windows to supplement my meager winter light and elsewhere to give my plants a boost of needed light. I like these lights. My Hoyas like this light. My Fishbone cactus likes this light and has been growing throughout the winter. When some of the other grow lights wear out I’ll probably replace them with this one.

Next came lighting the top of the open bookshelves. I didn’t want to put holes in the ceiling for hooks because I’d end up with holes everywhere. I decided to try the Sansi PAR25 15W LED Grow Light Bulb. I used the Aulock Adjustable 15 to 37.4 Inch Reptile Lamp Stand and Tadpoles UL Listed Hanging Pendant Swag Light Cord to hang these along with some twisty ties from the junk drawer to secure the cord to the stand. It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing look but it is very functional and I didn’t have to put holes in the ceiling. This is one of my favorite grow lights. I can group plants on a shelf with different lighting needs from low to medium to high light. I use them in the window to supplement the what little light I get in the winter. Even my Hoyas respond well to this light.

There came a point when I decided I to do some propagation and grow some plants from seed. For these activities I turned to the GE Grow Light for Plants, LED Flood Light Bulb For Seeds and Greens and GE Grow Light for Plants, LED Tube Light For Seeds and Greens. I love these lights for bright filtered light loving plants. These lights are a little intense for some medium and low light plants and I’ve had to move them to the edges of my plant shelves. My Hoyas and a number of succulents are loving these lights. I’ve grown Cannas from seed under these lights and catnip for my boy. I’ve propagated a number of plants under these lights. These are fantastic lights and I’ve been really happy with these.

The next grow light I purchased was the Relassy LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants. I moved four large Hoyas to a table in front of a window but I knew the wee bit of light shining through in winter would not be enough to keep them thriving. I’m hoping these will grow peduncles and bloom in the spring. This light was worked out well. I clamped it to the table and adjusted it until all four plants were getting some light. They’ve continued to grow new leaves all winter. I haven’t seen any peduncles, yet. Sadness!

The last grow light I purchased was the Mars Hydro TSL 2000 Full Spectrum Dimmable 300W LED Grow Light. This is a powerful grow light for the plants that I’m growing. I have it dimmed down as far as it will go in my grow tent and still I have to use some H. carnosa varieties up top to cast a bit of shade on some plants below. I’m running this light 12 hours per day but I think I can take it down to 10 hours per day and give my plants a longer break. It’s a fantastic light. All my Hoyas have been growing leaves under this light. H. gracillis grew two peduncles. H. carnosa compacta is growing a half dozen new bits of vine. I think I might prefer this light it a 5′ x 5′ grow tent. I don’t know. I need to fill the existing grow tent first and then I might think something different.

My little townhouse glows in the dark!

My last piece of advice for anyone choosing a grow light for the first time is to consider the lighting needs of your plants, consider the price of the light itself and consider your electric bill. A 300 watt light will draw 300 watts from the outlet. A 700 watt light will draw 700 watts from your outlet. A 15 watt light only draws 15 watts from the outlet. Start small. See what makes your plants happy.

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