Houseplants in a dim room benefit from a grow light, and a white one keeps the room from looking purple.
If your lamp takes a BR30 bulb, start with the GE Grow Light BR30 2-pack. GE describes a BR30 LED floodlight bulb with light “without purple or reddish lighting”.
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The four lights, by situation:
| Your plants and space | A calm choice |
|---|---|
| Your lamp takes a BR30 bulb | GE Grow Light BR30, 2-pack |
| One plant in a dim spot | SANSI Pot Clip-On Plant Light |
| A shelf, or a bigger plant lit from two sides | SANSI 20W Clip-On Gooseneck Plant Light |
| A row of herbs, for example under a kitchen cabinet | Mosthink LED Plant Grow Light Strip |
GE Grow Light BR30, 2-pack
Your lamp takes a BR30 bulb and you want to try a plant light first
GE Grow Light BR30 LED Bulb, Balanced Spectrum, 2-Pack
BR30 LED bulb
9 watts, low heat, up to 25,000 hours
See the price and reviews on Amazon
It uses 9 watts and gives off little heat, and it needs no new fixture.
GE says the bulb is for leafy greens and herbs, and for kitchen, bathroom and bedroom rooms. Check that your lamp takes a BR30 bulb before you order.
SANSI Pot Clip-On Plant Light
One plant sits in a dim spot and you want the light right at the pot
SANSI Pot Clip-On Plant Light, 5W, 4000K, Timer
Gooseneck clamps onto the pot
Built-in timer: 3, 6 or 12 hours
See the price and reviews on Amazon
SANSI lists a 5 watt light with a flexible gooseneck that clamps onto the pot, and describes its 4000K light as natural light.
The built-in timer offers 3, 6 or 12 hours on. Twelve hours is the longest setting, and it sits at the low end of the range Iowa State recommends below.
SANSI 20W Clip-On Gooseneck Plant Light
A shelf, or a bigger plant you want to light from two sides
SANSI 20W 2-Head Clip-On Gooseneck LED Plant Light
Two gooseneck heads, 20 watts
Replaceable 25,000-hour bulbs
See the price and reviews on Amazon
SANSI lists 20 watts on two clip-on gooseneck heads, so you can aim one head at the front of a plant and the other at its far side.
The bulbs are replaceable, so a failed bulb does not mean a new lamp. SANSI lists 25,000-hour bulbs.
This one has no built-in timer, so plug it into an outlet timer.
Mosthink LED Plant Grow Light Strip
Herbs or small plants sit in a row, for example under a kitchen cabinet
Mosthink LED Plant Grow Light Strip with Timer
Full spectrum 380 to 800 nm
Timer and 4 brightness levels
See the price and reviews on Amazon
Mosthink lists the strip for a plant shelf. It mounts with screws or double-sided tape and has a 78-inch cord.
The timer turns the light off after 2, 4 or 8 hours and back on at the same time the next day.
Its longest setting is shorter than the range Iowa State suggests for most plants. For a longer day, an outlet timer can switch the strip instead; check that it comes back on when the power returns.
Which light suits a living space
For a living space, pick white or natural light so the room does not look pink or purple. All four lights above are described by their makers as natural light or full-spectrum.
Iowa State University Extension, the university’s public gardening advice service, recommends full-spectrum (daylight) bulbs for ordinary shop lights, or one cool white and one warm white fluorescent tube.
When a window is enough
Sometimes it is, though Iowa State says nearly all indoor plants benefit from extra light in winter.
Iowa State lists the signs a plant needs more light: excessive stretching, spindly growth, leaf drop, yellowing foliage and absent flowers. If the plant shows none of them, the window is likely enough.
University of Maryland Extension, the state university’s free public gardening advice service, suggests moving a plant closer to its light source first, or adding artificial light.
If a plant is struggling, the common reasons houseplants die are worth ruling out too.
If your window already gives a plant good light, what full sun means in hours puts a number on it. Full sun means six hours or more of direct sun.
How far and how long
LED lights can be 12 to 24 inches from the plant in most cases. For most species, 12 to 14 hours a day is a good length of time, and Iowa State advises putting every grow light on a timer.
Start within that range and adjust from how the plant responds. Maryland’s guide adds that plants need some darkness, so do not run a light for more than 16 hours.
Watch the plant for several weeks before changing anything. The dark months are also a good time for keeping the calm of gardening going indoors.