The idea that you can grow vegetables, fruit, flowers, spices and herbs year round has people turning to indoor gardening. It does have its advantages, such as protection from harsh temperatures and weather elements. 

Still, you need to beware of the truth vs hype concerning grow light knowledge. Do your plants grow faster with higher yields when using a grow light? You also may wonder if it’s truly possible to have healthier plants indoors than outdoors. 

The short answer is, you can grow healthy plants indoors just as much as you can outside your home. People already have, and companies even produce indoor commercial crops using them.

What to Know About LED Grow Lights – The Truth 

1. Grow lights can supplement (and maybe even replace) natural sunlight.

Nothing seems to beat the effect of natural sunlight. However, artificial lighting, such as LED grow lamps, can provide what natural light already does. 

Ideally, you want a lighting source that offers red, far-red and blue light waves. These colors represent the visible light spectrum waves that most affect plant development. 

The red light waves provide support for plants reaching their budding and flowering stages. The blue waves provide the best chance of your crops receiving the energy they need to create their own food via photosynthesis. 

When you combine the synergy of the red and blue light together, that provides the best chance for healthy plant development. This includes producing rich, full bunches of leaves and tasty fruit. 

2. The type of grow light does matter. 

Any light provides some amount of what natural sunlight offers. However, the effectiveness of each type varies. 

For example, high-intensity discharge (HID) lights, such as both metal halide and high-pressure sodium bulbs, do offer the brightness some plants need. However, they emit more heat than the LED type, making them less efficient. 

The least efficient of all grow light types, however, is the common household bulb. They waste about 90% of their energy.  

Using household bulbs, otherwise known as incandescent lightbulbs, may cause your plants to take longer to reach their ripeness stage than when using LEDs. 

Sometimes, lights you use may even result in plants reaching maturity and bearing no fruit. That’s because the intensity of the light affects how well your plants produce the energy from photosynthesis they need to create food. 

One more type of light produces results close to what an LED lamp can – the fluorescent bulb. The one disadvantage is they’re not quite as efficient, but they do cost less upfront to purchase and set up if you’re still in the growth testing phase. 

3. Spectrum of light emitted influences plant development. 

Plants respond to different wavelengths of light in specific ways. Again, the blue light promotes photosynthesis production, while the red light encourages flowering and fruiting.

Concerning light spectrum waves, the blue light usually ranges about 450 nanometers. The red light waves usually read at about 660 nanometers. For that reason, we usually recommend growing lights with a spectrum of 450-660 nanometers. 

This nanometer light wave range includes the green light waves, which come in at about 550 nanometers. The green wave doesn’t help as much with photosynthesis or growing as the red and blue. However, it does provide your plant with structure. 

The far-red lightwaves, on the other hand, reach a little bit above the average recommended range. They measure at about 730-750 nanometers, and you might want to consider an LED light that includes lighting of this range. 

Growers often use far-red light waves for testing during the germination and flowering stages. It also can show you how a plant responds in conditions where not much shade is available. 

4. The intensity and duration of lights affects plant development. 

Not all plants require the same amount of brightness or darkness. It may take you a few tries to “get it right.” Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see the results you want immediately. 

Keep in mind as you continue your growing experiments that too little light could cause stunted growth. Too much light can burn the leaves of plants, causing them to appear brown instead of the rich green color they otherwise would have. 

Keep a close watch on your plants as they emerge above soil from seed. Otherwise, observe your starter plants to see their buds blossom into edible crops or flowers. 

Plants growing as they should, will give you the clearest evidence that the grow light knowledge you received is working for you. You have in this case set the intensity of your lights correctly. 

5. You can use the PPFD index to monitor your lights. 

Here’s more of what to know about grow lights: You can use the PPFD grow light index to ensure they receive enough illumination for photosynthesis. 

PPFD stands for photosynthetic photon flux density. A recommended PPFD range for your plants as they sprout from seeds is about 200. You can work with up to about 150 during the germination phase. 

During vegetation (think “adolescent” stage), aim for a range of 300-600. As your plants bud and flower, the range could reach up to about 750.

So-Called Knowledge of LED Grow Light That’s Just Hype

1. One solution will work for every indoor crop you grow. 

If you could just apply the same method of growing cannabis as you would tomatoes, for instance, your life would be simple. It’s not possible. For instance, each plant requires a different amount of light. 

It’s not just about the amount of light though. Some plants do better in partial shade, while others demand direct, full sun. For some plants, you may see better results with more intense lighting, but others may only need dimmer lights. 

The types of soil, including the kind of nutrients present in it, vary from plant to plant as well. For instance, some roots may need more nitrogen than others too.

If you want to have a positive growing experience, you need to consider the parameters for each plant you grow. The stage of your plants also matters, such as if you decide to use starter plants instead of placing seeds in the ground. 

Every plant also needs a different amount of space around it as it grows. Considering this and all the other factors of growing plants under LED grow lights, you will have to accept the fact that a little trial and error may be necessary. 

2. Your plants will automatically develop under LED grow lights. 

If any piece of hype you have heard about LED grow lights – or any grow lights for that matter – could disappoint you, it’s this one. Don’t think that you can place your grow lamps over your plants and automatically produce healthy crops.  

Plants need light. You can hardly grow them without it. However, you also can’t ignore other factors. These include soil quality, nutrient availability, and temperature control. Water quality and the amount you use on plants also matters. 

3. Keeping lights on 24/7 will accelerate plant growth. 

Nothing could be further from the truth concerning keeping your grow lights on 24/7. Your crops will need some “downtime.” Just like you usually rest in darkness for about 6-8 hours a night, your plants do the same. The most light they need at night is what would mimic the moonlight. Keep that in mind. 

The Boya Grow Light team knows you may have questions along the way. Contact us whether you’re just starting out or have been doing this for a “while.”