Shelton RossBoth indoor gardening and ventilation gardening have become common, especially with the urban population or people inhabiting places with limited sunlight exposure. It is possible to grow various kinds of plants indoors thanks to grow lights that imitate sunshine as an artificial light source. Whether you are a hobbyist who wants to increase the amount of plants indoors or a serious gardener who wishes to grow food throughout the year, you will need grow lights. This paper takes on the subject of what can be successfully grown under these lights and the most effective ways to use them.
Understanding Grow Lights
What I must explain about grow lights first before getting right into which plants grow on which grow lights is its importance. In this stance, there are three processes for obtaining chemical energy, which are photosynthesis, respiration and fermentation, with photosynthesis being the process which will be emphasized. Naturally, most effective for this is sunlight, although grow lights have the capacity of reproducing the characteristics of the needed wavelengths of light.
These grow lights come in many forms that include:
Fluorescent Light: Suitable for young indoor plants and starters as this light does not produce much heat.
LED Grow Lights: They are economical, do not break easily, and offer a full range of light useful for plant growth.
High-Intensity Discharge (HID) Lights: Heavy-duty and usually recommended for bigger size indoor gardens.
Incandescent Lights: Not used for plant growth, as they do not have the proper lighting spectrum and produce too much heat.
Although each type of lighting has its advantages, indoor gardeners prefer LEDs as the most efficient and easiest lighting alternative.
Herbs: The Perfect Starter for Grow Lights
Herbs are perhaps some of the simplest plants that can be grown under artificial light, hence well-suited for newbies or those with space constraints.
Basil
Basil can be grown all year round under grow lights with continuous harvest once it matures. The plant has an average light requirement of 12 – 14 hours daily hence well suited for grow light arrangement.
Mint
Mint is a hardy plant that can be grown very fast under grow lights. It grows best with cooler temperatures and indirect light, it can be considered as a good candidate for fluorescent or LED lights.
Parsley
Another great herb to grow indoors, parsley can grow well under the influence of grow lights too. It takes 10 – 12 hours of light and should be grown at room temperature for best results.
Cilantro
Cilantro can also grow very fast when grown under specified light conditions. This plant likes 10 – 12 hours of light and a bit cooler conditions.
Leafy Greens: Constant Availability
Another category that grows very well under grow lights is leafy greens. These kinds of vegetables grow fast which is suitable for indoor growing.
Lettuce
Lettuce is not only a vegetable that you can grow easily, but it is also a type of vegetable that can be grown indoors. It requires about 10-12 hours of sunshine a day and that is why it is wonderful for beginning gardeners. And you will not have to wait too long to harvest lettuce, as the leaves keep growing from which you can always harvest.
Spinach
This is another plant that can withstand the cooler climates and is very favorable for grow light gardening. You can harvest fresh spinach throughout year as you use about 12-14 hours of light.
Kale
Other plants that can become psychotropic are perpetually kale. Similar to spinach, it flourishes in cooler climates and can grow well with a duration of 12-14 hour lights. This is a vegetable with high nutritional value, therefore it will raise the worth of the indoor garden.
Fruiting Plants: Taking the Indoor Garden Outside
While kitchen herbs and assorted leafy greens are normal indoor plant survivors, in proper situations fruiting plants can be kept inside as well.
Tomatoes
There are many types of vegetables that can be grown under a grow light including tomatoes, but they need a lot of light. Use about 14-18 hours of light in one day or else the plants wither. When growing indoors use dwarf or cherry varieties tomatoes as they are small and easy to grow.
Peppers Peppers, especially small varieties like chili peppers, can grow very well under grow lights. It takes about 14-16 hours of light and warm temperatures for the plants to bear fruit. Strawberries Yes, strawberries may be grown indoors! These plants that produce fruits take up to 12-14 hours of light each day. Growing lights, on the other hand, can prolong the growing season for strawberries so that them can be grown all year around. 4. Root vegetables: grow them indoors These vegetables can also be successful under grow lights, but they should grow in deeper pots due to the roots. Radishes Radishes are easy to right because of their quick growth cycle. Up to 10-12 hours of illumination is required for these vegetables. There is no wait to enjoy the radishes after harvesting them in just a few weeks. Carrots Carrots are probably the best root vegetables that can be grown indoors although it does require a deep pot to accommodate the long tap roots. Carrots do require 12 to 14 hours of light approximately every day for successful growth. Beets Like the carrots, beets do require a deep pot for rooting but these can be grown indoors under grow lights of about 12 to 14 hours. 5. Flowering Plants: Blooming Indoors If you want a bit of color to your indoor plant garden, growing lights will help you grow beautiful flowering plants.
African Violets These small, brightly colored flowers do well even with grow lights. They do not like too much light and are possible to bloom every season with adequate care. Orchids Orchids look fragile but can also thrive under the grow lights. They require roughly 12-16 h of light exposure per day and should be placed in an airy room to prevent the growth of mold. Geraniums Geraniums are perfect too for those who are looking for Indoor flowering plants. Given about 10-12
hours of light they are able to produce flowers profusely indoors. Microgreens: Nutritional-Dense Plants Nutritional fact: Microgreens are tiny plants rich in nutrition that are grown for crop harvest at their young age. They are quite popular in the culinary world and can be simply cultivated using grow lights. Broccoli Microgreens It is an edible plant that is in the species of Brassica oleracea and it is a plant that is high in nutrients and ones which takes only few weeks since planting is more yield. This vegetable plant need 10-12 hours of daylight every day.
Arugula Microgreens Arugula Microgreens has a bit of peppery taste and can be grown under a grow light within a short period of time of 12 hours of light required. Sunflower Microgreens Sunflower Microgreens are advantageous as its nutritional value is high and are widely used as crunchy fillings in salads or and other sandwiches. They need 1012 hours of light every day in order to achieve proper growth.
Succulents and Cacti: For Busy People
In the great many plants available in the market, owners of dubious responsibility may have beautiful succulents and cacti for indoor growth under grow lights.
Aloe Vera
This office plant seems to flourish best when grown indoors under grow lights system or within conditions that have this arrangement. It requires about 10-12 hours of indirect light per day. It’s also pleasant to have due to useful things.
Echeveria
Echeveria belongs to the families of succulents that do very well in well lite areas. When grown under grow lights, it will need an average of 10 hours of light.
Cactus
A good number of cacti types would flourish under these grow lights. Because they are raised in the desert, a cactus would just need 8-10 hours of light every day.
Tips for Maximizing Growth Under Grow Lights
Although numerous plants do pretty well with the grow lights, there however certain things or methods of doing things that one can apply in order to make sure they achieve the highest growth and yield:
Increase Duration of Light: Plants would not be plants if they were not for light which is one of the elements that etc. Plants have different for light duration whereby some may be low or average or high or more light with varying time frames.
Positioning: Make sure that the grow lamp is impeded from the crops by an appropriate distance. How close or how far will you put it from the crops? If it is close, then the plants may catch fire and be burned; otherwise it will be too far and they will not get to enjoy the light. In most instances, the distance should be345to 30cm depending on the distance of the bulb.
Use Reflectors: The amount of grow light that needs to be directed on the plants is very high. For this reason, always use reflectors or reflective surfaces to increase the amount of light directed on the plants.
Temperature Control: Some plants in particular; fruiting ones largely need warmth. There are restrictions on growth spaces in terms of warmth, and therefore monitoring them should be employed.
Humidity: Living and working indoors can be much more comfortable. However, this is not always the case, particularly during the winter months when the humidity levels are low. Some species like herbs and leaves of greens, love a bit of humidity. You should probably use a humidifier to achieve the proper conditions.
Conclusion
With the use of grow lights, indoor gardening becomes more diverse irrespective of environment or availability of space. The wonder is in the number of plants that can be grown from herbs, greens, and fruiting plants, to micro-greens, and even succulents. In addition, it is possible to have a lush indoor garden throughout the year as long as you have the right light, proper maintenance, and enough time to focus on the particular needs of each houseplant. You will therefore agree with me that grow lights are an effective and versatile tool for indoor planting whether it is for food production in the house or simply making the place more attractive with flowers.
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