Grow lights are easy tools to boost the health of your houseplant. The lack of natural sunlight can damage the health of your plants, stunt their growth, and lead to unnecessary stress. They can be an easy addition to your current selection of houseplants and make this hobby more enjoyable. There are many great grow light on the market that is luxurious and has good efficacy. Make sure to buy a full-spectrum light, as it can help your plants to germinate and significantly increase their growth rate with the lower infra-red zone. I recommend using mother light or the Soltech solution lights. They have the best user experience and are environmentally friendly. They are also the leading brands that make lights that are sleek in design with great longevity. Here are five reasons you should always use a grow light on your houseplants. Affiliate links can be found at the bottom of this article.

1. Most homes do not have enough natural sunlight.

Unfortunately, people’s homes simply do not have enough sunlight. And most of the houseplants that are sold in the market often require as much light as possible. Most houseplants can adapt to low-light environments, such as the ZZ plant, but most are grown in areas that can receive full sun outdoors. Fiddle leaf fig trees can grow as tall as 16 feet in the rainforest in South America. Placing these plants indoors without enough sunlight essentially stunts their growth and potential. Many studies suggest that the brightest spot of all homes is only about 20-30% of the amount of light the plants require to photosynthesize. In light of this, every houseplant keeper should utilize grow light in the home to maximize their plant success.

2. It can be automated with your smartphone.

Most importantly, you can automate the amount of light using Wifi outlets that can be controlled with your smartphone. Many products on the market can help you to set how long you want the grow light to be on during the day. I recommend starting with 10 hours daily to avoid sunburn from high functioning LED grow lights. You can slowly scale up the amount of light to promote faster growth in a few weeks. In my experience, most grow light will very unlikely cause sunburn because they don’t have a high amount of UV light. Grow light also eliminates the need to control your micro-climate of the environment. You will not need to worry about a cloudy day where your plants won’t be receiving any natural sunlight. And you have complete control of the lighting on your plants with the tip of your finger. 

3. It promotes healthy leaf growth and reduces root rot.

If the amount of sunlight is the most common cause of plant death, by giving a lot of light, you will see healthy root and leaf growth in a short amount of time. The reason why many hobbyists experience root rot is because of over-watering. And the amount of water that is needed by a plant is determined by the amount of light and nutrients available to them. The plant must have an abundance of all of these ingredients to grow. If there is a significant imbalance of sunlight, nutrients, and water. It promotes fungal and bacterial growth and leads to the death of the plant roots. In most circumstances, there are plenty of nutrients and water in the soil, as most hobbyists do not tend to grow their plants to the point that those nutrients are exhausted.  We also tend to love our plants a lot by watering them frequently. As a result, it leads to root rot and plant death. To solve this issue, we maximize the amount of light and eliminate this variable. You will only need to worry about your watering and fertilizing schedule, which are much easier to do.

4. It is inexpensive and can last a long time.

A quality grow light can last for a decade and is an excellent investment in the long run. The mother life light lasts at least 50,000 hours, equivalent to 8 years of continuous use. This allows you to grow your plant stress-free by knowing you have a consistent amount of light. In my opinion, this is worth it. For most hobbyists, this is more than enough time needed to grow a tree. Although you may have to pay an upfront cost, an average of about 100-250 dollars, the amount of use you can get out of a grow light can be tremendous. You can also use this light in different ways, such as creating mood lighting by placing the light behind your TV or furniture or helping grow the plant nearby appliances. If you are into house plant-keeping and are serious about this hobby, having a grow light can make this hobby more enjoyable.

5. It improves mental health in some individuals.

Believe it or not, grow light (especially full-spectrum LED) also has health benefits. It increases our alertness by enhancing our circadian rhythm. It gives our brain the signal of natural daylight and therefore increases serotonin. This leads to a better mood. Many studies suggest that using natural sunlight regularly decreases depression and suicidal ideation. It can also help our body to increase the production of Vitamin D3. And Vitamin D is closely related to our mental health. Light therapy is therefore one of the common modalities medical professionals use in patients suffering from depression and seasonal affective disorder. In my experience, having a grow light nearby enhances my productivity and mood and decreases procrastination. If you are hoping to combat a bad mood, try having a grow light nearby and observe its benefit, in addition to your plant-keeping journey. 

In summary, grow lights should be part of your plant arsenal to help you succeed in this hobby. Please find the affiliate link below if you are interested in the grow light I use. Like, comment, and subscribe if you enjoy content like this. Thank you so much for your viewership, and we will see you in the following article.

Check out my favorite collection of plant equipment:

Terracotta pots for fast-draining soil: https://amzn.to/3lyiVCd

Propagation station for baby plants: https://amzn.to/3LAsbk0

Stylish water meter to avoid over and under-watering: https://amzn.to/3MDR4fU

Best fast-draining Espoma soil for indoor plants: https://amzn.to/3GalDYb

Aspect grow light: https://amzn.to/39Js6Nq

Durable plastic saucers: https://amzn.to/3N1zHoA

Buy this water softening system if you want to DIY: https://amzn.to/3NduDOr

Measure your water hardness with this TDS meter: https://amzn.to/3Pi8Rei

Rooting hormone: https://amzn.to/38V1zwP