Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Inspiration

HappySprout may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

The best grow lights for your indoor plants

By

As the days get cooler and shorter, there’s less available light for our indoor plants.  Without the light they need, once thriving and happy plants can become sad and droopy. To fight this almost inevitable truth, it might be time to consider purchasing some grow lights to help your plant babies live their best lives even during the darker months of the year.

It’s important to remember while shopping for grow lights that they’re not all created equal. Grow lights are built and designed for specific tasks and sometimes for particular plant species, so don’t go and purchase the highest-rated lamp without looking at its specialty. Things to look out for while shopping are wattage, light color spectrum, dimmable modes, and automatic on and off functions.
winter grow lights

Recommended Videos

Best grow light overall

This grow light from EXORKAS is ideal for almost any situation. While that means it might not be the best at one job, it will be the best investment for growers who need a multipurpose product. The four adjustable arms allow you to position the lights at the optimal spot when many similar products only have two arms. There are options for red or blue or both colors to encourage growth and blooming, there are nine dimmable modes, auto turn on and off settings, and you can use this for indoor plants or an indoor garden such as herbs, seed starts, or outdoor potted plants that come inside for the winter. The clip used to mount it to furniture is secure and ensures that you can bring light to almost any spot where your plants might need it. Is the shelf too full of plants to set down a lamp? Clip this one to the side!

Related

Best grow light for herbs

It doesn’t matter what kind of cook you are; there’s nothing better than having fresh herbs in your kitchen to add just the right amount of pop to any dish. Fresh basil, thyme, rosemary, or whatever your favorites are can thrive in the middle of winter with some help from a grow light. Keep that summer-like freshness in your foods with this grow light specifically designed for growing herbs in your kitchen. You’ll also save a ton of money on fresh herbs from the store. The lights are a full-spectrum solar simulator, which isn’t the best for houseplants that might need more for growth or blooming, but is perfect for keeping kitchen herbs happy. It also has an auto-turn-off and on timer and a sleek and stylish design.

Best grow light strip

While there are lamps that look great and will add to the aesthetic of your home design, sometimes it’s best to find an option that you can mount and hideaway, so the focus is always on the plants. These LED grow strips are perfect for anyone looking for an option to stick under a shelf. Each strip is 13.8 by 3 by 2-inches and offers full-spectrum light. In addition, they have an automatic timer for turning the lights on and off without you having to remember every day, and they have adjustable brightness levels to adapt to specific plant needs. You can use the screws included with the purchase, or you can attach them with the double-sided sticky tape included.

grow light bulbs
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Best bulb for an existing lamp

Maybe you already have a lamp you’d like to use, or you’d rather find a style of lamp that suits your aesthetic; either way, your best option might be a grow light bulb like this one by GE Lighting Store. You can put this bulb in almost any lamp and turn it into a grow light for your plants. You could even replace the bulbs in your ceiling-mounted fixtures to give your plants the little extra boost they might need all year round. This bulb emits a low amount of heat and has a balanced level of light to help grow everything from seedlings to fully mature house plants. It also doesn’t have the classic red or purplish glow of many grow lights, but instead has a soft and pleasant color that will work as a regular light too.

As we get closer and closer to every gardener’s least favorite time of the year, we can at least rest assured that our indoor plants will be taken care of. Use some or all of these grow lights to improve the life of your indoor plants and watch them flourish, even through darker seasons.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Rebecca Wolken
Rebecca Wolken
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Rebecca's has written for Bob Villa and a Cincinnati based remodeling company. When she's not writing about home remodeling…
Have more aloe plant than you know what to do with? How to propagate its pups
Propagate your aloe plant easily and successfully
A few small aloe vera plants

Aloe plants are one of the most popular indoor succulents, and for good reason! They're hardy and easy to grow, useful for treating minor skin irritation and cuts, and they have a lovely and interesting shape. Plus, it’s one of the easiest plants to propagate — and who wouldn’t want to create more aloe vera for its soothing gel that can be used to treat burns and skin irritations? If you want to learn how to propagate aloe vera, it’s not that hard. Ahead, here's what you need to know to successfully propagate aloe vera.
The easiest way to propagate aloe vera

The easiest way to propagate aloe vera is by division — that’s to say, taking an offshoot growing at the base of your aloe vera plant. You can simply pluck off a pup or use a clean knife to carefully remove it from the mother plant. The best time to remove the offshoot is when the leaves are fleshy and have formed a distinct rosette shape. It also helps if the pup already has roots connected to the mother plant. When propagating the pup, keep as much of the established root system as possible. Place your offshoot into a fresh cactus mix and allow the roots to settle after watering deeply. If you have an aloe with multiple pups, you can remove your entire plant from its planter for a better view of the roots.
How do you propagate aloe vera without roots?
It’s possible to propagate aloe vera without roots — in fact, you can even grow it from cuttings, which we’ll cover more extensively below. Propagating aloe vera pups without roots is very feasible, but you have to be careful with watering. If you find yourself with rootless aloes, you can place them onto your potting mix as usual and use stones or stakes to keep them upwards. Avoid watering them until about two weeks or whenever they have roots.
Other ways to propagate your aloe vera plant

Read more
What do you need to propagate a plant?
Propagate plants successfully using this guide
A propagation station in a wooden frame with three glass jars and plant cuttings

The easiest and most affordable way to expand your houseplant collection is through propagation. Propagation is the process of dividing one plant into two or more separate plants, typically through cuttings or root divisions. While propagation can feel intimidating, it's easier than it seems -- and it's fun, too.

Propagation is a great way to spread your love of houseplants through gifts, and it can even make a fun science experiment for kids! The best advice on how to propagate is to dive right in and give it a try. We're covering what you need to propagate, the different propagation methods, which methods you can use for which plants, and the best plants for propagation.
What propagation methods are there?

Read more
Indoor gardening: Hydroponics growing tips for any plant
Start your hydroponic garden with these tips
Cilantro grown hydroponically

Hydroponic gardening is a unique and interesting process. Hydroponic gardening is a great way to extend your growing season by growing fruits and vegetables indoors. It flips the script on so much of what's considered traditional or standard about gardening, and having a hydroponic garden is an immediate conversation starter. It looks impressive, but that also means it can be intimidating to start. That's why we're here to help. This guide on how to start a hydroponic garden will help you get started with setting your system up and caring for your plants.
Planning

The first step is to choose your plants and the type of system you want to use. Certain plants have an easier time growing hydroponically than others, so take your time deciding. Some simple ones to start with are spider plants, pothos, mint, and lettuce, but those are by no means the only good ones to start with! Don't forget to measure out how much space you have, as that will impact the size and potentially the type of system you get.

Read more