Adding a fluorescent grow light for your indoor plants is a great way to supplement light to ensure that they thrive. However, if you’ve never bought grow lights before, you may find yourself confused on which ones to choose to ensure your indoor plants get the right amount of light.
Thankfully, we’re here to help. Keep reading to learn why fluorescent grow lights are a valuable resource for your indoor gardening and how to choose the right light for your plants’ needs.
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Why You Need Fluorescent Grow Lights
Plants produce their own food through photosynthesis. There are three main components to this process:
- Adequate watering
- Access to light
- Good air quality
For your plants to function and produce enough food to survive, they need proper lighting. This is usually in the form of sunlight, through direct or indirect means, depending on the type of plants you have. However, it can be a challenge to ensure that indoor plants get the right amount of light. This is especially true in shadier climates and during the winter months when sunlight is scarce.
This is where grow lights can save the day and enable you to maintain your indoor garden year round. Grow lights act as a substitute for natural light to stimulate photosynthesis in your plants.
Types of Grow Lights
Before choosing a grow light for your indoor plants, make sure that you’re aware of the different types of grow lights to choose from in order to pick the one that works the best for your plants.
There are three main options when it comes to types of grow lights:
- Incandescent lights
- Fluorescent lights
- LED lights
Incandescent grow lights are generally the least expensive option, but that’s because they’re also the least energy efficient, so you may not save money in the long run when you factor in your energy bill. What’s more is that they give off a lot of heat, which could be too intense for your plants.
Fluorescent grow lights in particular are a great choice for plants as they provide low-intensity light without giving off too much heat. They also produce a good spectrum of heat and are more energy efficient despite their higher cost.
Finally, LED lights are the newest option for grow lights and provide the best energy efficiency as well as the lowest heat output for your indoor plants. Take this CANAGROW Full Spectrum LED Plant Light. It is compact but covers a large area and is efficient enough to provide your plant with all of the light it needs.
Beyond the type of light, you’ll also find bulb lights and lighting fixtures as options for grow lights.
Now that you have all of the information you need on grow lights, let’s take a look at your options for the best fluorescent grow light to give your indoor plants the energy they need.
The Best Fluorescent Grow Lights for Your Plants
The best fluorescent grow lights for your plants are:
- iPower GLT5XX2 24W 2 Feet T5 Fluorescent Grow Light System
- Sun Blaze T5 High Output Fluorescent Strip Light Fixture
- VIVOSUN T5 Grow Light Bulbs
- AgroBrite FLB125C Compact Fluorescent Lamp
- GHodec Grow Light for Indoor Plants
Let’s take a closer look at what each of these lights has to offer.
iPower GLT5XX2 24W 2 Feet T5 Fluorescent Grow Light System
To kick off our list, we have the iPower GLT5XX2 24W 2 Feet T5 Fluorescent Grow Light System.
This two foot fluorescent light system is easy to assemble and perfect for indoor plants. The metal frame is sturdy and easily adjustable thanks to the height adjustment mechanism. The wide reflector uses one T5 fluorescent bulb to provide maximum coverage to your plants.
This light fixture is a great option for small spaces and a wide variety of plants. It will surely save you money on your electric bill every month.
Sun Blaze T5 High Output Fluorescent Strip Light Fixture
Next, we have the Sun Blaze T5 High Output Fluorescent Strip Light Fixture.
This is a simple but effective strip light fixture that is gentle yet powerful enough to provide your plants with the additional light they need.
This corded fluorescent grow light is lightweight and easy to install with mounting hardware included. The fixture comes with a T5 HO lamp and plastic removable cover for the lamp. You can chain together multiple fixtures thanks to the jumper cables that are also included.
Users say that this light is great for low maintenance plants in the winter such as succulents to provide them with the extra boost of light that they need.
VIVOSUN T5 Grow Light Bulbs
The VIVOSUN T5 Grow Light Bulbs are a simple yet versatile option for fluorescent grow lights. The T5 lamps emit a balanced violet and blue spectrum to promote vibrant growth and prevent your plants from stretching too much.
Don’t worry about these lights flickering on and off, as they are made to deliver constant brightness. What’s more is that the life of these bulbs is over 20,000 hours, and their low heat emission causes them to be energy efficient, making them perfect for long-term use and gentle enough for seedlings.
AgroBrite FLB125C Compact Fluorescent Lamp
If you’re looking for a compact yet powerful fluorescent light bulb for your indoor plants, you’ll want to consider the AgroBrite FLB125C Compact Fluorescent Lamp.
This grow light bulb has a cool color spectrum and is ideal for propagation, maintenance of mother plants, and flowering. It’s powerful enough to provide your plants with enough light to thrive, but it won’t overpower them or take up too much space.
This lamp is also self-ballasted, so you just have to screw it into your CFL reflector and you’re ready to go.
GHodec Grow Light for Indoor Plants
Last on our list of fluorescent grow lights is the GHodec Grow Light for Indoor Plants.
Although not necessarily fluorescent grow lights, these lights come in 75W and 150W and each bar is equipped with 4 red and 37 sunlight white LEDs, which is similar to the sunlight emitted at noon. It’s highly efficient and is estimated to cost only $2 per month electricity with eight hours a day use.
What’s great about these lights is that it features three timing functions: four hours, eight hours, and 12 hours. You don’t have to remember to manually turn them on or off as they automatically turn off once time is up, giving your plants the perfect amount of light.
The fixture itself has an anti-slip clamp and a sturdy 360-degree adjustable gooseneck which allows you to place the plant light in any direction you want.
Summary
Fluorescent grow lights are a must for indoor plants that don’t have access to year-round sunlight. Fluorescent lights are an energy-efficient option that won’t overwhelm your plants or your monthly electric bill. Any of these five lights will provide your plants with the fuel they need.