Recommendations for safe, simple plant grow lights

December 18, 2022 3:18 PM

My small houseplant collection needs more light, and I've been hunting for some standalone grow lights (i.e., can be placed in a table, floor or clamp lamp rather than suspended from a shelf or ceiling above). I don't know why, but I'm finding this purchase inordinately difficult. Do you have a set up that works for you?

Part of my concern is safety. For instance, I was thinking about buying this lamp, but one of the reviewers mentioned that it caught fire. Ideally, I'd like to have something I can leave on while I'm gone and not have to worry about that, but perhaps that's a possibility with any lamp.

I have a small clamp light already, but I'm not sure that it's actually doing anything (and I'd read that fire safety is also a concern with these).

I was wondering if it might be cheaper to buy a plain old lamp and outfit it with an LED bulb. I've been meaning to do this for weeks, but every time I get online to research what lamp and what bulb, I get overwhelmed and give up.

It shouldn't be this difficult. I was wondering if anyone here has a set up they like similar to what I'm after, and can point me to exactly what lamp and/or bulb you use? I'm in the US, if that matters.

posted by Sockrates to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

Start with the floor lamp or table lamp that you like, and get a grow bulb for it. Any lamp that accepts a screw-in bulb will work with my favorite brand of grow lights: GE LED Grow Light for Plants (you can find this light in several different wattage/lumens. This will get you the best combination of light quality (not tinted purple or red) and light fixture (not ugly).

As for what wattage to get, you don't need to go super high. I've used 15, 32 and 36 watts (the 36 was a different brand, SANSI, which is more expensive), and they have all helped my plants. I usually just go with the 32 watt GE light now.

As for specific lamps, this is the only stand alone one I use right now: and I keep it aimed at my monstera. But really, as long as it takes a screw-in bulb and has enough room for the bulb in the shade part, it will work just fine.
posted by OrangeDisk at 3:31 PM on December 18, 2022 [4 favorites]

I have one of these and it works very well. I also have this clamp one.

The former I think is more effective and versatile, but has less functionality than the clamp one. It also has a dreadful manual and no remote. Clamper has a remote.

I used both on two different Philodendrons Pink Princess. The clamp one was effective but the hanging one is considerably more effective.

One thing I will say is that the timer on both lamps has to be reset each time the power goes out so if you're in a place where there are regular power outages (no matter how brief) then you'll have to keep an eye on them to make sure they come on when needed.
posted by dobbs at 4:32 PM on December 18, 2022

I have this one and really like it. I've had it for at least 2 years. I rotate plants on it.
posted by Ftsqg at 4:51 PM on December 18, 2022

It's been a year or more since I last looked into this, but I do recall finding the process as difficult as you did. The idea of a grow light isn't well regulated, and it can be tough to find people who know a lot about plants, electronics and lighting. I.. admittedly decided to give up on my windowless bathroom, but IIRC, these were my findings:

1. Your caution is completely warranted; a lot of the offbrand grow lights and bulbs are potentially dangerous-- either the circuits are sketchy, or they could burn a hole with their light, or both. And Amazon reviewers have no idea what they're talking about.
2. Yes, you can go ahead and just use a normal lamp with an LED bulb; the specialized "grow lights" sold for cheap seem kinda ineffectual and spammy. I'd get a lamp with a gooseneck so you can adjust the position of the light and distance.
3. As for the bulb, don't bother with the grow light bulbs that come in weird colours. Your best bet is to find a normal bulb that is unidirectional so the light is focused on just your plants and isn't wasted. You also don't need to buy something specifically marketed as a grow light.
4. If you really want to get into it, get a light meter and measure how much light your plants are getting and look for papers on how much they should be getting.

What to recommend will depend a bit on how many plants you're growing, and how much light they currently get, and their arrangement. Without knowing specifics, I'd vaguely say get a PAR38 bulb on a gooseneck floor lamp placed overhead the plants, and adjust the distance as needed based on light needs/safety concerns.

If anybody out there really wants to dig into this, I'd recommend posts by SuperAngryGuy on reddit.
posted by Pitachu at 5:02 PM on December 18, 2022 [1 favorite]

I kept plants in a windowless room for a decade with only a permanently running desk lamp using "full spectrum" CFL lightbulbs. I went through several lamps in that time: one that looked like the Pixar lamp and two library table lamps that I positioned on a shelf above the plants. All of the lamps came from big box stores (and two of them still work). It was just a matter of making sure that the light was able to be aimed in the direction it needed to go and that the plants could handle less than average light in that context.
posted by past unusual at 5:32 PM on December 18, 2022

Seconding OrangeDisk's recommendation of the GE Grow Light for Plants. I put the bulb in an IKEA desk lamp so I could direct the light at the plants (my succulents are on the fireplace mantel and the lamp is clamped to one side). Since it has a regular light bulb form factor you could put it in any lamp. It's very bright and white but much better than those weird blue/pink ones since I also have to live in the room with the plants. They seem happy with it!
posted by sparkling at 10:34 PM on December 18, 2022 [2 favorites]

I have this one - had it for a bit over a year so far and only complaint is that it's a bit top heavy so I try not to fuss with it too much. It shows it with pink but it's all normal lightbulb colors
posted by brilliantine at 6:23 AM on December 19, 2022

Just want to add to the chorus that you don't need a grow light, just one of those GE grow bulbs and a light that will aim at it. The key is to have it pretty close to the plant.
posted by bluedaisy at 2:06 PM on December 19, 2022

I overwinter my large tropical plants (chamaedorea seifrizii, kentia and fan palms) in a windowless basement from October until April and replace two regular lightbulbs in the ceiling with some full spectrum bulbs. All the plants are 14"-16" diameter pots and in the 4'-5' height range. They get all their light exclusively from two lightbulbs for 5-6 months and then outdoor sunlight the rest of the year. In this location it is recessed light fixtures in the ceiling but they could be used in any standard (E26) light socket/lamp. I just got the cheapest ones (brand: Stonepoint) from my local hardware store and they work great. These happen to be LED so they stay cool and are energy efficient.
posted by Ipomoea at 4:25 PM on December 19, 2022

I like Sansi. I have some nice grow lights someone gave me and I got a Sansi light and it's like staring into the sun compared to the other lights. I have to make sure the plants I put under it are full sun or they do poorly. My cacti have never been happier.

https://www.sansiled.com/collections/led-grow-lights/products/70w-led-grow-light

I didn't hang the light, it's on a shelf pointing at the plants. I don't recommend the bulbs unless you already have a suitable lamp, most can't handle the weight.
posted by Dynex at 6:23 PM on December 19, 2022