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Our top pick has tons of customization options at a low price.
Credit:Better Homes & Gardens
This isnt always realistic or even possible, which is when grow lights can be incredibly helpful.
Grow lights produce light that mimics what the outside world does.," he says.
“They basically fake the plants out andencourage them to grow.
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The timer needs to be reset if powered off.
The positives begin with a simple setupsimply plug it in.
There are many ways to customize your growing experience, which is impressive at this price point.
You can choose from warm, red, or blue lights—or choose all three modes at once.Credit: Better Homes & Gardens
(It does need to be reset if the light is powered off, though.)
No AC power plug?
Connect it to a USB instead.
Youre not able to dim the light or adjust the spectrum.
Most grow lights are all about function, and designed without consideration to formtheSoltech Aspectis the exception.
Installation took us 20 minutes, and the light didnt require any assembly.
The 40 watt 3000K LED bulb iswarm like a regular light, yet extremelyand noticeablybright.
Raising it up, for example, allows it to support a large collection of small indoor plants.
Our tester noticed no meaningful level of heat coming from the light when it was on.
The size makes it unable to accommodate large plants.
No internal timer or cable management is included.
Flowering plantsthrive best with red lights, which theMars Hydrohas plenty of.
Credit: Bloomscape
(Its worth noting that flowers will thrive best in the middle 2 x 2 foot area.)
Zipper cables make adjusting the height easythe brand recommends 12-18 inches of space between the light and flowering plants.
There are two 36-inch full spectrum LED lights, which looked very white and reminded us of hospital lighting.
This grow light plugs into a wall outlet hangs like a pendant light. The cord is 15 feet long.Credit:Better Homes & Gardens
The brightness was contained to about 3 feet around the grow light.
When it came to growth, the plants under the grow light were the clear winners.
The number of models with different features may make selecting the one for you confusing.
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If you need flexibility, theLBW Grow Light with Standis the best choice for you.
The good news is that the price only goes up nominally as you upgrade size and function.
This means youre able to control exactly how much light your plants receive.
We were able to move this tabletop light close to our seedlings and bend an arm over each plant pot.Credit:Better Homes & Gardens
you could also control the brightnessthere are six levels ranging from 10% to 100%.
Having so many options is a pro, but you have to read the product descriptions very carefully.
All we had to do was tighten some screws by hand to put parts together.
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Extra parts are included if you want to mount the light to a ceiling rather than the included tripod.
you’ve got the option to maneuver the full spectrum LED lights with the 360o gooseneck arms.
We found them very bright but not disruptive, especially if we tilted the lights downward.
This 4x4-foot grow light produced taller plants than seedlings that only received natural sunlight.Credit:Better Homes & Gardens
We didnt notice a significant change in temperature under the light, either.
Thebasil was slow to growunder both lights.
Instead its designed like a familiarincandescent bulbwhile using less energy and producing little heat.
Credit: Gardenerâs Supply Company
Though not overly disruptive, we did notice a high pitched hum when the bulb was on.
If your light is unplugged or loses power, the timer prefs will be erased.
Full setup of theGooingTop LED Grow Lighttook only two minutes.
The instructions were clear, and it took us about 35 minutes to assemble.Credit: Better Homes & Gardens
Attached to the underside of the cabinet, it took up very little room.
If the grow light loses power, your timer controls will be erased and need to be reprogrammed.
This is ideal if youre on the go or your plant is stationed far from an outlet.
The included mounting stickers kept becoming unstuck and ended up peeling paint from the wall.
The three-minute installation involved applying the included adhesive patches to the wall, bracket, and light.
The longer you hold the body of the fixture, the dimmer it gets.
Neither spinach plant grew at all, and the basil plant under natural light didnt either.
Both of the tomato plants grew, but they were much taller under the grow light.
We felt like the grow light might be slightly overpriced for the size.
Beginner growersdont need all the bells and whistles.
Assembly was a breeze during testing and didnt at all require the included instructions.
Under natural light, the basil never grew.
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you’re free to also daisy chain more of them together to create a larger light.
The setup is complex and the light doesnt come with a timer like cheaper models do.
Setup took an hour in part because you have to drill holes for a ceiling-mount system.
Our tomato plant grew faster under the grow light.Credit:Better Homes & Gardens
When we put their hand under the light, they noticed the air felt noticeably warmer.
One set was placed under natural light, while the other was placed under the grow light.
Size also encompasses the area a grow light will cover, which ultimately affects the plants.
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We always say to use more light than you need, as itll double-check everything is covered.
Red light helps plants bud and bloom, while blue light helps plants photosynthesize and grow bigger.
They also last longer than fluorescent and incandescent lights.
The basil seedlings under the grow light had thicker leaves than the basil that grew with natural light.Credit:Better Homes & Gardens
Fluorescent lights are inexpensive, more energy efficient, and less hot.
LEDs still beat them out on both counts, and full-spectrum fluorescents are uncommon.
TheAeroGarden Trio Grow Light, for example, has a dimmer as well as different light modes.
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It also lacked any special features like a timer or dimmer.
Your Questions, Answered
What kind of grow light is best for growing vegetables indoors?
Every grow light on our list has LED bulbs, including theGooingTop LED Grow LightandSoltech Grove LED Grow Light.
The tomato plant that used the grow light had thicker stems and leaves.Credit: Better Homes & Gardens / Dylan Thompson
What color lights are best for promoting plant growth?
There are two kinds of plant growth to think about: overall size and budding/flowering.
According to Ketterling, blue light supports a plants size while red light supports the flowering.
This is why he recommends a full spectrum light, which encourages all parts of the growth stage.
What wattage of grow light do you need?
She has previously written about houseplants, indoor greenhouses, and grow tents.
What is BHG Recommends?
In these cases, we use the same testing criteria we use to test the purchased products.
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The grow light was lightweight, slim and easy to mount on the wall.Credit:Better Homes & Gardens
Credit: Amazon
The tomato and spinach plants grew strong and healthy under the light.Credit: Better Homes & Gardens
Credit: Amazon
The plants grown under the light looked drastically healthier.Credit: Better Homes & Gardens / Frances Crouter
Credit:Better Homes & Gardens
Credit:Better Homes & Gardens
