LED Grow Lights For Sale in New Zealand Blog.

7 Signs Your Plants Need a Grow Light

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 02:14:20 +0000

Are your houseplants and seedlings looking a bit worse for wear? Sometimes, strong artificial light is all that's required to set them right again.

Plants grown indoors typically don’t receive as much light as those that spend their lives outdoors. Many houseplants are specifically suited to lower-light conditions and will flourish inside. Some, however, may need supplemental lighting inside to flourish. Most seedlings that are started indoors to be moved outside when the time is right also get a better start when they’re helped along by grow lights.

Whatever the case, your plants will let you know they’re not happy and one of the steps you can take to address their distress is to set up some grow lights. Additional light will fuel the plants’ ability to photosynthesize, which in turn leads to the ability to create fuel for growth.

Sparse, leggy, or no growth
Plants that aren’t as full as they should be, or exhibit leggy growth—long stems with few leaves, spaced-out leaves, or leaves just at the end of the stem—might need more light. The same is true of plants that seem to be stuck in “why-bother” mode; these plants may appear lush and green but show no signs of growth whatsoever. Hit these sad greenies with time under a light and see if they kick into gear.

Phototropism
Phototropism is the way a plant positions itself in relation to its light source. If your plants are leaning aggressively toward a window or other light source, like a toddler stretching to reach a cupcake on the counter, they’re likely telling you they’re not getting enough light. Reward them with a grow light and they’ll straighten up.

Leaves turning brown, yellow, or white
While discolored leaves can indicate any of a number of concerns, one of those problems can be a lack of light intensity. Plants need light to make chlorophyll, which is what makes plants green. Are the brown or yellow leaves on the side of the plant that faces away from the window? This indicates that your plant needs more light for healthy growth.

Variegated plants losing their stripes
Did you purchase an intriguing philodendron with whimsical white pinstripes, but now you’re disappointed to discover that its once-dual-hued leaves are a boring solid green? The plant has gone into survival mode, eliminating the white bits in favor of the chlorophyll-filled green parts—it needs the chlorophyll for growth and survival. Situating it under a grow light will restore it to its former banded glory.

Stingy flower production
African violets are popular plants to grow indoors, but if they or other flowering plants in your collection aren’t rewarding your care with their usual showy display of purple and other colors of flowers, a grow light might kick blooming into gear. Plants need a lot of energy to produce flowers, and might be unable to create the colorful blossoms if they are not exposed to light that is intense enough for them to conduct their business.

Overwintering outdoor plants inside
Many gardeners bring their outdoor potted plants inside when winter winds blow. However, plants that are accustomed to bright outdoor light can suffer in dimmer interior light. Consider fixing up a set of shelves with grow lights to provide these light-loving plants with the illumination they require to survive to see spring’s glory.

Starting seedlings
Like children who eat seemingly nonstop to fuel their growth, seedlings require 12 to 16 hours of light a day to get a foothold on life. If you are starting vegetable and flower seedlings indoors and will move them outside once it warms up, it’s a good idea to provide them with a grow light or two to ensure they get off to the best start possible.

The Best Herbs to Grow Indoors

Tue, 10 May 2022 01:41:16 +0000

Wondering what herbs grow well indoors? With a little bit of know-how, you can grow any of these tasty herbs indoors.

Inside, the temperature is warm, and there’s virtually no risk of frost. Still, although growing indoors typically presents perfect year-round “weather,” gardeners still need to keep on top of watering, since Mother Nature won’t be lending a helping hand. Any herb can be the best indoor herb if you give it the care it needs.

An indoor environment can be the perfect one for growing herbs. Still, too often, people quickly kill indoor-growing herbs by relegating them to too-small pots and leaving them to flower and go to seed. Here’s how to grow these popular herbs in the comfort of your own home, 365 days a year.

1. Lemon Balm

First on this list of herbs you can grow indoors is lemon balm. Lemon balm thrives in bright sunlight and prefers dry soil, so make sure not to overwater this Mediterranean plant. Because it’s slow-growing and prefers full sun, you’ll get the best results by using a dedicated grow light for lemon balm—usually, a sunny window isn’t enough. Lemon balm may survive for a while in low light, but it’ll eventually fade and wilt without enough sunshine.

2. Mint

Growing mint inside means you’ll have a dedicated supply to make herbal teas and tasty cocktails. Mint is also one of the easiest herbs to grow indoors. It does well in almost any type of container, provided there’s adequate drainage. Indirect light is best, but try rotating the plant regularly, so it doesn’t grow in a lopsided fashion. Like you would outdoors, keep mint in its own pot since it can quickly outpace other plants in the vicinity.

Inside, the temperature is warm, and there’s virtually no risk of frost. Still, although growing indoors typically presents perfect year-round “weather,” gardeners still need to keep on top of watering, since Mother Nature won’t be lending a helping hand. Any herb can be the best indoor herb if you give it the care it needs.

An indoor environment can be the perfect one for growing herbs. Still, too often, people quickly kill indoor-growing herbs by relegating them to too-small pots and leaving them to flower and go to seed. Here’s how to grow these popular herbs in the comfort of your own home, 365 days a year.

1. Lemon Balm

First on this list of herbs you can grow indoors is lemon balm. Lemon balm thrives in bright sunlight and prefers dry soil, so make sure not to overwater this Mediterranean plant. Because it’s slow-growing and prefers full sun, you’ll get the best results by using a dedicated grow light for lemon balm—usually, a sunny window isn’t enough. Lemon balm may survive for a while in low light, but it’ll eventually fade and wilt without enough sunshine.

2. Mint

Growing mint inside means you’ll have a dedicated supply to make herbal teas and tasty cocktails. Mint is also one of the easiest herbs to grow indoors. It does well in almost any type of container, provided there’s adequate drainage. Indirect light is best, but try rotating the plant regularly, so it doesn’t grow in a lopsided fashion. Like you would outdoors, keep mint in its own pot since it can quickly outpace other plants in the vicinity.

3. Tarragon

When deciding on good herbs to grow indoors, consider tarragon. This lesser-grown herb isn’t likely to survive the winter outdoors, so if you want to harvest it for dishes when temperatures plummet outside, try growing it indoors. Because tarragon can get tall, you’ll need to choose a spot with some vertical clearance—at least 24 inches. Like with most herbs, well-draining soil is key to longevity and preventing root rot. Avoid overwatering tarragon, but make sure it has a humid enough environment by spritzing it with water every so often.

4. Parsley

This oft-used, easy indoor herb comes in curly or flat varieties. You can grow it from seed, but you might opt to start with a potted plant instead since the herb’s seeds can take a while to sprout and grow. Choose an area that gets plenty of light—at least 6 hours in a 24-hour period. A windowsill will work during the warmer months, but avoid drafts since parsley is sensitive to very cold temperatures. Mist the plant frequently to maintain adequate humidity levels.

5. Chervil

Chervil is a fancy French herb with a delicate flavor. It’s an ideal herb to grow inside since it doesn’t tolerate extreme temperatures—hot or cold. If growing chervil, plan for plants to grow up to 24 inches high. Like most herbs, it’s essential to harvest continuously. The more you harvest, the less likely the plant will flower and bolt, which turns the greenery bitter-tasting.

6. Dill

If you have a spacious kitchen, growing dill can be a cinch. Just expect the tall plant to take up plenty of vertical space. This carrot cousin needs at least 6 hours of direct sunlight and does best in a deep container—at least 12 inches deep—that can accommodate its long taproot. Water dill only when the soil is dried out. As the plant grows taller, consider adding support to prevent it from falling over.

7. Rosemary

Prune it correctly, and this Mediterranean herb might end up resembling a tiny Christmas tree. Grow rosemary indoors to enjoy its intense aroma and harvest sprigs to maximize the flavor of various culinary dishes. Keep in mind that rosemary grows rapidly and can quickly outgrow its container within a year or two. Make sure it gets at least 6 hours of full sunlight each day (or use a grow light if that’s not possible). The plant will tolerate dry conditions and does better when misted rather than deeply watered.

8. Sage

Sage is another herb that does well in a container. The strong-scented herb goes well with chicken and brown butter pasta. Artificial lighting will likely be required to keep a sage plant thriving, since the herb fares best with 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight. Let the topsoil dry out between waterings but make sure to provide enough ambient humidity either by misting or incorporating a pebble tray in the vicinity.

9. Oregano

If you’ve grown oregano outside, growing it indoors is quite similar. Provide the plant with at least 6 hours of sunlight (or artificial light) and make sure the soil has a chance to dry out between waterings. Frequent trimming is also necessary to prevent the plant from getting wild and untidy. Grow herbs with similar needs, such as thyme and sage, alongside oregano, to simplify kitchen garden care.

10. Thyme

This fresh-tasting herb can thrive indoors as long as it gets enough sunlight and lives in a pot with plenty of drainage. Letting the soil dry out between waterings ensures that root rot doesn’t set in. Unlike many other herbs, thyme prefers indirect light. But don’t think that means it will survive in the dark. At least 6 hours of indirect sunlight per day will keep the plant happy. Trim thyme regularly to encourage new growth and maintain a neat shape.

11. Cilantro

One of the most divisive herbs, cilantro isn’t necessarily an easy herb to grow indoors. In fact, it’s a bit of a challenge to grow both indoors and out because it’s sensitive to temperature swings and has a tendency to bolt prematurely. But you can enjoy cilantro’s flavor if you make sure to give the plants the equivalent of at least 6 hours of full sun per day and keep the soil moist, ensuring proper drainage. Harvest frequently to keep cilantro from flowering, turning the fresh-tasting leaves into a soapy-flavored mess.

12. Basil

One of the most popular herbs, people often bring basil plants home thinking they’ll keep them around for months on end. That’s because basil is often touted as the best herb to grow indoors. Basil is finicky, but you can enjoy a steady supply of potted basil leaves. To successfully grow basil indoors, make sure to choose a roomy pot; store-bought basil commonly comes in containers that are much too small to support healthy growth.

Offer the plant plenty of sunlight and keep the soil moist. And keep snipping those leaves! Basil grows quickly, so have a contingency plan in mind for when you can’t use it fast enough—freeze or share it with others, for example.

Herbs can grow well indoors only if you have time to take care of them properly. It helps to invest in indoor grow lights.

Growing Plants With Artificial Light

Sun, 20 Sep 2015 08:59:36 +0000

Growing plants with artificial lights offers a great range of opportunity when it comes to growing plants indoors. Plants in different stages of growth have special lighting requirements in order to flourish indoors, and it pays to understand their lighting needs in order to meet them and get the best from your plants.

Vegetable gardening provides a good example of how grow lights and grow lamps work. Vegetable gardeners who live in cold regions of the country know that in order to get a head start on the growing season they will want to start seeds indoors approximately six to eight weeks before their last average frost date. You can find out your last average frost date from your local county extension agent's office. Some seeds require light for germination, while others need it to be dark. This information will be given sometimes on the back of the seed packets, or you can research it in gardening reference books. Once the seeds germinate, the indoor lighting that is used will make or break your starts. Grow lamps need to be kept no more than two to four inches above the growing plant starts, so you will need a way to raise the lights as needed as the plant starts grow taller. Attaching the grow lights to chains, with a hook above, works easily and well for this purpose.

You will need to use different light spectrums depending on where you plants are in the growth stage. If it is early on in your new plant's life, then it will need light in the blue spectrum. When the plant is at the flowering stage, it will need light in the red and orange spectrums.

You can find a grow lamp for a specific color spectrum, or you can find lights that come in a full color spectrum, which is suitable for plants at any stage of development. In addition to the lamp, you will likely also want to use a reflector, which helps intensify and control the light that the lamp puts out, as well as electronic ballasts. The ballasts control the electrical current that flows to the lamp. A lamp ballast is used with high-intensity discharge lights, also known as HID lights, because they put out a very strong intense light similar to sunlight, and this makes them a very good choice for growing plants indoors. Fluorescent lights are also used in indoor gardening. They emit light in the blue and green, as well as the red spectrums, making them another great choice for growing plants indoors. Other popular lights include led grow lights.

The larger the plant is, the more light it will need to produce food and grow, so lighting is all important to the health and vitality of your indoor plants.