What light is best for seedling growth?
WHY WOULD I WANT A GROW LIGHT FOR SEEDLINGS?
Seedlings need both even lighting and proper temperatures to ensure vigorous, strong growth. Spring months are often unpredictable. Your home may have varying degrees of sunlight and temperatures that can affect growth rates of plants. One trick is to keep your seeds facing the window so they get the length of daylight they need.
With a grow light you can grow anywhere without worry of seasonal changes or window placements. You also can set up a room, or a small tent to support your seedlings as they grow- and deter your pets (or children) from making a mess of your young plants.
Why You Should Use Grow Lights For Seedlings
An excellent way to make sure that your seedlings would grow healthy is to use grow lights instead of relying on natural lights alone.
If you want to ensure rapid, healthy growth of your seedlings after germination then using grow lights can make all the difference.
If you’re trying to grow multiple seedlings, it will also help you make sure that all your seedlings are equally exposed to light.
During winter, it’s going to be hard to speed things up when it comes to germinating your seedlings as the days are usually shorter.
Aside from that, there won’t be much sunlight, so getting grow lights are the best thing to do about this.
Some plants or seedlings will require a lot of time under the light to thrive. Some of these plants are the Yucca plant, Pony Tail Palm Tree, Ficus Benjamina, and White Bird of Paradise.
These are high light plants, and they may need about 14-16 hours of light exposure. This is when grow lights would come in handy.
What Color Light Is Best For Seedlings?
Based on research, plants do not really make use of all the spectrum that sunlight gives. When we think of lights, especially the sunlight, we think of the color white or a bit of yellow.
However, that’s considered as the visible light, which we can only see through specific wavelengths and frequencies.
The light is composed of different colors or spectrums, and it behaves like waves. This is why the light is identified by wavelengths and frequencies.
The different colors of the lights are interpreted by our eyes based on its frequencies and wavelengths. We have the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Thus, we have the colors of the rainbow.
The white light we see is basically the combination of all lights in the spectrum. If you have a prism, like let’s say, a diamond, and let the light pass through it, then it’s when you can see the rainbow colors pop out.
The light spectrums red and blue are what grow lights should have to make your plants grow healthy. Your grow lights should have a warm and cool spectrum.
However, research shows that it really isn’t required to have grow lights that only have two spectrums.
There’s really no difference if you’ll use full-spectrum lights or not. What could really be different is how energy efficient they are. It’s as simple as the more spectrums there is, the higher energy consumption is required for the grow lights.
WHAT SPECTRUMS OF LIGHT DO SEEDLINGS NEED?
The light spectrum is made up of visible and non-visible colors of light that emit various wavelengths measured by the temperature they provide. As mentioned, blue light wavelengths are utilized best by growing and maturing plants in vegetative stages of growth, and there are many lights available that are more specific to this side of the spectrum.
Of course, all stages of growth can benefit from a full spectrum exposure but be aware of young, maturing plants. They will use more blue wavelengths than others. They crave longer exposure to lights, so when choosing a grow light, be sure to pick one that will run for up to 18 hours a day without overheating or burning out.
TYPES OF GROW LIGHTS THAT SUPPORT SEEDLINGS BEST
Full-Spectrum Fluorescent Grow Lights
This can be used on seedlings and plants. This type of fluorescent bulb is made to imitate the spectrum of the natural light.
It is not as efficient as other types of fluorescent bulbs as it has the tendency to produce much heat, but because of its cool and warm tones, this is something that could be very effective when growing plants.
T5 Grow Lights For Seedlings
This is another type of fluorescent light that is efficient when it comes to its capability to help your plants and seedlings grow. It is also a good choice if you are someone who’s mostly worried about the electricity bill when working with grow lights.
Led Grow Lights For Seedlings
Using LED grow lights enable you to make use of a wide range of spectrum. LED grow lights look purple as it is rich in the spectrums red and blue.
A lot of growers find this very efficient as this lasts long, about 5x longer than fluorescent bulbs. This is also energy efficient and won’t shatter when dropped.
HIGH-INTENSITY DISCHARGE (HID)
HID bulbs are defined by how they are lit from the combustion of gas within the chamber when it is sparked by the arcing of electrodes. These require ballasts to help regulate the electricity to the bulb so it doesn’t burn out right away. They are almost always set within a reflective hood to concentrate the light where needed. Different types of HID bulbs provide different colors, but all are considered dependable, and efficient choices
Metal Halides
This is the first type of HID grow lights. When it comes to the spectrum it emits, it has more of the blue spectrum, and this helps speed up the growth of your seedlings and plants.
HPS (High-Pressure Sodium) Grow Lights
This is another type of HID. This does pretty much the same to your seedlings but take note that this has more of the red spectrum, so it’s something you may also use during the flowering stage. However, this really isn’t advisable to use on seedlings alone.
What's the best option?
For the average home gardener starting seedlings indoors, a fluorescent or LED lamp will usually be the best choice to ensure that your plants get the quality, intensity, and duration of light they need to stay in peak condition.
Growing Tips
Rotate your plants each week. The light from a fluorescent bulb is more intense at the center of the bulb than it is at the ends.
Replace fluorescent tubes when the ends darken. That means the tube is old and the light output may be less than half of a new bulb.
Clean your fluorescent bulbs each month. Dust and dirt can dramatically decrease the amount of light emitted.
Place your hand where the light hits the foliage. If you feel any warmth, the light is too close.
Move the lamp upward as the seedlings grow; you want to keep the lights about 2-4 inches above the plants.
BEST 4 GROW LIGHTS FOR SEEDLINGS REVIEWS
IPOWER 1000 WATT HPS MH DIGITAL DIMMABLE GROW LIGHT SYSTEM KITS
Light Type: MH
Spectrum Range: Blue
Wattage: 400, 600, 1000
Warranty: 1 year
This is another full system set up that can either run a metal halide bulb or high sodium pressure bulb. It comes with both in order to provide for all stages of growth. A dimmable ballast, hangers, power cords, and a timer are all part of this package to support the cool tube, a winged reflector houses your bulb and provides concentrated light to your plants.
MH and HPS bulbs are known for their heat output, so this is not suggested for more enclosed grows and does require a very well ventilated area. You can, however, easily hook it to an induct fan system to help with the cooling process. You can customize these kits to include 400w, 600w, or 1000w choices, as well as dual bulb designs to have both MH and HPS bulbs running at the same time if you have plants in various stages of growth.
PROS
Noticeable plant support
Great customer support
Sturdy tube and bright light
CONS
Audible ballast fan, although not loud
Puts out a lot of heat
PRO TIP
Anyone with a well-ventilated area would do well to consider these lights as they are very powerful and specific to your plant’s growth stage. Since these types of systems can support various bulb types they make them perfect for other needs as well.
Eco Farm CMH 315W Grow Light Fixture Reflector Enclosed Kit
Light Type: CMH
Spectrum Range: Full
Wattage: 315 – 630
Warranty: 2 year
This ceramic metal halide grow kit is everything you need to get your seedlings started. A CMH bulb includes a full spectrum light output, and so you can continue to use this system to take your plants to the next stages of growth, or use it to finish off other plants to production that you may need. A highly efficient aluminum hood is paired with a low-frequency ballast to provide a light source closely resembling sunlight.
Increased watt efficiency helps support a high-quality source with a low power draw. They also do not need to be cooled and can air cool effectively enough to provide a cooler running system overall. This makes them ideal for smaller spaces as well. It comes with a 240-volt cord, but a 120 volt can be purchased for a minimal price.
PROS
Healthy, strong growth
Runs very cool
Very bright
CONS
Only a 240-volt cord included (can get a 120 volt for extra)
PRO TIP
Anyone who needs seedling, mature growth and production support should consider a CMH system. This is a very efficient setup and is used in closed spaces without fear of overheating.
ECO FARM 54W T5 FOUR BULB FLUORESCENT GROW LIGHT
Light Type: fluorescent
Spectrum Range: blue
Wattage: 4, 54-watt bulbs
Warranty: 3 years
Fluorescent lighting requires a two ended mounting setup, so this is a panel design that holds 4, 4 foot long bulbs. At 54 watts each, you get a total 216-watt output in the 6400k temperature range to support seedling and early plant growth. With a low heat emission, you can set this up close to your seedlings without worry of burn to ensure they get the full power of the light as they grow.
Fluorescent lighting systems are especially liked by nursery growers since they cover a larger area, and can be daisy-chained together for even larger area coverage at an effective run cost. Yield Lab is known for their innovative, quality designs, and this panel is no exception.
PROS
Runs very cool
Easy to mount
Solid construction and bright
CONS
Only provides a blue light spectrum
PRO TIP
Perfect to start seedlings under and bring them close to blooming stages, this is an efficient and affordable way to add the blue light your young seedlings need to vigorous, early growth and strong roots.
YESCOM BLUE LEDS GROW LIGHT PANEL
Light Type: LED
Spectrum Range: blue
Wattage: 45
Warranty: 30-day returns
It isn’t every day you find a full blue spectrum LED panel specific to vegetative growth stages, but Yescom has created a series of super thin, easy to hang square panels that are customized for exactly what you need. You can easily add blue & white, red, multi-colored, and red & blue panels alongside these depending on your plant’s stages of growth.
Each panel comes with a hanging kit and cord and is easy to mount and use out of the box. Their 1/5th thickness is not conducive to a fan system, but they do not generate much heat as they are well air cooled.
PROS
Influences healthy growth
Very slim and easy to use
Awesome for supplemental lighting with other systems
CONS
Not as effective in open spaces
Air cooled only but seems to stay cool
PRO TIP
These work best in more enclosed places to help concentrate the lights. For those who like LEDs, but want a more specific light spectrum, these are awesome panels to consider for early plant growth. With and red panel choices, you can always add what you need later on.
CONCLUSION
Although all of the choices we’ve provided are amongst the most popular for seedling starts, our top pick specific to seedlings and vegetative support is the ECO FARM 54W T5 FOUR BULB FLUORESCENT GROW LIGHT . Tried and true, fluorescent lighting is a go-to for many experienced growers who have the space that is needed for them. Dependable, long-lasting, and cool running, they work well in a variety room set-ups. They may take up space, but their ease of mounting (horizontal and vertical) make up for it. Plus, if you really don’t have space, we have given you a few other options to work just about anywhere you can dream up.
Seedlings need both even lighting and proper temperatures to ensure vigorous, strong growth. Spring months are often unpredictable. Your home may have varying degrees of sunlight and temperatures that can affect growth rates of plants. One trick is to keep your seeds facing the window so they get the length of daylight they need.
With a grow light you can grow anywhere without worry of seasonal changes or window placements. You also can set up a room, or a small tent to support your seedlings as they grow- and deter your pets (or children) from making a mess of your young plants.
Why You Should Use Grow Lights For Seedlings
An excellent way to make sure that your seedlings would grow healthy is to use grow lights instead of relying on natural lights alone.
If you want to ensure rapid, healthy growth of your seedlings after germination then using grow lights can make all the difference.
If you’re trying to grow multiple seedlings, it will also help you make sure that all your seedlings are equally exposed to light.
During winter, it’s going to be hard to speed things up when it comes to germinating your seedlings as the days are usually shorter.
Aside from that, there won’t be much sunlight, so getting grow lights are the best thing to do about this.
Some plants or seedlings will require a lot of time under the light to thrive. Some of these plants are the Yucca plant, Pony Tail Palm Tree, Ficus Benjamina, and White Bird of Paradise.
These are high light plants, and they may need about 14-16 hours of light exposure. This is when grow lights would come in handy.
What Color Light Is Best For Seedlings?
Based on research, plants do not really make use of all the spectrum that sunlight gives. When we think of lights, especially the sunlight, we think of the color white or a bit of yellow.
However, that’s considered as the visible light, which we can only see through specific wavelengths and frequencies.
The light is composed of different colors or spectrums, and it behaves like waves. This is why the light is identified by wavelengths and frequencies.
The different colors of the lights are interpreted by our eyes based on its frequencies and wavelengths. We have the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Thus, we have the colors of the rainbow.
The white light we see is basically the combination of all lights in the spectrum. If you have a prism, like let’s say, a diamond, and let the light pass through it, then it’s when you can see the rainbow colors pop out.
The light spectrums red and blue are what grow lights should have to make your plants grow healthy. Your grow lights should have a warm and cool spectrum.
However, research shows that it really isn’t required to have grow lights that only have two spectrums.
There’s really no difference if you’ll use full-spectrum lights or not. What could really be different is how energy efficient they are. It’s as simple as the more spectrums there is, the higher energy consumption is required for the grow lights.
WHAT SPECTRUMS OF LIGHT DO SEEDLINGS NEED?
The light spectrum is made up of visible and non-visible colors of light that emit various wavelengths measured by the temperature they provide. As mentioned, blue light wavelengths are utilized best by growing and maturing plants in vegetative stages of growth, and there are many lights available that are more specific to this side of the spectrum.
Of course, all stages of growth can benefit from a full spectrum exposure but be aware of young, maturing plants. They will use more blue wavelengths than others. They crave longer exposure to lights, so when choosing a grow light, be sure to pick one that will run for up to 18 hours a day without overheating or burning out.
TYPES OF GROW LIGHTS THAT SUPPORT SEEDLINGS BEST
Full-Spectrum Fluorescent Grow Lights
This can be used on seedlings and plants. This type of fluorescent bulb is made to imitate the spectrum of the natural light.
It is not as efficient as other types of fluorescent bulbs as it has the tendency to produce much heat, but because of its cool and warm tones, this is something that could be very effective when growing plants.
T5 Grow Lights For Seedlings
This is another type of fluorescent light that is efficient when it comes to its capability to help your plants and seedlings grow. It is also a good choice if you are someone who’s mostly worried about the electricity bill when working with grow lights.
Led Grow Lights For Seedlings
Using LED grow lights enable you to make use of a wide range of spectrum. LED grow lights look purple as it is rich in the spectrums red and blue.
A lot of growers find this very efficient as this lasts long, about 5x longer than fluorescent bulbs. This is also energy efficient and won’t shatter when dropped.
HIGH-INTENSITY DISCHARGE (HID)
HID bulbs are defined by how they are lit from the combustion of gas within the chamber when it is sparked by the arcing of electrodes. These require ballasts to help regulate the electricity to the bulb so it doesn’t burn out right away. They are almost always set within a reflective hood to concentrate the light where needed. Different types of HID bulbs provide different colors, but all are considered dependable, and efficient choices
Metal Halides
This is the first type of HID grow lights. When it comes to the spectrum it emits, it has more of the blue spectrum, and this helps speed up the growth of your seedlings and plants.
HPS (High-Pressure Sodium) Grow Lights
This is another type of HID. This does pretty much the same to your seedlings but take note that this has more of the red spectrum, so it’s something you may also use during the flowering stage. However, this really isn’t advisable to use on seedlings alone.
What's the best option?
For the average home gardener starting seedlings indoors, a fluorescent or LED lamp will usually be the best choice to ensure that your plants get the quality, intensity, and duration of light they need to stay in peak condition.
Growing Tips
Rotate your plants each week. The light from a fluorescent bulb is more intense at the center of the bulb than it is at the ends.
Replace fluorescent tubes when the ends darken. That means the tube is old and the light output may be less than half of a new bulb.
Clean your fluorescent bulbs each month. Dust and dirt can dramatically decrease the amount of light emitted.
Place your hand where the light hits the foliage. If you feel any warmth, the light is too close.
Move the lamp upward as the seedlings grow; you want to keep the lights about 2-4 inches above the plants.
BEST 4 GROW LIGHTS FOR SEEDLINGS REVIEWS
IPOWER 1000 WATT HPS MH DIGITAL DIMMABLE GROW LIGHT SYSTEM KITS
Light Type: MH
Spectrum Range: Blue
Wattage: 400, 600, 1000
Warranty: 1 year
This is another full system set up that can either run a metal halide bulb or high sodium pressure bulb. It comes with both in order to provide for all stages of growth. A dimmable ballast, hangers, power cords, and a timer are all part of this package to support the cool tube, a winged reflector houses your bulb and provides concentrated light to your plants.
MH and HPS bulbs are known for their heat output, so this is not suggested for more enclosed grows and does require a very well ventilated area. You can, however, easily hook it to an induct fan system to help with the cooling process. You can customize these kits to include 400w, 600w, or 1000w choices, as well as dual bulb designs to have both MH and HPS bulbs running at the same time if you have plants in various stages of growth.
PROS
Noticeable plant support
Great customer support
Sturdy tube and bright light
CONS
Audible ballast fan, although not loud
Puts out a lot of heat
PRO TIP
Anyone with a well-ventilated area would do well to consider these lights as they are very powerful and specific to your plant’s growth stage. Since these types of systems can support various bulb types they make them perfect for other needs as well.
Eco Farm CMH 315W Grow Light Fixture Reflector Enclosed Kit
Light Type: CMH
Spectrum Range: Full
Wattage: 315 – 630
Warranty: 2 year
This ceramic metal halide grow kit is everything you need to get your seedlings started. A CMH bulb includes a full spectrum light output, and so you can continue to use this system to take your plants to the next stages of growth, or use it to finish off other plants to production that you may need. A highly efficient aluminum hood is paired with a low-frequency ballast to provide a light source closely resembling sunlight.
Increased watt efficiency helps support a high-quality source with a low power draw. They also do not need to be cooled and can air cool effectively enough to provide a cooler running system overall. This makes them ideal for smaller spaces as well. It comes with a 240-volt cord, but a 120 volt can be purchased for a minimal price.
PROS
Healthy, strong growth
Runs very cool
Very bright
CONS
Only a 240-volt cord included (can get a 120 volt for extra)
PRO TIP
Anyone who needs seedling, mature growth and production support should consider a CMH system. This is a very efficient setup and is used in closed spaces without fear of overheating.
ECO FARM 54W T5 FOUR BULB FLUORESCENT GROW LIGHT
Light Type: fluorescent
Spectrum Range: blue
Wattage: 4, 54-watt bulbs
Warranty: 3 years
Fluorescent lighting requires a two ended mounting setup, so this is a panel design that holds 4, 4 foot long bulbs. At 54 watts each, you get a total 216-watt output in the 6400k temperature range to support seedling and early plant growth. With a low heat emission, you can set this up close to your seedlings without worry of burn to ensure they get the full power of the light as they grow.
Fluorescent lighting systems are especially liked by nursery growers since they cover a larger area, and can be daisy-chained together for even larger area coverage at an effective run cost. Yield Lab is known for their innovative, quality designs, and this panel is no exception.
PROS
Runs very cool
Easy to mount
Solid construction and bright
CONS
Only provides a blue light spectrum
PRO TIP
Perfect to start seedlings under and bring them close to blooming stages, this is an efficient and affordable way to add the blue light your young seedlings need to vigorous, early growth and strong roots.
YESCOM BLUE LEDS GROW LIGHT PANEL
Light Type: LED
Spectrum Range: blue
Wattage: 45
Warranty: 30-day returns
It isn’t every day you find a full blue spectrum LED panel specific to vegetative growth stages, but Yescom has created a series of super thin, easy to hang square panels that are customized for exactly what you need. You can easily add blue & white, red, multi-colored, and red & blue panels alongside these depending on your plant’s stages of growth.
Each panel comes with a hanging kit and cord and is easy to mount and use out of the box. Their 1/5th thickness is not conducive to a fan system, but they do not generate much heat as they are well air cooled.
PROS
Influences healthy growth
Very slim and easy to use
Awesome for supplemental lighting with other systems
CONS
Not as effective in open spaces
Air cooled only but seems to stay cool
PRO TIP
These work best in more enclosed places to help concentrate the lights. For those who like LEDs, but want a more specific light spectrum, these are awesome panels to consider for early plant growth. With and red panel choices, you can always add what you need later on.
CONCLUSION
Although all of the choices we’ve provided are amongst the most popular for seedling starts, our top pick specific to seedlings and vegetative support is the ECO FARM 54W T5 FOUR BULB FLUORESCENT GROW LIGHT . Tried and true, fluorescent lighting is a go-to for many experienced growers who have the space that is needed for them. Dependable, long-lasting, and cool running, they work well in a variety room set-ups. They may take up space, but their ease of mounting (horizontal and vertical) make up for it. Plus, if you really don’t have space, we have given you a few other options to work just about anywhere you can dream up.
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