The Best Grow Lights for Cultivating an Herb or Fruit Garden at Home

Indoor gardens, while a great way to spruce up your home, can be difficult to keep alive and healthy. Not only do you need to water plants regularly, but if there’s no window nearby they may not get enough sunlight to survive. So if you’re interested in growing plants inside that require a bit more sun, you’ll need a grow light.

A grow light is a typically rectangle-shaped LED light that is set up above a row of plants. It’s meant to mimic the UV rays generated by natural sunlight, keeping your plants healthy and flourishing. There are a few key things to consider when buying a grow light however, most of which has to do with the plant itself. For example, if you’re growing a plant that’s going to grow taller, you’ll want to leave more room between the light and the plant for it to sprout. Some plants will also require more sunlight than others, so it’s important to invest in a grow light that’s not too harsh for your garden.

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The biggest component to keep in mind is that a good grow light should be full spectrum, meaning that it can mimic the sun almost exactly. Here, four of the best on Amazon that fit the bill.

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1. Phlizon Plant Grow Light

Some plants are harder to grow than others. For those that require a bit more nuance, Phlizon offers a solution. It’s a full spectrum light that has a “veg” and “bloom” mode—the former uses blue and white LEDs and is better for seedlings, while the latter uses red and white LEDs and is great for plants that are flowering and blooming. You can use both at the same time or just one, depending on what stage your garden is at.

Credit: Amazon
Credit: Amazon

Amazon

Buy: Phlizon Plant Grow Light

2. Mars Hydro Grow Light

Most of the glow lights on this list are for hobbyists or those curious about what they can grow indoors. Not this massive light from Mars Hydro, though. This lamp is for serious growers who want to cultivate a lot of plants in a controlled environment away from the elements. The brand’s lamp includes over 684 LEDs and produces enough light for a 3.5 foot by 3.5 foot grow stage. Even better, it only has a true output of 300 watts, so you won’t have to worry about your electricity bill soaring through the roof.

Credit: Amazon
Credit: Amazon

Amazon

Buy: Mars Hydro Grow Light

3. Bloom Plus Grow Light

One thing to be wary of with grow lights is noise. Since many of them incorporate cooling fans, they can get a bit loud. Not so for Bloom Plus’ light, which foregoes fans for a thick aluminum heat sink, which passively cools it. One thing to keep in mind is that it’s a square shape, not a rectangle, which may impact the layout of your plants.

Credit: Amazon
Credit: Amazon

Amazon

Buy: Bloom Plus Grow Light

4. Mars Hydro Grow Light

Some gardeners want to go big or go home. If that’s the case for you then you’ll want Mars Hydro’s grow light, which, at three feet by three feet, is the largest on this list. It’s pretty easy to use too, with a dimmable function that allows you to tweak the equipment’s full spectrum of light. Keep in mind though that, because it’s a bit bigger, it may not suit every space.

Credit: Amazon
Credit: Amazon

Amazon

Buy: Mars Hydro Grow Light

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