Will houseplants grow under normal LED lights?

Will houseplants grow under normal LED lights?

The light conditions in your home are not ideal for many indoor plants. Sometimes, they need the extra lighting that LED lights can provide.

But are ordinary LED lights ok, or should I invest in specialized LED grow lights? As you'll see in this article, the answer largely depends on the type of plants you're trying to grow, the season, and the exposure to natural light in your home.

Of course, there is a difference between ordinary LED lights and LED grow lights, and I will discuss the suitability of different lights (LED strips, bulbs, etc.) for plant growth below.

Why do plants need extra light?
Some plants will definitely adapt and thrive in indoor growing conditions, although they won't get as much light as they can when grown outdoors.

Other plants struggled, however, because the natural light they were exposed to indoors simply didn't cut it for them. Plants that need full sun are most likely to struggle, especially if:

- Indoor

If your home doesn't get a lot of sunlight, you may want to skip plants that need full sun exposure to thrive.

You may want to consider keeping plants in low light, or supplement natural light with LED lights.

winter planting

While you can bring sun-loving houseplants outdoors in summer, you can't use indoor plants that aren't hardy in your area in winter.

Therefore, seasonal changes from naturally reducing sunlight may also be the reason why you might want to set up LED lights in your home.

- Growth

The reduction in light can stunt the growth of many plants. If you want your sun-loving plants to grow faster, grow lights can also help.

Grow Lights vs. Regular LED Lights
Grow lights are specifically designed to simulate the spectrum the sun provides to plants. They contain the best combination of red, blue and other wavelengths that plants need to thrive.

Regular LED lights can also help your plants, the white light they emit is good for plants, but their spectrum is not as complex as grow lights, nor do they provide enough output that many houseplants need.

So, between ordinary LED lights or grow lights, grow lights are undoubtedly the better choice for your plants. Neither can replace the benefits of natural sunlight for plants, but LED grow lights come very close to that standard.