What Are Grow Lights – The Best Grow Lights – Why Use One – Types Of Grow Lights – What To Look For – Ripening Tomatoes – Growing Tomatoes Indoors – FAQ
Using grow lights is a great way of getting the most out of the plants you are keeping indoors. If you are struggling with getting your plants to grow properly then using a grow light is a very good idea.
Below we are sharing some of our expertise on this topic and also hopefully will help guide you into choosing the best one for you. They are relatively inexpensive and therefore quite a good investment for your indoor garden.
What Are Grow Lights
Grow lights are more or less artificial lights that are meant to imitate the sunlight that the plants would get outside. It makes the plants able to perform something called photosynthesis, a vital process that makes them able to continue to grow.
Nowadays however it might be a bit more expensive, given that energy prices are rising. But if you don’t have the luxury of your own outdoor garden or balcony then this might be the only option there is. Knowing how far apart the plants should be is very helpful, learn more here, How Far Apart To Plant Tomatoes For Best Growth.
The Best Grow Lights For Tomatoes Indoors
Let’s look at some of the most popular but also in our opinion the best grow lights out there. They are really specialized for only tomatoes, so you can grow whatever plant you want underneath them. This makes them a great investment if you want something benefiting your plants but something that can stay with you for many years.
Venta 75W LED
This is a full-spectrum LED grow light meant for indoor purposes. It provides wavelengths between 390 nm and 730 nm making sure that you get the best light for the plants underneath. Because of this variety of wavelengths, you are able to grow tomatoes faster.
But any seedlings or smaller herbs are also able to grow just as quickly as in a greenhouse for example. The light doesn’t drain more than about 27 watts making it a very energy-saving alternative. We have had ours for a very long time and the total advertised time that the plant can last is about 50 000 hours.
If you buy the lamp straight from their website then you will also be able to get some warranty with the purchase and some extra lights coming along with the lamp too. For us, this is perhaps the best option you will have on this list. An energy-saving and green alternative that will ensure your tomatoes can grow both stable and quickly.
Mars Hydro TSW 2000 LED
This is an incredibly efficient full LED spectrum grow light specialized for indoor purposes. You get about 30 % more light for the amount of energy used. This makes it the greenest option on this list.
It has a very close resemblance to the natural light outdoors. This helps ensure that your tomatoes or herbs grow in a natural environment where you won’t even notice a shift in the flavor of the produce.
The reflective aluminum hood helps maximize the number of lights reflected onto the plants. It helps save energy and gets a higher intensity of light, further replicating the natural light outside. Buying the light straight from their website will also get you a 60-day warranty which makes this option hard to say no to.
Relassy LED
This grows light has the ability to offer a full spectrum of light ranging from 380nm all the way to 800 nm. Unlike some of the other options here, this one is perhaps the best at distributing the light evenly all over the plants. This makes your plant less likely to grow tall and skinny.
That usually happens when the light source is inconsistent and not enough. The stem of the grow light is very flexible further helping you to set up the plant the way that you want. Its energy-efficient and easy to set up. This would be our recommendation if you live in a small apartment and don’t have a lot of room to play with. If a tomato plant is getting overwatered, knowing can be vital, here we share our tips, How To Spot An Overwatered Tomato Plant.
Why Should You Use A Grow Light
There are many different reasons why you might want to use a grow light indoors. We have found that some of the more expensive and quality alternatives of grow lights have the same effect that regular sunlight would have on the plant. This really just means that you don’t have to worry about not having a large garden at home to utilize.
For beginners, it might feel better to start indoors and grow your first plants. If you are insecure about whether the plant is getting enough sunlight or not, then using a grow light helps take away that worry.
Types Of Grow Lights
There are a variety of different types of lights out there. They all have their own slight differences in how they affect the plant in the end. Let’s look a little bit closer at what these lights do and what makes them special.
Fluorescent Grow Lights
These are often used for the cheapest grow lights out there. They don’t provide the full spectrum of light making you in the end have a smaller yield of tomatoes. It seems like the amount of quality light the plant receives is correlated to the number of tomatoes you can harvest.
LED (Light-Emitting Diode)
LED lights are really the best. They are energy efficient and will also help provide you with the full length of lights. This makes you able to get a better harvest from your tomato plant. In the end, it’s really worth investing in this type of light. They cost a little bit extra but are well worth it. Take it from us, we have been using these to propagate small seedlings indoors for years now using these types.
HID (High-Intensity Discharge)
The HID lights are perhaps the most difficult variety on this list to start setting up. They require more effort to set up and get the most out of. But they also help provide a really intense and strong light source for your tomato plants.
What To Look For When Getting Grow Lights For Tomatoes
As you have learned now there are a lot of different types of lights that you can choose from. But to keep it simple, then you should probably go for the LED or the HID types of light. They carry a price tag with them but also come with a higher quality of light.
With these, you have a better chance of getting a good amount of yield and harvest on whatever you might be growing. For us, these are the only real options and we have never been disappointed in buying and using them.
Will Tomatoes Ripen Under Grow Lights
Tomatoes can definitely ripen under grow lights. Even though it might be a little bit different from natural sunlight. Often tomatoes grown indoors under these lights are ripening earlier than the ones outdoors. This is because the plant has greater access to light than the outdoors.
But the intensity of flavor might be slightly less. Sunripe tomatoes are really hard to beat in all honesty. They are sweeter and richer because of a longer amount of ripening.
Can Tomatoes Grow In 24 Hours Of Light
This is actually the most common way of growing tomatoes for commercial use. They are grown indoors under constant light to help boost the ripening time. It goes quicker and you will end up having tomatoes a lot earlier than those traditionally grown outdoors instead.
FAQ
How Much Grow Light Do Tomatoes Need
There is an amount of light that tomatoes can handle. But growing them outdoors would require at least 8 hours each day, so we use the same minimum amount indoors too with grow lights.
How Long To Leave Grow Light On Tomatoes
All the way from putting down the tomato seed up until you can harvest us when you can use the grow lights. You won’t harm the plant by using them for too long.
What Color Grow Light Is Best For Tomatoes
There are a lot of different types of grow lights out there, but for the best quality of light, we recommend you use LED. This has the full spectrum of light, resulting in better quality and even heaviest compared to the cheaper options.
Additional Information
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