Grow lights –for healthy houseplants year-round

I can get a bit depressed during winter. My energy levels drop and tiredness creeps up on me. We’re all affected by low light levels, and the same goes for plants. Their leaves become brittle, paler – the entire plant gets down in the mouth. Fortunately, there’s a simple remedy that will banish your plants’ winter blues: plant grow lights.

Isn’t that cheating? No. Would you call it cheating to wash your clothes in a washing machine instead of by hand? We have the technology, and we can use it to create the best possible conditions for our plants. The new LED grow bulbs are also much more environmentally-friendly than the old-fashioned ones, and you can even use horticultural lighting to grow your own food throughout the winter – fresh herbs, for instance. Nothing tastes better than food that you’ve grown yourself!

So, if you want to create the best possible conditions for your plants, you can give them a real pick-me-up by using plant grow lighting during the colder months. You might be thinking this sounds complicated? Well it’s not: grow bulbs and fluorescent tubes of various kinds are readily available from interiors shops and hardware stores. And they’re not particularly expensive either.

You can use the bulbs in regular sockets. Screw in the bulb and place the light close to your plants. I generally place the light source half a metre (20in) away from the plant, whatever type of plant it is. Sun-loving plants do well close to plant lights, but those that prefer indirect light are happier situated slightly further away. Turn your plants now and again. Ideally, plants also need some time in the dark, so it’s best to turn the light off at night.

You can use plant grow lights to improve growing conditions during the winter.

HANDY HINT

Switch on your plant light every morning before you leave your home – and switch it off again when you go to bed. It’s even simpler if you buy a timer so that the plant light goes on and off automatically. Shops that sell plant grow lights usually sell timers as well. You should allow for about 16 hours of light a day. For my part, I’ve had good experience from using grow lights from October to March.

Mirrors improve lighting conditions and give you more flexibility in setting out your plants.

MIRRORS FOR INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT

I also use mirrors to get extra light to my plants. The mirror reflects light onto the back of the plant, which helps it to thrive even more. This means that it’s better able to tolerate being in a room with low light levels.

Better not enough water than too much.