Was totally against using grow lights indoors

I used to think grow lights were just a gimmick for people who didn't know how to care for plants naturally. But last winter I tried a cheap LED panel on my basil plant in my Chicago apartment because it was getting zero sun. After 3 weeks the thing doubled in size and got these huge dark green leaves I'd never seen before. Now I have two lights going for my whole windowsill setup. Anyone else get converted after seeing real results like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimw5712d ago

yeah the full spectrum thing is kinda a marketing term, most cheap LEDs are just red and blue diodes that work fine. not really "full" anything but they still do the job.

linda_reed12d ago

lol "totally different plant" is right. Charles your echeveria story hits close to home. I had this sad little pothos that was basically just two pale leaves clinging to life on my kitchen counter. Threw a cheap blurple light above it and within a month it was trailing down the shelf with these huge variegated leaves. Now I'm that person with lights strapped to every available surface and my electric bill is like 20 bucks higher but my plants look ridiculous. The winter sun here in Chicago is basically a myth anyway.

charles_coleman12d ago

Man, same thing happened to me with my succulents last year. I had this echeveria that was getting so leggy and pale on my north-facing windowsill in Seattle. Picked up a cheap little full spectrum strip light off Amazon, nothing fancy. After about a month that thing got so compact and turned this deep purple color at the tips. It was like a totally different plant. Now I've got lights on timers for my peppers and tomatoes I start from seed in February. I swear by them now, especially during those gray winter months when the sun barely shows up.