Most plants grow very slowly, or not at all, in the winter months when the sun is low in the sky—house plants are no exception. Even if it’s warm inside, plants can sense this external change. Some houseplants plants will drop leaves, turn brown, or even appear to die completely. Most house plants (aside from decorative flowers) are Perennials, so with a little care and patience over winter, you should expect your house plants to bounce right back. Even though I’ve experienced this myself year after year, as soon as I notice the plants transitioning I spend a week panicking, followed by a few months of gloom. Last year I finally had enough and went to the hardware store in search of a grow light to trick my plants, and maybe myself, into thinking it was summer.
Grow lights used to be shoved to the back of the shelf and only requested by a very, uh, specific kind of indoor farmer. But because of a rise in house plant popularity, I was pleased to find a large selection in my hardware store. I wanted a bulb that would fit into a standard lamp socket to would work with my existing decor, so I eliminated all of the industrial and tube style bulbs. I also wanted something energy efficient since I’d be leaving it on for most of the day, every day, for a few months. I left with 4 different bulbs and tried them all in the same desk lamp for a few days at a time.
Some of them got very hot after only a few minutes and I felt uneasy leaving home with them turned on all day. Another was so bright, it was hard to be in the same room with it on. I ultimately chose the Fiet LED Grow Bulb. It’s energy-efficient (9 watts) and as advertised, never got hot (only slightly warm). This also meant I was able to maintain relatively stable humidity from day to night because hot lights will dry out the air.
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The light is primarily red and blue wavelengths (which gives off a purple hue in a darkened room), which promotes foliage and flowering better than a regular white bulb.Most importantly, this efficient red-blue light produced a dramatic change in my plants. My succulents plumped up within days and leafy plants had new shoots within a week. I added a smart plug in timer and only adjusted it slightly throughout winter so that it continued to come on when the sun came up. This bulb is a great way to improve your gardening skills without having to get your hands dirty.
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