Guide

Grow Lights for Indoor Plants: How to Choose the Right One

By the Plantshop.com Editorial Team · Updated 21 Oct 2026 · How we research · Report an error

A grow light is the single most useful thing you can buy for a dim home. It lets you keep a fiddle-leaf fig, olive tree or bonsai alive away from the window, and it stops low-light plants stretching in winter. Here is how to choose one without paying for features you do not need.

Do your plants need a grow light?

• Probably yes if your plants lean hard towards the window, grow long pale stems, lose variegation or drop leaves in winter.
• Almost certainly yes for sun-lovers kept indoors, such as an indoor olive tree, croton or indoor bonsai, unless they sit in an unobstructed south or west window.
• Probably not for low-light plants like the snake plant or ZZ plant in a bright room. Not sure how bright your spot is? Use our light guide.

What to look for when buying a grow light for plants

1. Full-spectrum white LED. White light makes plants look natural in a living room. Purple and red ("blurple") lights grow plants fine but make a room look like a lab.
2. Output, not watts. Wattage only tells you power use. Serious plant lights state PPFD (light reaching the plant, in µmol/m²/s) at a set distance. More output lets you hang the light higher and cover more plants.
3. The right shape for the spot. A screw-in bulb for a floor or desk lamp suits a single plant; LED bars suit shelves and cabinets; a hanging pendant covers a large floor plant.
4. A built-in timer, or plug it into a cheap outlet timer. Plants need darkness too; most houseplants do well with 12-14 hours of light a day.
5. Heat. LEDs run cool enough to sit close to leaves; old incandescent bulbs do not and can scorch plants.

How far away, and how long

Light intensity falls off quickly with distance, so a small light works best close to the plant: as a rough starting point, 6-12 in (15-30 cm) above the leaves for small plant bulbs and bars, further for high-output panels. Watch the plant: stretching means the light is too weak or too far; bleached or crispy leaves mean too close. Run the light for 12-14 hours a day on a timer. University of Minnesota Extension explains light levels for houseplants in detail here.

Which plants benefit most

Photo: ekeidar / CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia CommonsOlive TreeOlea europaeaBright + some sun lightPets: checkChallengingPhoto: Ranch9613 / CC0, Wikimedia CommonsFiddle Leaf FigFicus lyrataBright indirect lightNot pet-safeChallengingPhoto: Contributers2020 / CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia CommonsCrotonCodiaeum variegatumBright + some sun lightNot pet-safeModeratePhoto: Mojmir Churavy / CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsIndoor Bonsai TreeUsually FicusBright + some sun lightNot pet-safeModeratePhoto: Gabriel Collares / CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsBird of ParadiseStrelitzia reginae / S. nicolaiBright + some sun lightNot pet-safeModeratePhoto: Pepe-MS / CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia CommonsChinese Money PlantPilea peperomioidesBright indirect lightPets: checkEasyPhoto: ANNE LOTTE / CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia CommonsAfrican VioletSaintpaulia spp.Bright indirect lightPet-safeModeratePhoto: Flickr user Forest and Kim Starr / CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia CommonsString of PearlsCurio rowleyanusBright indirect lightNot pet-safeModerate

What growers on Reddit say

r/houseplants has recurring "which grow light?" threads. Screw-in bulbs for existing lamps and LED shelf bars are the setups mentioned most, with premium pendant lights a pricier option. Read them yourself: What are the best grow lights you recommend?, Best grow lights for a room full of house plants?, Grow lights: what's your favorite?

Where to buy a grow light

We list a shop only after confirming the listing (checked 21 Oct 2026). We have not tested any grow light and do not quote prices. More shops, including Soltech, will be added once verified. Disclosure.