Deciding on your grow lights set-up: Dos and Don'ts

So you've decided to take the plunge and treat your plants to grow lights. You've done your research, selected the lights you want to use and now it's time to take the final step and hang your lights.

Before you start, take some time to consider the following (I would go through this checklist before buying lights, but it would help either way):

1. Decide on the area you are going to use them on

The area where you want to place your grow lights it's important because it impacts the bulbs you would buy and any accessories you might require.

For example, if you need to cover a larger area, you might want to consider stronger bulbs to cover a bigger radius.

It's also important to note how much natural light is your selected are receiving, as this will help you understand how many lights you would need. For example, if the area has a decent natural light and you only need to supplement it due to seasons or amount of plants sharing the space, then you might only need a few lights.

2. Think about how will you style your plants

Thinking in advance about how your plants might be styled, will help you decide what accessories you'll need to buy for your lights. For example, if you are having lots of tall plants then you will need a lamp that's tall enough to hover above them, but also some small ones that will shine onto the lower leaves too.

3. Selecting your lights

Selecting lights will be a breeze once you've gone through the previous steps. So before pressing 'Add to basket' let's do a recap:

• check how big the area you need to cover is
• check how many plants you will need to provide light for
• think about the tall plants in your set-up
• measure if the area selected is receiving any natural light

Here are a few lights I would recommend for some of the above circumstances:

For large areas:

• ceiling mounted light would be the best to cover a large area
• search for bulbs with an output of at least 30 watts (2,000+ lumens)

For large plants:

• ceiling mounted lights or bulbs fitted in floor lamps
• If you opt for light coming from above, don't forget about lower leaves too. Vertical bar lights could be an option for taller plants
• search for bulbs with an output of at least 30 watts (2,000+ lumens)

Lights to supplement natural sun/light:

• for small setups where you only need to supplement light, small bulbs like the Ikea ones or most ones found on Amazon will be fine. These can be fitted in lamps like regular bulbs.

Lights for indoor greenhouse

• most indoor greenhouses are small and so they require a bit of creativity when sourcing grow lights. Grow bars are perfect for small spaces like these.

Check this article for a more in-depth review of a few grow lights I've used over the years.

4. Accessories you might need

If you've decided to go for light bulbs, you will need either lamp (floor or table lamps), or clamp-on lamps. Most grow lights bulbs are E27 so if the lamp of your choice requires a different type, then you can use bulb converters. Converters will allow you to place an E27 led bulb into an E14 lamp, as an example.

For grow bars, you would only require cable ties to fix them onto shelves. Most of them would come with fixtures that you can use. Alternatively, you can use sticky pads like these to attach them to surfaces.

5. Creating your setup

I'm not going to give you guidelines for this as it's mostly driven by preferences. My only advice when you get to this stage is to keep in mind that plants will grow so your lights might need adjusting over time.

My other advice is around grow lights in living areas. If you have them in rooms where you usually spend a lot of time in (such as a living room) think about you as well. Position the lights so that the bulbs face away from you (you don't want lights blinding you when you watch TV or sit on the sofa).

If this article was helpful in creating your plants heaven would love to hear from you and see your setups.