The Best LED Grow Lights for Indoor Gardening

Using a grow light to start seeds or grow houseplants, microgreens, and herbs inside your home is an efficient way to promote healthy plant growth. LED grow lights have become the standard for indoor gardeners for their energy efficiency and long life. Yet with so many options available you might be wondering how to choose the best LED grow lights. Over the years I’ve used many LED light systems to grow all types of indoor plants. Below I share my top choices for LED spotlights, tabletop models, and multi-tier grow stands. Keep reading to learn more.

First up, let me tell you more about LED grow lights and the many benefits of using them to grow plants indoors. LEDs, which stands for light-emitting diodes, are lights that are energy efficient, have low power consumption, are long-lasting, and produce less heat than fluorescent bulbs. In fact the heat output is a big selling point for LEDs as the low heat reduces energy costs and can improve plant health. Fluorescent lights emit a lot of heat. That can prompt leggy or spindly seedlings or burn the foliage of sensitive houseplants.

LED grow lights are very efficient at converting energy into PAR, photosynthetic active radiation, the spectrum of light plants use. Most gardeners buy a full-spectrum light because the light looks like natural light and they’re effective for the different stages of plant growth.

However, not all LED’s look like white lights. Some produce wavelengths in the blue and red light spectrums, the spectrums that support photosynthesis. Red and blue lights create purple which isn’t ideal inside a home. Who wants purple light in their living space? But purple light is fine in a basement or inside a grow tent.

The main downside