Indoor gardening has become increasingly popular in recent years, as more people discover the many benefits of growing plants inside their homes. From improving air quality to providing fresh herbs and vegetables, indoor gardening offers numerous advantages. However, it also comes with its own set of challenges, such as limited space, lighting issues, and potential pest problems. In this post, we will explore the pros and cons of indoor gardening to help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.
The Benefits Of Indoor Gardening
Improve Air Quality: One of the biggest benefits of indoor gardening is the improvement it can have on indoor air quality. Plants are natural air purifiers, removing toxins and pollutants from the air and releasing oxygen. Indoor plants can also increase humidity levels, which can be beneficial in dry environments or during the winter months when indoor heating can dry out the air.
Additionally, specific plants like aloe vera and spider plants have been shown to effectively absorb harmful chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene commonly found in indoor environments. This can help reduce the risk of respiratory issues and promote overall health and well-being.
Improve Mental Health: In addition to improving air quality, indoor gardening can also have a positive impact on mental health. Studies have shown that spending time around plants can reduce stress and anxiety, improve mood, and promote relaxation. Caring for plants can also provide a sense of purpose and accomplishment, which can be especially beneficial for those dealing with depression or other mental health issues.
In fact, some researchers suggest that indoor gardening can even help alleviate symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that typically occurs during the winter months when there is less natural sunlight. Furthermore, the act of caring for plants has been found to increase levels of dopamine and serotonin, two neurotransmitters that are associated with feelings of happiness and well-being. So, incorporating indoor gardening into one’s routine can be a simple yet effective way to improve mental health.
Are you looking to bring some life and color into your home but don’t want to deal with the hassle of an outdoor garden? Look no further than indoor gardening!
https://grownindoors.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/4.png500600Alicia Enfoldhttps://grownindoors.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/GrownIndoors-logo.pngAlicia Enfold2023-06-21 13:44:512023-06-28 10:11:27How to Create an Indoor Garden for Year-Round Color Today
Indoor gardening ranges from a potted plant hanging by the window to full-fledged hydroponic systems with grow lights, nutrient and water delivery systems and sensors. The ideal setup for you depends on what you want to raise and the value you place on the crops.
What Are the Benefits of Indoor Gardening with Grow Lights?
One of the top benefits of indoor gardening with artificial lighting is that you can grow plants out of season. It’s so cool because you can expose flowering plants to red light for example, and watch them bloom, just as if they were planted outside because you are providing the right conditions for growth. This benefit allows you to grow greens and blooms that usually grow in the spring or summer in the winter time.
Grow lights that let you put out specific wavelengths allow you to optimize for leaf growth or flowers. You end up with a higher yield for the part of the plant you want.
Another benefit of indoor gardening under grow lights is that you can grow plants that don’t normally grow in your area where you live at. This means that semi-tropical and tropical blooms could grow in your indoor garden even though they would never have a chance if raised outside.
Another awesome benefit and this was a benefit that really excited me when I first started indoor gardening and it’s that you can control conditions to optimize your plants for certain traits. This means that you can raise lettuce and other leafy vegetables indoors to maximize for maximum yield and you will not have to worry about bugs to eat up and kill those plants.
As we’ll discuss a bit later in the article in more detail, but another benefit depending on the lights you select, you could end up with local heat sources that keep semi-tropical and tropical plants warm even though they are sitting in an apartment that is constantly 70 degrees Fahrenheit inside.
Understanding Your Options with Grow Lights
The Benefits Of Using LED Grow Lights
LED grow lights such as the Hydrogalaxy 300w or 600w use a fraction of the power of other lighting technologies out there right now. For greenhouses, you could save up to half the energy you would need for HPS lights.
However, you need to be careful about the amount of light the LEDs release. Some of the LEDs offered as energy efficient are cheap and don’t put out as much light as other grow lights, with a number of them not even putting out enough light for the flowering phase. What I learned is that you can avoid this problem by selecting LED grow lights that put out at least 2.0 micromoles per Watt.
Durability of LED Grow Lights
One of the main benefits of using LED lights is that they last a lot longer than conventional or fluorescent lights. They don’t suddenly stop working, either, but dim slowly when their lifespan is being reached. Many LED Grow Lights today have auto shut off timers or programmable timers when you want the lights on, dimmed, or off.
Some nerd specs here, but it’s important to know and that is that LED lights put out light wavelengths ideal for photosynthesis; HPS lights, the traditional alternative, don’t put out light on the 400-500 and 600-700 nm range that is ideal for growing plants. You can also find LED lights that put out light in specific spectra like blue or deep red.
Daisy Chain Them Baby’s For Extra Coverage
There is the matter of simplified lighting system designs, since you can use them in vertical systems, inter-lighting designs or ceiling lights. And many LED systems such as the Hydrogalaxy 300 can be daisy-chained, simplifying connected via wires that never touch the ground.
Heat Control and Economical Designs
LED lights don’t put out much heat either which is a plus. These lights are economical, producing more light per watt than fluorescents or HIDs.
If you want to expose plants to 24 hour light to accelerate growth, LED lights are the best choice. And if environmental issues are a factor, the fact that these lights don’t contain toxic substances like mercury is a plus.
Incandescent Lighting
Incandescent lights can be utilized as indoor grow lights in a few cases. They’re too hot to be right next to delicate plants though. They naturally put out a lot of light on the red side of the light spectrum but not the blue, so it can fuel growth of leafy greens and an herb garden but won’t be as good for woody plants.
You want blue light if fueling growth in the vegetative stage. You can use these to supplement natural light for your window herb garden and seedlings if not too close. The downside for these bulbs is their relatively high energy consumption.
Fluorescent Lighting
Fluorescent lights have the benefits of energy efficiency and low heat generation. They also produce light across a broad spectrum. The downside is that they don’t put out a lot of light, so they work best as supplementary lights for plants that need more natural light than they’re getting.
Fluorescent lights are not good enough if you have sun loving plants that need high intensive lighting. Nor do they put out much in the red spectrum, something you want if maximizing leaf growth is what your looking for.
Fluorescent grow lights are manufactured and sell well due to their usefulness. In case your didn’t know fluorescent grow lights are measured by their diameter. A T5 is best for propagation of plants while they don’t work well for vegetative and flowering plants.
HID Lights (High Intensive Discharge)
A HID or high intensive discharge light uses large bulbs that ignite gas inside the bulb. HIDs may be high pressure sodium lights (HPS) or metal halides (MH). In either case, they use tungsten electrodes to ignite the gas within the bulb.
Metal halide lamps put out a lot of blue light which are ideal for the vegetative stage of plants. High pressure sodium lamps put out more light in the red spectrum, and these are ideal for flowering plants.
HID lamps create much more usable light than fluorescent bulbs. They’re often dimmable, though the same is true of LEDs. The downside of these lamps is the amount of heat they generate; they can’t be put a few inches above your plants without risking either burning them with heat or sun-burning them with the intensity of light.
What Is A Ballast?
Another consideration is the ballast; nearly any LED light can be plugged into ballasts designed for LED lights whereas some ballast only work with MH or HPS lights. If you want a mix of lights, you need several ballasts.
Reflectors
And then there is the need for extra hardware like reflectors. These bulbs do contain mercury, so you need to be careful not to break them while changing them out. If you’re using HPS lights, expect to need a ventilation system and AC system in your grow room. Conversely, LED lights get by with a fan that is often built into the ballast.
Light Emitting Ceramics
Light emitting ceramics are even more advanced. They use a ceramic arc like HPS bulbs but operate like halide lights. They last longer than metal halide and HPS lights. Their light spectrum is similar to natural light, ideal for both vegetable growth and flowering.
The downsides of these artificial grow lights are that you can only use magnetic ballasts and their cost. These are expensive and nowhere within my inventory of grow lights to tell you the truth. These are more for industrial purposes unless you just have the money, these are a good option.
Another negative aspect of these light emitting ceramics is the fact that they put out UV light. Other lights come with warnings that you shouldn’t look into them for risk of burning your retinas. These have that risk as well as the risk that they’ll cause sunburn. Wear long sleeves as well as UV-blocking sunglasses if you are considering using these lights.
Sulphur plasma grow lights resemble natural light, including putting out the bright light sun-loving plants will thrive under. The problem is that they can’t be put close to plants. These lights could be used at the top of high-ceiling grow rooms or greenhouses.
A good thing about these lights is that they are long-lasting. If you’re using them in a grow tent, they need to be high up because they could literally heat the tent if not burn it. On the downside, Plasma grow lights tend to be very expensive and because of this they are usually used for industrial purposes.
Now I know that “hydroponically” is not necessarily correct grammar, but it got your attention right? Anyways, I love gardening indoors just as I’m sure you do as well. It not only gives you a sense of privacy (depending on what your growing), but because it is an easy way to extend your outside garden inside if space is limited outside.
I’ve grown different types of vegetables, herbs, and some house plants and some have been very easy to work with, while others are just a straight pain in the behind because of so much testing and pampering that I had to do. Nevertheless, I learned alot and had a lot of fun at the same time which are the most important aspects of indoor gardening.
So whether you’re indoor gardening vegetables because you want fresh produce over the winter or you simply want to garden because you don’t have a plot outside, here are a few tips (with experience backing these up) for raising vegetables indoors.
Basics Of Growing Vegetables Indoors With Lights
The main issues for raising vegetables indoors are giving them the right level of light, having a good growing medium, the right humidity and temperature and air circulation. While you may find good potting soil outside and your apartment already has decent air temperature and humidity for growing plants, the reality is that your existing lights are not likely to be good enough.
The fluorescent lamps that keep ivy growing in the corner and supplement natural sunlight for your potted violets isn’t going to be strong enough to feed vegetables. This is why anyone raising vegetables indoors should plan on using grow lamps of some sort. Even an herb garden in the window may need supplemental light in the winter due to the shorter days.
Depending on the plants you select, you could raise them solely from sunlight coming in through the window. This is where plant racks that put the plants squarely in the middle of the window become essential if you don’t want to use grow lights. And in this case, you need to know how many hours of sunlight comes through the window and only put plants there that will thrive with that level of light.
Shelving lets you raise plants with a minimum of floor space, but you need to be careful to ensure that all plants get enough light. This could require a grow light for each shelf, but this means that you have to carefully place the lights far enough above your plants to not burn them.
Which Are The Easiest Vegetables To Grow Indoors Without Soil?
Fruiting vegetables like cucumbers and tomatoes need a lot more light than salad greens like lettuce. This is one reason why lettuce and spinach are so popularly grown in indoor factory farms while tomatoes are raised in greenhouses with natural sunlight.
The other reason is that their shallow roots make them suitable for growing even in shallow window boxes, though they are sometimes raised in grey-water systems and don’t need soil at all.
You can raise tomatoes under grow lights, but it is going to be more energy intensive. Corn, squash and beans need a lot of light and are best raised outside. Then there’s the fact that corn and beans (barring heirloom varieties) are so cheap that there’s no point in raising it yourself.
Herbs and root vegetables need less light than cucumbers and peppers, but root vegetables tend to need a lot of depth for their roots as well as vertical height for the leaves. This is why someone who wants to grow potatoes should consider a potato barrel outside instead of trying to raise them indoors.
Carrots require relatively little light and are hardy, but you could plant them along the edge of your flowerbed or under your bushes instead of trying to raise them inside. Conversely, you can plant them in containers, as well.
Best Vegetables To Grow Indoors
Click Image To View 9 Vegetables That You Can Grow Indoors
Your probably asking by now, Alicia, so what are the best vegetables to grow indoors? In short, these will be vegetables or plants that don’t take up alot of space especially horizontal space.
Also, vegetables or plants that don’t require too much pampering and constant supervision are some of the best vegetables to grow indoors especially if you are a beginner indoor gardener.
Beets and onions can be raised indoors, but from experience onions, garlic and herbs are a better choice since you’ll enjoy strong flavor from even a small harvest. In the case of herbs, you may be able to raise herbs in your own herb garden for less money than it would cost to buy them at the store.
Garlic greens stand out as an excellent choice since you can create a steady supply of garlic tops; just put the garlic cloves an inch deep in four inch deep soil and water regularly. If you get a pot that is at least 10” deep, you could grow fresh mint without much issue for your enjoyment and health.
Mini-tomatoes can be raised indoors as well. Cherry tomatoes have the added benefit of being fun to pop in a salad to eat. Lettuces can be raised indoors, but the cost-effectiveness is questionable. Peas prefer cooler temperatures, so they could be raised under grow lights if they aren’t exposed to too much heat.
Growing Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Potatoes
Broccoli, cauliflower and potatoes can all theoretically be raised indoors if given enough space to grow. Again, now you have to decide whether you really want fresh broccoli or would rather dedicated the space to herbs.
If you do want to raise plants like potatoes, you can buy potato “towers” and bags to grow them vertically. This tactic is employed by gardeners with limited mobility, since you don’t have to dig down into the soil to harvest the potatoes. Potato bags and towers can be reused two or three times a year to grow a crop.
How About Them Peppers and Scallions…
If you want to try to grow peppers indoors, such as an unusual variety not available at the grocery store, you’ll need a container that’s at least ten inches tall and a grow light. Hot peppers need at least ten hours of light a day.
At the other end of the spectrum are scallions. Scallions don’t even require you to buy seeds; simply bundle the scallions you get from the store and put the bottom of the bundle in water. Once the scallions start growing roots move them to soil and let them continue to grow.
Believe it or not scallions are a renewable resource. In other words if you harvest the green tops while leaving at least an inch to regrow, they will regenerate. You could also take one scallion out of the container to use the white portion while leaving the rest to continue growing.
Let’s Talk About Microgreens
Hands down for me the simplest vegetables to grow indoors are microgreens. What are microgreens? Well, these are the first shoots of salad vegetables like Swiss chard, mustard, basil, kale, cilantro, beetroot and arugula.
These shoots are called micro-greens because they are smaller than “baby greens”. These shoots are ofte
n used as garnishes on dishes. The benefits of raising microgreens include the fact that they’re available in one to two weeks and don’t require a lot of space.
Microgreens need at least a fluorescent light or two to grow, although 10-12 hours under a grow light is ideal. You want to make sure that you harvest them once they are one to two inches tall. This could take anywhere from one to three weeks, although strong light will help accelerate this process.
Last But Not Least Let’s Talk About Sprouts
Another easy vegetable that i could easily put in the same category as microgreens and that is sprouts. These vegetables are cheaper to grow at home than buy them at the store and they’re fresher when you raise them yourself.
To grow sprouts, you only need the seeds, a mason jar and a sprouting lid. Bean sprouts are about the most popular and easiest sprouts to grow. The best two things about growing sprouts is that they don’t really need much light to grow yet are so healthy to eat.
What separates the best grow tents from merely good ones? What should you look for in a grow tent? We’ll discuss the benefits of grow tents in general and what you may need to look for in a grow tent when shopping for one yourself.
The Benefits of a Grow Tent
One of the benefits of a grow tent is that it gives you far more control over the environment, whether you’re raising crops indoors or out. If you’re an indoor gardener, grow tents let you contain moisture and heat, maintaining a separate set of environmental conditions than is found in the rest of the house.
Whether you’re heating or cooling the space, the grow tent saves you energy on HVAC costs. The barrier also reduces the risk of damage to the plants, since the tent keeps out curious children or pets. The tent by its very presence provides a measure of pest control.
Grow tents give you the ability to tailor the atmosphere, such as pumping in carbon-dioxide rich air to accelerate the growth of plants. The same trait provides a measure of odor control, so that others don’t smell the plants that you’re growing.
Things To Consider When Shopping for a Grow Tent
Grow Tent Dimensions
One of the factors that you need to consider when buying a grow tent is dimensions; how big do you want it to be and in what shape? Don’t buy an oversized tent in the hope you’ll use the space. If the tent is much larger than necessary, you’ll use more power for heating and cooling. This is true whether it is taller than necessary or has a bigger footprint than you need.
If you have a tent that is wider than you need, you may end up with a less than ideal setup as you try to fit the rolled up plastic in and around the space. This could create a place where water can accumulate and mold could grow. Conversely, an undersized tent will crowd your plants, whether they’re too crowded now or will be crowded when they are mature. The tent needs to be several feet taller than your mature plants so that you have space for lights, filters and ducts.
Size Matters
What is the right size of grow tent for your application? The answer is that it depends on the type of plants you’re growing. A two foot by two foot tent covers, in general, two mature or four small plants. This type of tent is a good choice for a mother plant.
A four foot by two foot tent covers three mature or eight small plants This size lets you turn many closets into a greenhouse. Yet you can fit many seedlings and micro-vegetables in the same space. And a dwarf tree may fill the entire tent. The four foot square tent is perfect for raising half a dozen plants under a standard 1000 Watt LED grow light.
Five foot square grow tents are very popular as are 4’ by 8’ grow tents. They let you grow four to ten plants, depending on their size. The 8’ square grow tent is perfect for putting in a spare bedroom, since this size gives you plenty of space around the tent for air flow, access and supporting equipment. A 10’ by 10’ grow tent fits in a large bedroom or a small garage.
Tent Access Points
Access points matter. For a small tent covering the rack or table your plants are located on, reach-in access is fine. (Yes, you can find mini grow tents.) For larger arrays, you want a walk-in tent. Zipper quality isn’t as important as this issue, but a brand with a reputation for crappy zippers is something to avoid.
Consider The Weight
The maximum weight ratings for the frames are a consideration. You should probably buy a tent with a much greater weight maximum than you think you need. This allows you to hang a light or tools off the frame as you work without worrying about bringing the whole thing crashing down. Or you have the margin to mount the fan inside the tent if it can’t be mounted outside the tent.
Interior Light Reflectivity Is Important
Interior light reflectivity could be a concern. Too much light reflectivity and you could burn your plants. Not enough reflectivity, and you need to install reflectors or more lights. However, not all plants can utilize reflected light; so a grow tent with interior light reflectivity could reduce the need for supplemental lights for shade-loving plants but it won’t make a difference for sun-loving plants.
Light Control
Light control may be a deciding factor for you. If you want bright grow lamps in a corner of your apartment, tents that keep the light in and features like vent socks and zipper covers may be necessary.
Even a grow tent outside may need light control features, whether you live somewhere that has light pollution rules or you just don’t want an angry neighbor because your grow lights make it hard for them to sleep. Light control is critical for grow tents if the artificial lights put out light that could damage someone’s eyes if they looked directly into them.
Tent Location
The location and number of air vents and ports is something to check. Will the tent have good air flow if you put that tent in its intended location? If the tent is just smaller than the room it will be placed in, your air vents will just blow air onto the walls then gets sucked right back into the tent. This is akin to having an air conditioner surrounded by bushes or dirty vents, causing it to pull in hot dirty air and work harder to try to cool down your home.
If the tent barely fits in a shed or indoor space, you risk the same issue causing the tent to overheat since it can’t exhaust hot air. Conversely, vents for the grow tent that line up with vents for the room may solve this problem entirely.
Tent Customization/Flexibility Options
There are grow tents that let you adjust interior dimensions like its ceiling height; others come with dividers. The value of these traits depends on your application; a divider with reflectivity/light control lets you use one tent for both raising flowering plants and those in the vegetative stage.
Other grow tents are notable for their portability, as easy to tear down as set up. These tents are ideal for those that don’t know exactly where they want the tent to be for the long term or intend to relocate it based on the season.
Resistance To Damage
Puncture resistance and canvas density are somewhat important in a grow tent. It matters even more if you are concerned about someone cutting into the tent to steal your plants. The best grow tents are durable; they don’t start falling apart as soon as you set them up.
Grow Tents For Beginners
With the above points in mind, below I have listed some of the best grow tents that you can buy now. Whether you are a beginner or a rookie indoor gardener, these grow tents will get the job done and will at least teach you what you need to learn about indoor gardening.
CoolGrows 2x2x4 Feet Small Indoor Mylar Hydroponics Grow Tent
The CoolGrows Grow Tent is an affordable little grow tent is an all in one package. Protect a mother plant or small plants. It zips up to seal in your harvest, and it has a viewing window for checking on plants without having to go in. It is durable and seals light in. It is easy to assemble and take down.
Current price and rating on Amazon below:
Gorilla GGT55 Grow Tent 5’x5’x6’
We recognize that some people are looking for a large grow tent for a significant project. The Gorilla GGT55 Grow Tent is perfectly sized for fitting in a small bedroom or shed, and you can extend the height another foot if necessary using the kit that comes with it.
It is affordable for its class and comes with a very sturdy frame. The complete kit comes with an infrared blocking roof insertion to keep heat within the tent. It keeps the light inside, as well. The reflective materials inside do a good job a reflecting even the most minimal light available.
Current price and rating on Amazon below:
Growneer 4’x4’ 600D Grow Tent
The Growneer 4×4 Grow Tent is perfect for fitting in the corner of a bedroom or a master closet. It has a zip up door and view port so you can see or access the crop as necessary. It even has a floor tray for hydroponic applications.
The built-in grow trellis makes this tent perfect for growing fruits like tomatoes or climbing beans. The Growneer is a very sturdy tent that is also tear-proof and does a good job with competing with the Gorilla Tents like the one I listed above.
I personally like the design and color schematics of this tent. I haven’t used it personally but it looks pretty cool compared to the old ho hum looking grow tents on the market today.
Current price and rating on Amazon below:
VIVOSUN 48″x24″x60″ Mylar Hydroponic Grow Tent
The VivoSun Grow Tent is truly designed for the hobby gardener and beginners, and is perfectly sized for fitting in the average bedroom closet. It has an observation window and floor tray and comes with a heavy duty canvas exterior and light-reflecting interior layer.
Just like most grow tents on the market today the VivoSun is tear proof and nearly light-proof. Of course some grow tents do a better job at being tear proof than others so that is something that you will have to make sure you do your research properly on.
You can check the plants by looking through the observation window instead of opening the door with this unit. As I mentioned above it is a perfect tent for beginners, because according to the manufacturer you don’t need tools to set it up. It also comes with a two year warranty which is more than most grow tents come with now a days.
Current price and rating on Amazon below:
https://grownindoors.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Anjeet-Grow-Tent-e1525798857635.jpg786960Oviver Augeismahttps://grownindoors.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/GrownIndoors-logo.pngOviver Augeisma2018-05-08 13:57:572018-05-09 12:13:22Consider These Points Before You Buy Your First Grow Tent
As a hardcore indoor gardener I want the best for my indoor babies. I would imagine that you do too if you really care for your indoor garden. One of the aspects of indoor gardening that you cannot get away from is lighting for your plants. From seedlings to mature adult plants, botany life cannot live without proper light.
The best grow lights share several characteristics, if I can put it that way. The first one is that they generate light at the frequencies that support plant growth at whatever phase you want to foster. In this regard, bright lights don’t matter as much as lights that put out more red light to accelerate leaf growth and vegetative phase growth along with some blue light for strong stems and overall plant health.
The overall luminosity matters, especially if growing sun-loving plants, but there’s a point where you can have too much. You need grow lights that will put out the energy you need without too much heat, since that can dry out or burn plants. The ideal grow lights will put out light but barely any heat, since this is correlated to good energy efficiency.
Well made grow lights such as the Galaxyhydro 300W have simple hardware where you get both the lights and everything you need to mount it and run it in one box. The ideal grow lights let you plug them in to the wall and be done, instead of having to figure out where to put cables, how to connect fans and whether or not you can plug in timers and reflectors.
There is one reason why we can’t say there is one perfect grow lamp, and that is the fact that the best grow lights for your situation depend on the application. Different grow lights provide differing coverage areas and are often designed for optimizing growth at specific stages. For that reason, we can recommend several good grow lights but not a single, ideal grow light for every single use case.
300 Watt Grow Light by JHOTEC
This full spectrum grow light is good for plants in the vegetative stage like seedlings and flowering plants. It mimics natural sunlight except for the UV light. It has both strong light and deeper than average penetration.
This particular grow light is energy efficient, and the light gets amplified when you switch between growth or bloom mode (though you can do both at once). This means you could have it put out only red light when encouraging micro-vegetables and seedlings and use less power than a grow light that puts out predominately blue light.
This grow light covers a 2 foot square growing area when two feet above the plants. Its maximum coverage is 3’ square if you have plants that don’t need high intensity light or you’re using the grow light as a supplement to delay blooms.
The Grow Light by JHOTEC comes with built in fans to keep them from overheating. The only downside of these models is the tendency to burn out bulbs rather quickly. Conversely, you can connect them in a daisy chain fashion so you only need a single timer to control a whole series of the lights.
The Current Price and Amazon Rating is listed below:
EnerEco 100 Watt Grow Light Bulb
This is not a complete grow light per se, but it is bulbs that I have bought to replace burnt out ones. I have to say, they pack a punch. The 100 Watt bulb is designed for almost any application. It is good for seedlings, vegetable growth, hydroponics and greenhouses. It puts out roughly three times as much red light as blue light, fostering leaf growth without resulting in weak plants.
The EnerEco bulb is energy efficient ad has excellent heat dissipation. Consider this bulb as a good light source for a single large plant or 2’ square area of seedlings. I’ve personally used it as supplementary light for plants receiving natural light to accelerate growth or delay flowering.
Another option would be to use a network of these bulbs in an enclosed area where no natural light gets in. This really comes in handy especially if you are doing your growing in a basement where there are no windows at all. I recommend that you do not handle these bulbs or install them in the socket without proper eye protection.
The Current Price and Amazon Rating is listed below:
GrowLED LED Indoor Garden Light
I remember when I started my indoor gardening endeavors and started using indoor garden lighting I started with something similar to this…(Nostalgia is setting in). This is great for beginners or those just getting started with indoor gardening/hydroponics.
The GrowLED indoor garden light as I mentioned is designed for novices. Its clean, minimalist aesthetic makes it perfect for putting in a windowsill or sitting on the kitchen counter as you grow sprouts, micro-vegetables or herbs.
The broad spectrum white light is safe to put in the open, a strong contrast to other grow lights you can’t risk the kids looking at. However, that doesn’t mean you should stare at the bulbs.
It comes with a timer for 16 hours on and 8 hours off to fuel plant growth. Unfortunately you can’t dim the lights on this unit. According to user reviews it is best that you don’t put it right next to the sink where it could get really wet. Light sprays of water as you mist the plants to maintain the right humidity or splashed water as you do dishes is fine and won’t hurt the electrical parts of the unit.
It seems that the main downside of this unit is that the manufacturer shows the lights as being part of an entire kit when in reality it doesn’t come with pots or containers for the plants which is a bummer to say the least.
The Current Price and Amazon Rating is listed below:
Black Aspect 20W Luxury LED Grow Light
There are times we want grow lights that don’t look like industrial grow lights. In comes the Black Aspect brand luxury grow light. This 20 Watt LED grow light looks like a classic black hanging lamp while it produces supplemental lights for anything from potted plants to dwarf trees.
This unit is capable of covering a small area suitable for a few small plants or one larger one. One benefit of this model is that it runs cool enough that it doesn’t need a fan, which is perfect for putting in the corner with a plant that needs extra light without looking like an actual grow light. Note, that a 40 watt model is available, and the same grow light comes in white and silver so you can find something that suits your décor.
Seriously, when I saw that someone had actually come up with something like this I knew I had to get one for myself because that would give me the opportunity to have plants growing upstairs without having it look like it. I highly recommend it even though it’s a little pricey. Here’s a picture of my setup with this light.
The Current Price and Amazon Rating is listed below:
Hgrope 14W Indoor Grow Light Bar
This indoor grow light bar not only is convenient, but is a very affordable way to get several lights in one place without much hassle. The Hgrope Light Bar puts out 20 watts of light and generates red light, blue light and even UV light. It comes with two separate rows of bulbs, each on their own flexible arms.
These LED grow lights are perfect supplemental lights, since you can position them to help a specific bunch of flowers or any level of the under-layer of any plant.
As I mentioned above you can use them as mobile supplementary light sources as well such as providing some extra light when the autumn summer sun isn’t giving your herb garden enough light or the plants on your desk seem to be suffering.
You can even choose whether to run one or two of the rows of lights. I’ve managed to put about 6 of these together to cover a big area of plants when I first started indoor gardening, but quickly realized that this defeats the purpose of the mobility aspect that these lights were originally made for.
Another cool aspect of these lights is that they intentionally generate heat, making them a good choice as a supplementary light and heat for a single planter if that is all you will be using it for.
The Current Price and Amazon Rating is listed below:
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Indoor gardening could mean anything from having a few plants hanging by the windowsill to a full-fledged indoor garden. It really all depends what your end goal is as an indoor gardener. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to concentrate on growing a variety of vegetables.
But, before I learned about how cilantro grows, or how carrots grow or even how mustard greens grow, I had to learn the top 4 basic principles of Indoor Gardening. Keep reading to find out what you need to know to become the best indoor gardener that you can possibly become.
Indoor Gardening 101
Basic #1 – Indoor Garden Lighting
There are plants you can raise indoors without supplemental light. These tend to be plants that naturally grow on the forest floor or the second tier of the forest – they’re used to shade. African violets, ivy and other common houseplants fall into this category.
There are vegetables and herbs that can grow indoors with natural light from a window provided it streams in for enough hours a day. However, you may need to supplement with grow lights.
For example, fruiting vegetables or herbs do best with 10 plus hours a day of light, and you may not be receiving that through your biggest window in the winter. If you’re trying to get long day plants to flower, those that are programmed to flower during the summer, they need 14 to 18 hours of light.
Another factor to consider is spacing of the plants. If you put all the plants in the window, they’ll be exposed to that maximum amount of natural sunlight, but they may be exposed to colder air leaking in through the window than if you placed them in the corner under a grow light. If the plants are on shelves, there is the possibility the shelves themselves shade lower plants from the natural light.
You could supplement with grow lights or simply put grow lights on all of the shelves. Just make sure the lights aren’t too close to the plants, since light too close could sunburn the plants or simply overheat them. You can read my post on the Top 5 LED Grow Lights of 2018 to get more info on the different brands of grow lights on the market right now.
Artificial lighting becomes critical when you’re trying to maximize certain aspects of a plant’s growth. Red light stimulates leaves, while blue light stimulates the stems. Broad spectrum grow lamps provide both. One such grow lamp that I currently use and highly recommend is the Galaxyhydro 300w LED Grow Light which you can find on Amazon.com right now for a great price.
If you’re trying to delay flowering in plants or maximize leaf production for certain vegetables, advanced grow lights become essential. If you’re growing garlic and mint in a pot, that’s overkill.
Basic #2 – Soil/Growing Medium
The growing medium is simply what your plants are growing in. A pot full of soil scraped up from outside has its growing medium. Or it could be cuttings sitting in water as they grow roots before you transplant them to soil, another growing medium. It is rare that someone actually needs a hydroponics or airponics system.
The ideal growing medium is loose and drain wells but holds moisture so that the roots can absorb it while nutrients don’t drain away. You can create your own or buy it. Note that the ideal growing medium for your plants depends on the plants themselves, since some plants need different soil pH or varying soil qualities.
Most potting “soils” actually don’t contain soil. They’re made from a mix of peat, sand, and perlite (to improve drainage). A few more expensive mixtures contain water-retaining crystals to slow the release of water into the soil so you don’t have to water as often.
You can find specialized potting mixes for hard to raise plants like orchids and cacti, but most plants you’d like to raise indoors can be raised in any sterile commercial mix intended for indoor plants. It’s the soil from the weedy lot outside that could bring in unwanted seeds, pests and fungus that’s more likely to be an issue.
Another issue is the container you put the plant in. Always research how much space the plant needs, since putting a plant that needs 8” of depth in a 4” tray means you’ll fail to raise a healthy crop no matter how well-lit and watered it is. They need adequate space for the roots to grow out and down. The amount of space they need vertically varies, too.
When selecting pots or planters (Link to Amazon.com), look for ones with weep holes so it can drain out extra water; this will happen even if you’re watering it perfectly. Yes, you’re going to want a tray or pad under the plants to absorb this extra water. If they don’t have weep holes, the water-logged soil could suffocate the plant roots.
If you’re doing well, you can tell the plant needs to be moved to a larger pot because the roots are growing out the drainage holes. A plant that has no new growth probably needs to be moved to a larger container as well.
Basic #3 – What About Watering
All plants need to be watered. Whether you need to mist them daily or drench them every other day depends on the species. If you’re growing a mix of plants indoors, learn what their watering schedule needs to be or set up automatic watering systems (Link to Amazon.com) to water them for you. This is where putting the same plant on the same row simplifies things dramatically.
Plants also need a certain level of humidity. And the modern home runs too dry, especially in the winter. Don’t assume that a high level of humidity from misters or dripping from other plants reduces your need to water the plants.
However, you know that the plants are suffering from low humidity if the plants are withered, puckered, turning brown or losing their leaves. Don’t put plants in a tray of water to try to offset humidity, since this may over-water the roots or foster fungal growth.
An indoor gardening 101 note for new gardeners – you can use tap water in some cases but distilled water is better. Don’t use water leftover from cooking or other applications to water the plants, since it probably contains salts and food residue that your plants shouldn’t be exposed to.
Basic #4 – Temperature
Most plants we regularly grow indoors need temperatures of 65 degrees to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. A good indicator that it is too cold for the plants is yellowing of the leaves. This is where grow lights can cause plants to overheat, so be careful as to the right distance of the bulbs from the plants. The right distance varies between species, but too far means they don’t get enough intensity while too close means they get too much and risk overheating.
Sometimes plants are brought indoors after sitting on the deck or windowsill. Even these plants that need to be brought inside need to be acclimated by potting them, letting them spend some time in a shady spot part of the day to get them to thin their cuticle, and then move them inside.
If you were moving plants from your indoor garden to the outdoors, they’d need some time spent in direct sunlight that increases by an hour or two a day. This forces the plant to grow a thicker cuticle and prevents excessive water loss.
They’ll need to spend the night indoors for at least a week regardless of which way they’re going. This ensures that the garden plant that’s adapting for cold fall weather doesn’t get sick when you put it in indoor garden and that the seedlings you started off indoors don’t die when you plant them outside.
Conclusion
Just like learning and mastering anything else, indoor gardening is no exception, but it’s very rewarding. You will be in a position where you are growing your own vegetables, flowers, house plants etc. and also have the enjoyment of seeing a seed that you planted and nurtured come to fruition. For more information about indoor gardening visit the following link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroponics or view the video below:
https://grownindoors.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/gardening_theme_flat_SPzG1.jpg8001200Oviver Augeismahttps://grownindoors.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/GrownIndoors-logo.pngOviver Augeisma2018-04-26 15:29:402018-05-16 15:49:59The Top 4 Indoor Gardening Basics That Every Beginner Should Know
Improve Air Quality: One of the biggest benefits of indoor gardening is the improvement it can have on indoor air quality. Plants are natural air purifiers, removing toxins and pollutants from the air and releasing oxygen. Indoor plants can also increase humidity levels, which can be beneficial in dry environments or during the winter months when indoor heating can dry out the air.
Indoor gardening could mean anything from having a few plants hanging by the windowsill to a full-fledged indoor garden. It really all depends what your end goal is as an indoor gardener. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to concentrate on growing a variety of vegetables.
