10 Grow Lights to Help Your Plants Thrive, Tested and Reviewed
They're the secret to having a healthy indoor garden.
Every item on this page was hand-picked by a House Beautiful editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.
Any plant parent living in a home with small windows knows the struggle of making sure your plant babies get all the sun they need to thrive. And while you may think your plant is getting enough light, ecological landscape designer Kim Eierman has a few words of caution. "Most people live in houses where you don't have sufficient indoor lighting to really successfully grow things from seed. Even in a sunny window, you're not going to get enough hours per day of sunlight in the winter," Eierman says. So to save yourself the headache of constantly repositioning your houseplants, simply buy grow lights!
Our Top Picks
Grow lights can help even the neediest plants thrive in low-light environments. Use them to give succulents, ficus, and other plants that require full sun what they need, whether there's a window in the room or otherwise. To help you find the very best ones to buy, we asked editors, testers and experts like Eierman for their top grow light recommendations. After all, a garden apartment or windowless room shouldn't squash your indoor gardening dreams.
"A lot of people are living in more urban areas, more of a concrete jungle where you don't necessarily have access to an outdoor space," Weslie Etienne Pierre, owner of Wesleaf, says. "You can still grow tomatoes, you can still grow cucumbers, or whatever, with the use of grow lights in your space." Scroll on and browse our top picks, plus get the scoop on what exactly you should be looking for while you shop.
Check out more gardening recommendations:
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- 11 Best Indoor Gardening Systems for Fresh Produce Year-Round
Pros
- LED ambient light can be affixed to any lamp
- Choose between wide or narrow light
- Long lifespan of five years
Cons
- Heavy bulb needs a sturdy lamp to keep it upright
This bulb is from Live Better Award-winning brand Soltech, recommended by both longtime garden contributor Arricca Elin SanSone and Pierre as the go-to grow light brand. Not only do you get the benefits of the photosynthetic LED light, but the warm white color means it functions as a regular lamp for your space, without looking like a nursery. Add the bulb to the stylish lamp of your choice and enjoy watching your plants thrive.
Dimensions: 3.75" L x 3.75" W x 5" H | Wattage: 20 watts
Pros
- Energy saving LED light
- Frosted lens for better heat dissipation
- Provides light to a wide area
Cons
- Brightness could be overwhelming in a living space
"I found this light when I was searching for a bulb that I could put into a cute lamp and angle down at my plant shelf," tester Mattie Lyall says. "What sold me on it were the reviews I saw talking about it helping to grow plants that it wasn’t even pointed at. This is a very bright bulb with a ring of LED’s inside it, and it’s worked well for my plants that have a medium-high indirect light requirement."
Pierre is also a fan of SANSI bulbs, preferring the 36-watt version. "Typically when you think of grow lights, you think of a nursery with blue or purple lights, and it doesn't give that vibe at all," Pierre says. "It’s a nice white light that doesn’t interfere with the aesthetic of your space."
Dimensions: 2.54" W x 4.37" H | Wattage: 10 watts
Pros
- Comes with watertight planter
- Available in two different powder coated finishes
- Compatible with smart app
Cons
- Not suited for larger plants
Our Associate Shopping Editor Jessica Cherner fell in love with this grow light planter while researching for a story on indoor herb gardens. She loved it so much, she bought it herself. "It is a bit bigger than it may look in this photo, so if you're short on counter space, you may want to stick it somewhere else, like a windowsill," Cherner says. "That said, what it lacks in compactness it makes up for in elegance. The way the herbs kind of spill over the edges looks so natural and gorgeous. Not to mention, it smells incredible!"
Dimensions: 16.5" W x 5.5" D x 16" H | Wattage: Not listed
Pros
- Elegant design blends in with decor
- Easy to install
- Extra long 13-foot cord
Cons
- Reviewers say it can be a tad unstable
“These grow lights are super easy to set up and adjustable for different plant sizes," tester Sierra Homer says. "I like that they blend well into the room and plants for a more chic look than typical grow lights.” Not only does it look good, it comes with full spectrum LED light, and it's height-adjustable so it can grow as your plants do.
Dimensions: 10" L x 7" W x 13.7-61.1" H | Wattage: 10 watts
Pros
- Includes ceiling hooks
- 15-foot fabric cord
- Looks elegant enough to have on display
Cons
- Might need to be stabilized from swinging
For a hanging option, go for this sleek light that comes in white or black. The design prevents that cold, clinical look that so many grow lights bring, combining efficiency and style. "It's one I don’t mind showing off because it's actually handsome," SanSone says. The small size is best for tiny or medium size plants, and the large is for floor plants. While it's pricey, it lasts for 15 years with average use of 16 hours per day.
Dimensions: 3.8-4" W x 5.8-7" H | Wattage: 20-40 watts
Pros
- Full spectrum LED lights
- Comes with timer and dimmer
- Height is adjustable
Cons
- Cord is a bit short
"I live in a north facing apartment, so my options for houseplants is limited to low light-loving varieties," Digital Editor Kate McGregor says. "However, I have a spotted begonia I refuse to get rid of, which had me investigating artificial light options (aka grow lights). I like that this one is fairly portable, which means I can plug it in, stick it in the soil, and leave it be, rather than have to swap the bulbs of my favorite table lamp. I’ve been using this grow light once a week for nearly two years, and my favorite part is being able to light all eight of my houseplants at once. With different brightness levels, this grow light casts a wide beam. The stake is extendable which allows me to give as much overhead coverage as I need, even on my tallest ferns."
Dimensions: 3.5" L x 0.4" W x 10.2" H | Wattage: 5 watts
Pros
- Light strip can be tucked discreetly under shelving
- Includes 96 LED lights
- Four different brightness levels available
Cons
- Mounting tape needs extra securing
"This is a great grow light if you’re just starting out, or if you’re buying lots of lights on a budget for a plant shelf," Lyall says. "It’s super inexpensive, but a strong enough light to grow succulents and cacti, and mine is still going strong after almost two years of daily use. It comes with a few different installation methods and has 3 timer settings (4, 8, or 12 hours)."
Dimensions: 13.2" L x 5.2" W | Wattage: 10 watts
Pros
- Cover a two foot-by-four foot area
- Full spectrum, sunlike light
- Good for starting greens
Cons
- Might not be suited for small spaces
If you're trying to start multiple vegetables at once, the wide surface area of a Spider Farmer light is a worthy investment. "I started off using those and for under 100 bucks, it's pretty good deal," Eierman says. "I started growing a lot of microgreens under those. I could get two 10 by 20 flats of microgreens started under one spider farmer light."
Dimensions: 4' L x 2' W | Wattage: 72 watts
Pros
- Dimmable light helps control seedling growth
- Much higher wattage than others on the list
- Comes with pulley system hanging kit
Cons
- Requires a bit more know-how to rig up
"These are quite a bit stronger—they're 150 watt LED grow lights, full spectrum, and they're a different profile," Eierman says. "Instead of giving a rectangular light, it's square. So they cover a two-and-a-half by two-and-a-half foot area. But what I really like about them is you're getting more light. It's quite helpful for some of these bigger plants. You get some more lumens there's more wattage, and you can also dim these lights, which you can't do in the Spider Farmer. That's really helpful as you progress with the seedlings."
Dimensions: 15.98" L x 12.83" W x 1.9" H | Wattage: 150 watts
Pros
- Seven color options
- Built-in timer
- Various size options
Cons
- Controls are on the light, rather than a remote
"I use these lights for aquatic plants in my aquariums, but the legs are easily removable or flipped upside down, so I could see it being used for regular houseplants as well," Lyall says. "It comes in tons of sizes and is the most customizable light I’ve found, letting you set start and end times for daylight and moonlight mode separately, or program your own 'DIY mode' schedule with different brightnesses and colors throughout the day. If you’re looking to use this light for houseplants, keep in mind that the controls are on the light, not the cord, so you’ll want to make sure that you’ll be able to install it in such a way that you’ll still have access to the control panel!"
Dimensions: 12-55" | Wattage: 26-72 watts
How We Selected the Best Grow Lights
In my research on the best grow lights for plants, I reached out to House Beautiful editors, our network of testers, and trusted gardening experts to find their tried-and-true picks. The options they shared have been tested and used in their homes from a span of one month to several years, and used to successfully keep houseplants alive or start vegetable gardens. I also learned about the features that make these grow lights better than all the rest, from dimmability that helps control or encourage growth to height adjustability that gives plants room to grow with the light. I even found picks with built-in timers that make their use all the more convenient.
What to Look for When Shopping Grow Lights
To set your indoor garden up for success, you should keep the following things in mind while you shop for grow lights.
Plant Type: Certain kinds of plants really benefit from a grow light's attention. Pierre recommends using them on dieffenbachias, cacti, or other succulents, that like to drink up the sunlight. Monsteras, a medium light plant, often grow larger and more fenestrated leaves under a grow light. It's not just houseplants that benefit from grow lights, though. Eierman uses them year-round to grow microgreens, start vegetable seeds like tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplants. Even herbs like oregano and thyme do well with a grow light, though these are often slower and take more patience to grow.
Placement: Before you put that baby tree in a corner or on a bookshelf, think twice. "What people need to know is like the amount of light a plant gets is directly proportional to how much of the sky it can physically see," Pierre says. "So if you stand where you're going to put that plant in a corner, you might find that you can't actually see the window. Therefore, the light your plant is getting isn't the same as if you could see the sky." If you're really set on adding some green to that blank corner in your house, a grow light is what you need.
Bulb Type: LED bulbs are the superior option for grow lights. They stay cooler than ceramic or fluorescent bulbs, which is helpful to avoid burning the leaves of your plant. They're also more energy efficient, according to Eierman, giving off more lumens per watt, so you're getting more light in a compact package. The key feature to look for is a full spectrum LED light. "Full spectrum or broad spectrum LED grow lights have a balance of blue and red light," Eierman says. "Blue is is good for foliage growth and keeps plants kind of healthy, in terms of not getting too leggy. Red light helps stimulate vegetative growth, and then eventually flowering."
How Long Should You Leave Grow Lights On?
Eierman says to always follow manufacturer recommendations for when it comes to the duration of your grow lights. For her, her smaller microgreens need 15 hours a day, whereas her bigger vegetables only need 12 to 15 hours a day. Knowing what your individual plant needs is always important. The wattage of your grow light is pretty closely correlated to how long you should leave it on. "I use the 36-watts, and because they're so intense, I can do six to eight hours and that'll be plenty," Pierre says. "But if it's like a 10 or a 14-watt, you'll want it on for much longer to ensure that the plant is getting a full day's worth of light."
Why Trust House Beautiful?
At House Beautiful, we are experts in gardening and plant care, whether it's assisting readers with finding the right indoor plants or sharing expert-curated tips to building the garden of their dreams. We've covered plenty of plant accessories like indoor growing systems, so we approached our search for grow lights with the same enthusiasm for finding ways to make gardening easier.
We also consulted expert input on what makes a great grow light, speaking with Weslie Etienne Pierre and Kim Eierman. Eierman is an ecological landscape designer and certified horticulturist. She teaches at the New York Botanical Garden and founded horticulture communications company EcoBeneficial LLC. Pierre is a plant stylist and designer as well as the owner of Wesleaf Designs and Decor, where she advises clients on how to use grow lights, self-watering planters, and a host of other gardening tools.
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