Use Grow Lights for Indoor Plants Without the Purple Glow

If you want to use grow lights for indoor plants and still have a living room that looks like a living room, choose a full-spectrum white LED bulb and put it in a fixture you'd happily own anyway: a pendant, a track head, a sconce or a heavy reading lamp. The purple glow is optional.

It's very common to have a plant corner that is half jungle, half extension cord. Below are the bulb specs to check, six ways to hide or dress the light, and a worked example with a string of pearls.

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What should a grow light look like in a living space?

White. Cheap red-blue lights work, but they turn everything in the room a harsh violet, and you will want to switch them off when guests come. Full-spectrum white LEDs give plants usable light and look like ordinary lamps to your eyes.

When shopping, check three numbers:

• Color temperature: 3000K is a warm white that matches most living room lamps. 4000K is cooler and suits kitchens and offices. Much above 5000K tends to look blue and clinical.
• CRI (color rendering index): look for 90 or higher so leaves look green instead of grey.
• Beam angle: a narrow beam, around 15-25 degrees, works as a spotlight on one tree. A wide beam of 40 degrees or more covers a group of small pots.

As an architect, I'd keep any purple fixture out of the main living area and use it in a utility room or garage if you already own one. A simple test: if the light looks bad on your skin, it doesn't belong in the room.

How do you hide grow lights on shelves?

Tape lights under a shelf make the light source disappear, which suits pothos, philodendron and small succulents on a bookcase. Use strips rated for plants, because ordinary decorative LED tape is usually too weak to keep them going.

1. If the shelves are custom, ask the carpenter to route a shallow channel underneath so the strip sits recessed.
2. Add a diffuser lens. It prevents the dotted reflection on the shelf below and spreads the light evenly.
3. Feed the wire through a small hole at the back. If you rent and can't drill, run it down a back corner under a paintable cord cover.

Leave roughly 6-8 inches between the light and the top of the plant. LEDs run cooler than older bulbs, but they still give off some heat, and leaves too close can scorch.

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Can a pendant or track light work as a grow light?

Yes. Many grow bulbs have a standard E26 screw base, so most pendants that allow airflow can hold one. A metal or ceramic shade that points down is a good choice because it keeps the glare out of your eyes and puts the light on the leaves.

For a big plant such as a bird of paradise or an olive tree, hang a single pendant above it with the bottom of the shade about 12-24 inches over the tallest leaf. Mind the scale: a tiny mini-pendant looks lost over a 7-foot tree, so go for a shade of about 10-14 inches across. Renters can use a swag hook instead of hardwiring.

If you already have a track system, swap in PAR30 or PAR38 grow bulbs. They are directional floods and can reach a floor plant from a standard ceiling. The same bulbs fit recessed cans with a gimbal trim, which lets you angle the beam. Aim slightly off-center on a dense plant so light reaches the lower leaves instead of only the crown.

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What is the safest grow light setup with pets?

Floor lamps are the weak point in a home with animals. Cats bat at dangling cords, and a large dog can topple a lightweight tripod in one lap of the room.

• Skip the flimsy tripods sold with grow lights and buy a heavy adjustable task lamp with a marble or metal base. If it feels tippy in the store, it will be tippy at home.
• Cover exposed cord with a chew-resistant protector, and keep it tucked behind furniture where you can.
• Choose a lamp with the bulb set well inside a metal shade, so a curious cat can't brush a hot heat sink.

For anything hardwired, have a licensed electrician do the work. If a plant is within reach of your pet, check with your vet about whether it is safe to have around them.

Do sconces and small-plant tricks look intentional?

Wall sconces with swing arms are underused for plants. They free the floor, light a high shelf or a cluster of hanging pots, and you can lift the arm as the plant grows. Plug-in versions with a cord cover in the same finish as the sconce (matte black or brass) look deliberate rather than improvised.

For small pots, a few lighter touches help:

• A puck-style light on top of a glass cloche or terrarium glows through the condensation like a night light.
• A stake light pushed into a big planter disappears if you paint the rod green or brown and tuck foliage around it.
• An uplight on the floor behind a snake plant or dracaena adds evening drama, but leaf undersides use light poorly, so don't rely on it as the only source for plants that need a lot.

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Example: string of pearls care indoors under a grow light

A string of pearls is a good test case, because it is fussy about both light and water. For string of pearls bright indirect light is the usual advice, but it does best with plenty of it. One university extension suggests a bright, sunny windowsill with at least six hours of direct daylight for succulents indoors. If your windows can't offer that, a grow light fills the gap.

The best place to put string of pearls is close to a bright window, with the grow light added above or beside the strands. Distance matters: light levels drop quickly as you move away from a window, and a spot a few feet back can be too dim on its own.

Light changes how much water the plant uses, so string of pearls care watering needs to follow it. Susan Mahr of the University of Wisconsin-Madison advises, "Allow the potting medium to dry out completely between waterings, providing more water in summer than in winter when the plant is not actively growing." For a fuller walkthrough, see how to water a string of pearls plant. If you're after general how to care for string of pearls basics, a shallow pot with drainage and a gritty mix covers most of it.

How long should grow lights stay on?

Put the light on a timer. Many houseplants do well with roughly 12-14 hours a day, for example 7 AM to 9 PM on a smart plug, but check what your particular plant prefers. A timer keeps the schedule steady without you remembering.

Before you call a setup finished, run through a short check:

1. Turn on the room lights and the grow light together. If the grow light looks much bluer or yellower, swap the bulb.
2. Stand in the doorway and squint. If the brightest thing is a bare bulb, adjust the shade or angle so the light lands on the leaves.
3. Tie loose cords to the back of the lamp stand or furniture leg with velcro ties.
4. Match the fixture's size to the plant's size.

For more on the daily care side, see 6 common indoor plant care mistakes, and for placement ideas, 6 great tips to decorate with indoor plants. If you want the basic mechanics first, how to use grow lights for indoor plants covers them.

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Frequently asked questions