This depends on the type of plant, size of plant, and how many plants you are trying to grow.  A single light might be appropriate for a small pot with a single plant or a small seedling tray.  As plants get larger or the required coverage area expands, more lights may be needed.  Generally, if plants are growing well and have a compact, robust structure, they are getting enough light.  If plants are weak, with elongated stems and many small leaves, this may indicate additional light needs to be provided.  Up to eight LED Grow Light fixtures may be connected in series by using the integrated cords and receptacles in the fixtures.  Our LED Grow Lights come in several forms, which may be mixed to provide more light. 

The beauty of indoor grow lights is they allow herbs, seeds, houseplants, and flowers to flourish year-round. However, they need the right amount of sunlight and darkness to thrive. Johnson says that for germination and seedlings, you can run lights to hours per day until they are a few inches tall. &#;As they mature,&#; she adds, &#;you can slowly reduce to get them on a similar light pattern for spring before you transplant them.”

We do want to note that unlike the AeroGarden, there is no screen with instructions telling you that everything is set up properly, how many days until growth, or when food might be needed. You just have to wait for growth and monitor the water level indicator, which we found is very subtle and easy to miss. We do like that the light is is self-timed and turns off and on automatically. Also, the system comes with two extension arms that you can click on when your plants grow tall. We found them helpful as our plants did grow pretty tall and burn on one occasion. However, even though the lights were powerful, we found them to be aesthetically pleasing (even more so than the AeroGarden). It&#;s also worth noting that although the basil grew very slowly at first (we had the extension arm at first and the light might have been too high), once it did grow, we found it to look really healthy and taste great!

Different types of plants need different amounts of light. Check your seed packaging or plant tags or ask at the nursery for specific suggestions. While seedlings or vegetative plants can require as much as hours of light exposure each day, flowering plants benefit from at least hours. Timers or our C by GE Smart Plug can be connected to the lights to help manage or automate these cycles.

We researched the top-rated grow lights available online, ranging from as simple as adding a lightbulb, to a full indoor garden system that does all of the work of taking care of your plants for you. We then set up and tested several of these options in our own homes and at the lab for several weeks and up to three months in some cases. We then evaluated their size, wattage, bulb type, ease of setup, and overall effectiveness. Here are the best grow lights for your plants, backed by our thorough research and testing.