My Selection Of The Best Succulent Grow Lights

Welcome back, friends! Before we get started, we’re super excited to share our great collaboration with Amazon! Since our audience is super die-hard fans of succulents, Amazon wanted to provide you with a 30-day Prime free trial to get all the succulent goodies with 2-day free shipping! (We’ve taken advantage of this already with one of our new planters, we were so excited!).

Let us know if you get a new planter too!

Some succulents can thrive in low light conditions, but others? Not so much! It can be hard to provide most succulents with the sunlight they need, significantly if you’re growing them indoors. They need between 4 and 6 hours of bright, direct sunlight per day. That can be hard to provide, even in the sunniest home!

Is A Grow Light Necessary For A Succulent?

Succulents don’t need to grow lights to survive. Some of them are even excellent under low-light conditions. But succulents will need to grow lights to thrive. Moreover, I don’t think that most of us want our succulents to be in survival mode, right? When we decide to have plants in our place, we need them to brighten it up, not to look sadly withered.

Therefore, if your succulents look a little pale or aren’t growing as fast as possible, you might want to supplement the natural light they’re getting with a grow light. Artificial grow light won’t hurt your succulents—it will make them healthier overall and prevent etiolation. They’ll produce a lot quicker and have a better chance of blooming! If you need tips on growing your succulents indoors, read our article about indoor succulent care!

What To Consider When Buying Grow Light For Your Succulent Spectrum

There is both visible and invisible light; all come in the spectrum. Succulent grow lights in the house should be within the spectrum to facilitate photosynthesis. We express the spectrum of light in nanometers, and the light that can support photosynthesis falls between 400 and 700 nanometers. This is known as Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR). Your grow light must fall under this category to be useful to the succulents.

#1. Blue Lights vs. Red Lights vs. Full Spectrum

These two are the main sub-section of PAR, and both of them can, therefore, facilitate photosynthesis. However, the two types of light are on different spectrum levels. Blue light is in the range of 400-490 nanometers. At this level, the light only supports the growth of leaves (vegetative growth). If you only use blue grow light, your succulent will not produce flowers and fruits.

On the other hand, red lights are between the 580-700 range in the nanometer spectrum. This is enough light to help the plant in photosynthesis to facilitate the production of flowers and fruits. Many lights in the market cover the full spectrum, thus reducing the entire range of the succulent’s growth needs.

If you want to keep your succulent from flowering, you keep it under blue light. If you are more interested in fruit and flowers than in foliage, you put the plants under red light. You can use a whole PAR spectrum light if you want both foliage and flowers.

#2. Light Output

This is simply a way of expressing the intensity of the grow light. We define light output by lumens. The more lumens the light produces, the more intense the light. Your grow light needs to make a light at least as extreme as daylight in the plant’s natural environment. Sunlight usually has between 2300 and 9300 lumens per square foot. Your grow light should be somewhere in this range, preferably as intense as the succulent’s native environment.

#3. Efficiency

Like all lights, the power of grow lights is measured in watts. How many watts for a succulent grow light? Watts don’t facilitate the growth of your plants. Lumens do. An efficient grow light gives you the most lumens per watt. This way, you save money and contribute to environmental sustainability.

Types of Grow Lights

Four different types of lights can be used as grow lights. They include:

• Metal Halide (MH)
• High-Pressure Sodium (HPS)
• Fluorescent
• LED

Metal Halide and High-Pressure Sodium are used for large applications such as commercial greenhouses. It is, therefore, unlikely that you will purchase them for your household succulents. Fluorescent and LED grow lights are more likely at a household level.

#1. Fluorescent Succulent Grow Lights

There are two types of fluorescent lights, compact fluorescent lights (CFL) and fluorescent tubes. Whatever grow light you choose between them will have the same effect on your succulent. The only reason you may choose one over the other might be the preference of the space you have to install the light.

Fluorescent lights are cheap, but they last less than their LED counterparts. It would help if you didn’t have them on for long periods at a time owing to their fragility. Fluorescent lights also produce more heat, and this might negatively affect your succulents if you place the lights too close to them or have the lights on around the plants for too long. These lights also have heavy metals such as mercury that can negatively affect the plants and the environment.

#2. LED Succulent Grow Lights

These grow lights are currently the most popular for household succulents. They are pretty efficient, producing significantly more lumens per watt than other lights types. This will save you some money on utility bills. You can place the lights relatively close to the plants because they don’t produce heat at levels that negatively affect the succulents. LED lights last longer than fluorescent lights but are also more expensive.

People typically consider the cost of what they want to buy, and you will consider this important factor when buying grow lights for your succulents. Your spending depends on the number of plants you want to grow. The cost can be anything between $50 to hundreds of dollars.

Looking at the information above, you should ask three important questions when buying succulent grow lights.

For what purpose am I buying it? Some lights are used as the primary source for the plant, while others supplement the natural light. Why are you seeking yours? If the succulent is in a place devoid of natural light, you should buy one that can stay on for a long time without getting spoiled or damaging the plant.
How much space do I have? While discussing the fluorescent lights above, we mentioned that fluorescent tubes mainly take up more space, and you must determine if you have the space for them. LED lights take much less space and are ideal for tight spaces, as are CFLs.

Follow Succulent City on Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram for more informative & interesting content about succulents & cacti 🙂 Join the discussions at our Facebook Group, “Succulent City Plant Lounge.” Happy planting, and live the moment!

Succulent Grow Light Setup

As a first step, you need to determine the best location for your grow light and succulent. Set the light at an appropriate distance from the plant. If you set it too close, heat from the bulb might scorch the plant, and the light may not be enough for the plant if you keep the bulb too far. The bigger the plant, the closer the light should be, as this would allow more light to get into the far recesses of the plant. An ordinary plant can do with ten inches, but six inches is enough when the succulent is bigger. 

Give new planters a distance of up to forty feet and reduce it progressively as they grow. Size is not the only factor to consider. The type of plant and its tolerance to heat is important. The more tolerant it is, the closer the light can be. The general rule of thumb, however, is that lights should not be closer than six inches or further than forty inches. All other factors should be considered within that range. 

My Picks For The Best Succulent Grow Lights

#1. Ankace 5 Dimmable Levels Plant Grow Lights for Indoor Plants with Red Blue Spectrum

Last update on 2023-12-08 / Amazon

This light has blue and red spectrums so that you can use it for foliage and flowers. It is an LED light with three levels of brightness. And you can turn it on, and it can automatically turn itself off at set times. The auto turn-off is an excellent function because you don’t need to worry about switching it on or off in person. You can dim the light to different levels if you use it to supplement natural light. Being LED also means that it isn’t too hot for the plant.

#2. Sowinski Plant Lights for Indoor Plants 120W 240 LEDs Sunlike Full Spectrum

Last update on 2023-12-08 / Amazon

This is a full-spectrum indoor plant light. It is an LED light that doesn’t produce a level of heat that can destroy the plant. The plant has four heads of light, giving it the capacity to light many succulents.

You can time it to switch on and off automatically. The timer is set for three intervals. Three hours, six hours, and twelve hours depending on the amount of light your plant needs. Besides timing, this light has six dimming levels that can suit the needs of the plants. Some plants need different light levels to varying growth points; this succulent grow light’s dimming feature helps you give your plants just the level of light they need.

#3. GooingTop LED Grow Light, 6000K Full Spectrum

Last update on 2023-12-08 / Amazon

This light has two heads, and it has red and white-colored lights. There are ten red lights and 74 white bulbs. With this light, you have three set timing options from which you can select and have it on and off as you will set it depending on the plant’s needs. It also has five levels of dimming, which you can use to give their plants the intensity of light they need. The light has two flexible stands so you can move them in any direction of your plants.

Follow Succulent City on Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram for more informative & interesting content about succulents & cacti 🙂 Join the discussions at our Facebook Group, “Succulent City Plant Lounge.” Happy planting, and live the moment!

#4. Diboys LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants, 45W Plant Lights Full Spectrum

Last update on 2023-12-08 / Amazon

This full-spectrum light is designed to diffuse light at the widest possible angle. It operates best in an area of three feet square. It is a cluster of high–functioning LED lights that you can hang at six to ten inches from the plant without scorching them since LED doesn’t produce light. The lamp is recommended for your young succulents due to its gentleness.

#5. GHodec Grow Light, Full Spectrum White 84 LED

Last update on 2023-12-08 / Amazon

This LED light has a dual head that gives sun-white light to your plants. It has automatic start and stop times at intervals of four, eight, and twelve hours, thus giving your plants light for as long as they need. Also, the light has five dimmable levels to ensure your succulents only get the correct light intensity depending on their needs.

The holder for each head is flexible and can be moved in a different direction to give light to plants in different directions and distances.

GHodec Grow Light @Amazon

#6. TORCHSTAR LED Indoor Herb Garden, CRI 95+, Herb Grower Light with Timer

Last update on 2023-12-08 / Amazon

If you want a modern grow light that will fit your contemporary furnishings, this LED grow light kit is the one! It has a white shelf that holds your plants, so it looks more like a piece of home decor than a grow light. It has white LED lights, not red and blue, so it won’t give off that distracting purple glow that some grow lights do.

It looks small, but one reviewer who keeps her cacti and lithops in it said the inside space is pretty ample. She shared some pictures of her setup and had a large dish garden and two medium-sized plants there to fit a significant portion of your succulent collection!

One of the main reasons this LED grow light is on our wishlist is the timer function. It automatically turns off after 16 hours, giving your plants the perfect amount of artificial light daily. This grow light is just as low maintenance as our succulents because it turns itself on and off, a feature we love!

Follow Succulent City on Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram for more informative & interesting content about succulents & cacti 🙂 Join the discussions at our Facebook Group, “Succulent City Plant Lounge.” Happy planting, and live the moment!

Final Words

One succulent lover said that setting up this grow light was super easy and that her entire cacti collection fits underneath it. She liked it so much that she’s buying another one for the rest of her plant collection. That’s quite the endorsement!

We highly recommend getting yourself one of these artificial lights before the cold weather rolls around so you and your succulent babies can stay warm together in the winter! Aside from getting good artificial light, check here for our article about the care of succulents in the winter.

Now that you know some of the benefits of artificial light and the best grow lights for succulents, which one will you choose? You can also share any alternative finds you dig up so we can check those out. Let us know in the comments section below!

Share your experience of grow lights in our Facebook Group! Other succulent lovers would love the advice and insight you can provide!

If you liked this read, you’d love our total in-depth ebooks! With so many succulent lovers asking for more, we listened and can’t wait to share it here! Our very detailed ebooks will give you more information than these short articles. Some ebooks are 30+ pages, perfect for a weekend read.

Thanks for reading, and happy planting!