How To Grow And Care For Succulents Indoors?

How do I know I need a grow light?

Succulents require sunlight to live and grow, which may be hard for indoor growers to accommodate. Indoor light fixtures such as normal light bulbs can be in the wrong wavelengths and are not bright enough for succulents. The amount of light your area receive might fluctuate due to changes in daylight timing, rainy weather, and cloudy weather.

Insufficient light can lead to etiolation, which is an elongation of stems in succulents. Read up more about succulent etiolation in our post at Succulent Etiolation: Everything you need to know and how to fix it (greenthumbx.com)

While some succulents can tolerate low, indoor light (Sansevieria), most varieties etiolate when kept indoors without direct sun exposure. To grow sun-loving and high light requirement succulents indoors, supplementary grow lights are recommended. There are many types of grow lights available that have the most suitable wavelengths for optimal plant growth and can substitute natural sunlight.

What are some factors to consider in a grow light?

1) Light Output

Lumens measure the brightness of a light. This is different from Watts, which measure the amount of energy in light. Lumens measure the amount of light your LED light puts out. The higher the lumens, the brighter the light will be. Lumens are the main measure of light output or brightness you should consider. Select a grow light that provides 300 - 800 lumens per square foot.

2) Wattage

Wattage tells you how much electricity the lamp uses and does not describe the amount or quality of light produced. Lumens per watt is a useful way to compare the energy efficiency of grow lights. The higher the lumens per watt, the more energy-efficient the light.

3) Full Spectrum

Light exists in a range of wavelengths, such as red, green and blue. Plants tend to use blue light for growth while red light can stimulate flowering or fruiting. Full-spectrum lights have all the wavelengths of light, hence it is termed “white lights”. Red-blue lights are mainly in the blue and red wavelengths of light, giving off a purple hue that tends to irritate some eyes.

4) Colour Temperature

The appearance of “warmer” or “cooler” colours of light is measured in Kelvins. A lower Kelvin temperature indicates warmer, red light while high Kelvin values are for cooler, blue light. Ingrow lights, the visual temperature tends to range from 2200K – 7500K. Lights from 3,000K to 6,000K can support healthy growth.

What are the different types of growlights?

1) Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

- Recommended: full spectrum white LEDs

- Emit bright light but very little heat, avoid burns on the leaves

- Energy efficient and low-cost in the long-term

2) Fluorescent Grow Lights

- Recommended: T5 tubes

- Can be cheap in the short-term

- Bulbs have a shorter lifespan than LEDs

3) High-Intensity Discharge (HID) and Metal Halide

- Recommended for large, commercial grow operations

- Produce the highest amounts of light and heat

- Consume the most energy and result in expensive electric bills for the entire life of each light

How far should my lights be from my succulents?

You can position your lights about 6-12 inches from your plants. Acclimatise your plants to the lights by gradually reducing the distance between your lights and plants. You can keep the lamp closer to get brighter light over a smaller area, or farther away for less intense light over a larger area.

How many hours should I keep the grow lights on?

To start, keep the light on for 12 hours, then off for the next 12. This provides enough light for photosynthesis while also giving a dark period during which the succulent takes in carbon dioxide.

The duration of the grow lights varies for different species, high light requiring succulents such as echeveria require at least 10 hours of grow lights a day whereas low light requiring succulents such as cotyledon require 8 hours of grow lights a day. But remember to switch off the lights for at least 8 hours a day and provide a completely dark environment for the succulents to take in carbon dioxide. Observe your plants regularly and watch for signs of etiolation, which means you need to position the lights closer. Observe if the tips are getting burnt, which means your plants are too close to the lights and you need to position it further away from the light.