All plants need a good source of light, and the best light is natural, free and it's available all year long. Nothing beats the sun’s light when it comes to taking care of our plants. But there are times that artificial light is needed to supplement the natural light, or even to substitute it.
Most indoor plants are tropical, so they love bright light to thrive. Depending on the plant and the specific variety, the light that your plant needs will vary, it can go from direct sun, to very bright but indirect, to filtered, to medium light. There are just a few plants that can really thrive in low light. Most indoor plants prefer a brighter light situation.
If you don’t have a room full of windows or glass doors that allow natural light in, you will probably need to supplement the natural light with a grow light. Grow lights aren't that special, they're just a powerful artificial source of light that produces a very bright light. Bright light help plants grow.
Which Light Bulb Should I Get?
The most effective lights for plants are Halogen and compact fluorescent grow light bulbs. Incandescent lights are not as effective. Standard LED lights are also good, but they're less efficient than grow lights that produce the exact combination of red, blue, and other wavelengths needed by plants. Blue light, for example, helps plants produce chlorophyll, the pigment they need to grow. It also helps encourage germination and root development.
When choosing a bulb to supplement the light in your room, look for one that produces the brightest light or Lumens. Lumens is the measure of visible light that a source emits. The more lumens, the brighter and more powerful the light is. The brighter and more powerful the light, the healthier your plants will be.