We all probably learnt in school that plants need light to survive and photosynthesise - of course if you're growing outside this will come from natural sunlight...but what about if you're growing inside? That's where grow lights (sometimes called propagation lights) come in. We stock a wide range of propagation lights to help create the ideal environment for your plants to grow and thrive.
What is a hydroponics led grow lights?
Grow Lights are specially designed to provide seedlings, cuttings and young plants with the light they require to grow healthily, avoiding leggy growth and yellow leaves that can occur when there isn't enough natural light. Our Gardening Angels have put together a few of the most frequently asked questions about propagation lights to help you with your growing!

What type of light is best for growing plants indoors? Can I use any light?
One commonly asked question is can you grow plants with regular light bulbs indoors? The answer is, not necessarily. For optimum growth, most plants need the right light spectrums, which might not be provided by typical household bulbs. Some houseplants will be fine but if you are propagating seeds and cuttings, or want to really boost the flowering stage of plants such as tomatoes and chillies, opting for some proper grow lighting is best.
What’s all this about light spectrums? What commercial grow lights is best for plants?
In order to properly grow, plants need two types of light - blue light to promote foliage growth, and red light to promote flowering and fruiting. Both types of light spectrum come from natural sunlight but not all bulbs will be the right type.

When you're looking for propagation greenhouse grow lights, you'll notice they'll be labelled with numbers like 2700k or 6500k, which is a reference to the where on the colour spectrum the light given off by the bulb is. A 6500k propagation light (like our propagation LEDs) will give off a 'colder' blue light, perfect for early growth, while a 2700k (like these flowering LEDs) will issue a 'warmer' red light to promote flowering and fruiting.

You can also get powerful led grow light or dual spectrum lights, such as our T5 Propagation Lights and All Season LEDs. These lamps can be used from propagation right up until fruiting with no need to change to a different spectrum light.
How many watts do I need to grow plants or seeds?
Leafy edibles such as lettuces need around 30 watts per square foot, but fruiting plants such as tomatoes and chillies need a minimum of 40 to 50 watts per square foot. To work out what wattage you need, simply multiply the square footage of your growing area by the number of watts you plan to provide (between 30 and 50); then divide by the number of watts supplied by the bulbs you plan to use.
How much do grow lights cost to run?
Both our T5 and LED lights are very cost effective to run - to get the best out of them you should bear in mind the environment they are in. If they are in a room with natural light coming in, you, of course, won't need to use them as much as if you have them in a dark room, shed or grow tent.

The cost per hour for the lights depends on the light size and your unit cost per kilowatt. To give you a rough idea, our largest T5 Propagation Light uses 39 watts per hour. You will typically be charged per kilowatt per hour, usually somewhere around 10 to 20p per kilowatt hour.