Regular LED lights for plants : GROW LIGHTS FOR HOUSEPLANTS (PART 2)

Can we use regular LED lights as grow lights? Let me tell you what I've learned. First, I wanted to let you know that this video is part 2 of a series on grow lights for houseplants. So if you would like to learn more about grow lights, how to pick the right one for you, how to even use it with your plants, make sure to check out this playlist right here where you will find all of the episodes. But now, let's get to our question. So again, can we use regular LED light bulbs as grow lights? And the answer is yes and no. And this is because it depends. It depends on the type of plant that you have, for example, foliage versus flowering plants, where your plant is in terms of the growth cycle, and how you want to help her with this lighting. So in order to decide which one is best for you and your plants, let's look at the main differences between regular LED light bulbs and full spectrum LED grow lights. The first main difference between the two of them is their purpose. Regular LED lights have the purpose to illuminate a space. So to bring light to our spaces. And this is for example our homes, our offices, where we eat, where we live, etc. On the other hand, LED grow lights' purpose is to encourage plant growth. So we already see a key difference here. Regular LED light bulbs are made with the purpose of bringing light to humans. And full spectrum LED grow lights are made with the purpose to encourage plant growth. So they are made with the plants in mind. So one is for humans and the other one is for plants. This is very important when it comes to the second biggest difference, which is color. So let's remember, light powers photosynthesis in plants. And photosynthesis is a process that plants use to produce carbohydrates to grow. So light is very important when it comes to plant growth. Now, in the light spectrum there are specific colors that will be used by the plants more efficiently when it comes to photosynthesis. And these colors fall in the far spectrum, which is the photosynthetic active radiation spectrum. Depending on where your plants are in their growth cycle, each color in the far spectrum will affect them differently. For example, the orange color in light has been proven to have an impact on the taste of basil. Also, within the far spectrum, the colors blue and red are the ones that are most efficiently used by a plant when it comes to photosynthesis and growth. And this is why we see grow lights that come only in blue and red light. Because these two colors will be efficiently used by the plant when it comes to photosynthesis and growth. Generally, blue light will help with vegetative and foliage growth. And red light will generally help with flowering. Now, let's look at both types of LED lights and see which color they actually provide to our plants. It is true that both regular LED light bulbs and full spectrum LED grow lights provide a white color light. But within this white light we have other colors of the spectrum that are not visible to the human eye. While full spectrum LED grow lights provide a percentage of all colors in the far spectrum, regular LED lights do not. And this is because, again, the purpose of each one of them and how they're made. There are two common methods to produce white light in LED lamps. The first one is very commonly used by manufacturers of regular LED light bulbs. And the way that they do it is that they use a yellow phosphorus over a blue LED light to produce white color. This works because a big amount of yellow light will stimulate the red and green cone in our eye, and this will trick us into seeing white. This is great for lighting, but misses to provide the red light spectrum that is needed by plants to grow. Especially flowering plants. On the other hand, the method to create white light in full spectrum LED grow lights is very different because first the manufacturers have to make sure that they have all the colors in the far spectrum that our plants need. Especially blue and red. Once they get the spectrum right for our plants, they adjust this spectrum so it seems white to the human eye. So here we can see that full spectrum LED grow lights will have that advantage. We will make sure that we provide all colors needed within the far spectrum to our plants. However, there are some scenarios where we can actually use regular LED lights for our plants. So let's talk about these. Let's remember regular LED lights will provide blue light to our plants. Even though it seems white to the human eye, it is within the blue light spectrum. And in order to make sure that you're providing that spectrum to your plants, just check the box and make sure that you get the blue white light. As we said before, blue light helps our plants with vegetative growth and foliage growth. So if you have a plant that is full of leaves and is not going to flower, that plant is not going to need as much red light as blue light. And in this case, a regular LED light will be helpful to your plant. Of course, keep in mind that this light is not going to provide all colors in the far spectrum, which can also be beneficial to your plant in other ways. But it will be useful in providing the blue light for your plant so she can grow. I have also read that blue light is very good for seedlings. So if you're growing seedlings, you can also use a regular LED light for this stage of the growth cycle of your plant. Now, very, very important. Whether you use a regular LED light bulb or a full spectrum LED grow light, make sure to always observe your plant. If you see that your plants or your seedlings are growing really leggy, that means that she's not getting enough light or the light intensity is not enough. In this case, just move your light a little bit closer to your plant and observe it again. If you see, on the other hand, that the foliage is getting burnt, that may be too much intense light. So move your plant a little bit farther away from the light source. I can also say if you do have the means to invest in a full spectrum LED grow light, I totally recommend doing it. And this is because as a plant beginner, having full spectrum LED grow lights for my plants has made it way easier for me to provide all of the colors in the far spectrum that they need. And I can see that they're thriving and they're very happy. So yeah, I would totally recommend that if you can do it. If you want to learn more about specifically LED grow lights, make sure to check out this video right here. And yeah, let me know if you have any questions and comments down below. And as always, I will see you in the next one. Okay, adios!