How to Choose a Grow Light
Discover the features and benefits of our various grow light options
LED SunLite grow light gardens are ideal for seed-starting, herbs, and houseplants.With so many types of grow lights and systems available, it can be overwhelming to figure out which one will best suit your needs. Here's a guide to our most popular grow light lines, including their features and the benefits they provide.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Grow Light
Asking yourself these questions can help you make the best choice.
- What types of plants will you be growing?
- Will you grow year-round or just start seeds in spring?
- How tall will the plants get?
- Where will you put the light — in your living space, or hidden away in the basement?
- Should the light be mobile (e.g. on casters)?
For more details on concepts and terminology, jump to the Grow Light Basics section.
Scroll to browse our lineup or jump directly to the grow lights style you're interested in:
- Modular Bamboo: Grow seedlings, flowers, even fruits, in these furniture-quality, high-output LEDs
- Large-Capacity SunLite: Aluminum frames with 4' shelves have room for seedlings & houseplants
- Space-Saving SunLite: 2' wide grow lights in tabletop and rolling floor models
- Stack-n-Grow: Affordable, stackable, and easy to assemble, they're the perfect starter lights
- Oslos: Compact and customizable, with repositionable magnetic light fixtures
Modular Bamboo LED Grow Light Gardens
The power of high-output LEDs
Good-looking grow lights that can bring indoor plants to flower and fruit? Absolutely!
- High-output LEDs are twice as bright as standard LED grow lights; no height adjustment needed, even when growing light-hungry fruiting plants and seedlings
- Optimized full-spectrum lamps are hidden behind top wooden bar so there's no distracting glare
- Modular, stackable 3' wide units for a custom look
- Furniture-quality construction — strong, renewable bamboo
- Galvanized trays catch spills
- Tall model lets you grow plants up to 45" high!
- Optional rolling base makes it mobile (sold separately)
Modular, stackable Bamboo LED Grow Light Gardens in 3 sizes: 
Features: Furniture-quality construction. Galvanized trays. High-output LEDs are 2x bright.Modular Sets
Grow light gardens are available individually or in these three convenient configurations:
Bamboo Mini
The Bamboo Mini LED Grow Light Garden fits under kitchen cabinets, on a countertop, table or desk, and can even be stacked or hung on a wall!Large-Capacity SunLite® Gardens
4' of Growing Space
Tabletop and rolling floor models in 3 heights.
- Grow thriving seedlings, houseplants, and herbs
- Dual-bulb, height-adjustable light fixtures
- Choose energy-efficient LEDs or affordable fluorescents
- Sturdy aluminum frames will never rust
- Includes heavy-duty, watertight trays
- Floor models include casters for mobility
- Accommodates maximum plant heights of 14" to 30", depending on model
- Each model available as a Garden Starter Kit , complete with seed-starting supplies
The 4' wide shelves of our LED SunLite 3-Tier Garden provide plenty of space for growing.
Full-spectrum lights. Pull-chains to adjust light height. Sturdy trays catch spills. Caster roll easily.
LED SunLite® Gardens: 3-Tier, 2-Tier, and Tabletop. Also available as Garden Starter kits, complete with seed-starting supplies shown.Space-Saving SunLite® Gardens
Same SunLite features, but just 2' wide
Compact tabletop and rolling floor models in 3 heights.
- Start seeds and grow thriving herbs and houseplants anywhere!
- Dual-bulb, height-adjustable 2' light fixtures
- Choose energy-efficient LEDs or affordable fluorescents
- Sturdy, rustproof aluminum frames with watertight plastic trays
- Each floor model has casters, so you can roll where you need it — even into a closet!
- Each model available as a Garden Starter Kit , complete with seed-starting supplies
With 2' wide shelves, the LED SunLite Compact 2-Tier Garden has room for seedlings and houseplants.
Compact LED SunLite® Gardens: Modular Stack-n-Grow Light Gardens
The perfect starter system that grows with you!
Ease into indoor growing with 3' wide stackable units. We show you how easy it is to build your Stack-n-Grow growing station.
- Energy-efficient LED and fluorescent options
- Dual-bulb, height-adjustable light fixtures
- Lightweight, super-sturdy plastic frames and shelves
- Easy assembly and light fixture height adjustment
- Available as a Garden Starter Kit, complete with seed-starting supplies
With Stack-n-Grow, you start with the lights you need now, and add more modular units as your indoor garden expands.
Start with the Stack-n-Grow Oslo Customizable Grow Lights
Flip-shelf, rolling grow light in two heights
- High-output LED lamps need no height adjustment
- Repositionable magnetic light fixtures
- Shelves flip up for maximum headroom
- Smooth-rolling, lockable casters
- Frame sets up quickly out of the box
- Folds up flat for storage
- Optional matching trays catch drips and spills
Features: Magnets hold the full spectrum LED fixtures in place. Optional matching trays catch spills. Folding shelves make room for plants tall and small. Locking casters for safety and mobility.
Oslo Customizable Grow Lights: Grow Light Basics
All green plants require light to perform photosythesis, during which special cells convert the energy contained in the light into sugars. In the process, plants give off oxygen.
Plants vary widely in how much light they need to thrive — from low-light houseplants, such as dracaenas, to fruiting edibles, such as tomatoes, that need much brighter light.
Seedlings require lots of bright light, and when they don't receive enough they get weak and leggy. In most cases, even the sunniest windowsill won't provide the intensity or duration of light they need, especially in winter.
Specially designed grow light stands make it easy to provide the light plants require.Lighting Terms
Intensity describes the amount of light that reaches a surface at given distance from the light source. A super-bright bulb that's 12" from a surface might, for example, provide the same light intensity as a dimmer bulb that's 2" from the surface.
Duration describes the number of hours of light a plant receives in a 24-hour period. We can control it by turning lights on and off or, more easily, with a programmable timer.
Color describes the visual appearence of light. Most grow lights provide full-spectrum light. Most of the light plants use is from the blue ("cool") and red ("warm") ends of the spectrum; they use little yellow and green light. Blue light stimulates vegetative growth (foliage and roots) while red light stimulates plants to produce flowers and fruit.
LED or Fluorescent?
Our LEDs and fluorescent bulbs both produce full-spectrum light. However, LEDs are better for plants, the environment, and your wallet.
- LEDs are great for your plants. Ours are calibrated to meet the exacting needs of indoor plants, with a boost of blue light to stimulate stronger roots, enhance photosynthesis, and ensure peak growth. They also give off very little heat.
- Though they cost a bit more up front, LEDs are super-efficient. They use half the electricity and last 5x longer than fluorescent bulbs.
- They're earth-friendly. Mercury-free LED tubes won't shatter like glass, so fewer end up in the landfill. Many municipalities offer LED recycling, so be sure to check with your couunty or town waste management district before you just toss them.
- Fluorescent lights are more affordable, and may be a good choice if you're new to indoor gardening or grow just a few plants.
Regular incandescent bulbs are not used for indoor growing because they give off too much heat and can burn tender foliage.
Our SunLite Gardens and Stack-n-Grow lights are available with LED or fluorescent lights. Our Bamboo Grow Light Gardens feature high-output LEDs. This chart can help you choose the best lights for the plants you're growing.
| Light | Fluorescent | LED | High Output LED |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for: | |||
| Seedlings | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Herbs | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Succulents | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Leafy Houseplants | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Cactus | ✔ | ||
| Geranium | ✔ | ||
| Dwarf Citrus | ✔ | ||
| Banana Plant | ✔ | ||
| Rosemary | ✔ | ||
| Gardenia | ✔ | ||
| Features: | |||
| Brightness | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ ✔ |
| Energy Efficiency | ✔ | ✔ ✔ | ✔ ✔ |
| Mercury-Free Bulbs | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Shatter-Proof Bulbs | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Optimized Spectrum | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Light Height | adjustable | adjustable | none needed |
Last updated: 10/25/2022
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