Last Updated on January 25, 2022 by Marco C.
Artificial light for succulents vs sunlight: which do you think is best for your plants? If you love succulents and you have been collecting these plants, you can definitely relate to this question. However, for most gardeners who do not have the luxury of having a spacious garden, they may not have any other option other than planting indoors.
Contrary to popular belief, succulents don’t need a lot of care to thrive. Even when you are growing succulents indoors, they can still thrive as long as you give them proper exposure to the light.
This brings us to our topic today, which is “artificial light for succulents vs sunlight.”
Artificial Light For Succulents vs Sunlight – Which One Is Better?
The choice of succulent light largely depends on where you are growing your succulents, the variety of your succulents, and the weather. The following are some affecting your choice of light.
Winter vs. Summer
Although succulents don’t need a lot of water to grow, they need a lot of sun. A few of us might reside where there isn’t a great deal of regular daylight, particularly in the cold weather months.
There are succulents that cannot survive winter if they are continuously grown outdoors, in which case you may be forced to bring them inside. In this case, the best light you can use is an artificial grow light.
Dark Rooms
Maybe your terrariums are in rooms that don’t get enough exposure to daylight-like your washroom or office. If you want to grow succulents inside – especially when you are using terrariums – you must consider buying an artificial grow light. Nowadays, there are stylish grow lights that can go well with your terrariums.
Learn more about: How Close Should Grow Lights Be To Plants?
Growing Succulents In Terrariums
Grow lights are a necessity for growing succulents in terrariums. However, if you live in warmer regions, you can expose your succulents to at least 4-6 hours of sunlight. Especially during spring and summer, your succulents will need natural light to thrive and bloom.
By adding the right measure of lighting for your plants to absorb, you will have sound, full-looking plants with lovely regular tones.
Succulents are intended to be short, stout, and bright. Assuming your succulents have loosened up of their terrarium, have wobbly leaves, and are pale in shading, it is an obvious sign that they are looking for all the lighter (not more water).
If you have a grow light and your succulents still look sad, you must bring it outside for sun exposure.
4 Best Natural Light For Succulents
According to the University of Missouri, there are four best natural lights for succulents that you can use when growing them indoors: incandescent, fluorescent, high-intensity, or gas, discharge (HID) lights, or light-emitting diodes.
Incandescent Light
A practical option for a grow light is the incandescent light. It’s quite affordable but since it produces too much heat, you must place it a little farther from your plants. Incandescent light’s life span can usually reach up to 1000 hours.
Florescent Cylinders
Fluorescent cylinders give one of the most mind-blowing counterfeit light sources accessible for plants in the home. They are around 2-1/2 times more productive in changing over electrical energy into light energy than are radiant sources, making them more affordable to work. Furthermore, fluorescent cylinders produce warmth for your succulents.
Fluorescent cylinders are moderately enduring. They are additionally accessible in many sizes and shapes. You can a cylinder that is 2 inches or 8 inches long.
High-intensity, Or Gas, Discharge (HID) Lights
High-intensity, or gas, discharge (HID) lights are perfect for greenhouses. They provide supplementary light needed for your succulents to grow. Moreover, their bulbs are almost perpetual. Nonetheless, they discharge a great deal of hotness and the installations expected to work them are huge, massive, and generally costly. These disadvantages, alongside their absence of accessibility in little wattages, make them problematic for use in the home. Only choose this if you have a big succulent business.
LED Lighting
Light-emanating diodes (LEDs) address the most current wellspring of supplemental light for plants. They are incredibly energy-productive and extremely enduring. Driven lights can be redone to deliver the frequencies of light wanted. For instance, LED plant lights transmit just the red and blue light required by plants. They transmit almost no hotness and require no stabilizer or reflectors. Presently, be that as it may, the cost of LED frameworks is high when contrasted and different sources.
Artificial Light For Succulents vs Sunlight – The Best Way To Get The Best Sun Exposure
North-bound Windows
These are those more obscure regions that get low light or are totally concealed from any immediate light. These windows regularly give the most vulnerable light for succulents that love shady locations. But it doesn’t give enough sunlight for your succulents during the winter.
South-bound Windows
These windows typically give the most brilliant, most exceptional light. These are for sun-cherishing plants that need brilliant, direct light over the course of the day. The best varieties of succulents to grow in this location are the Opuntia Cactus, Sempervivum, Old Man Cactus, Chalksticks succulents, Echeveria, and Agave.
East-bound Windows
These windows get a ton of right on time, morning sun. These beams are not as exceptional and are useful for plants that need a ton of morning light, yet will consume in the serious evening light. If you don’t have the budget for a grow light and you want to expose your succulents to enough amount of sunlight exposure, the east-bound windows are perfect.
Artificial light for succulents vs sunlight: which one is the best for indoor succulents? Now that you have read this guide, we bet you know the answers already.
In any case, nothing beats the natural source of light – the sun. However, if your succulent still craves sunlight due to your location, buying a grow light is the best way to supplement the lack of light.
