Light

Before you go out to the store to get your plants, you must make sure that the level of lighting in your home will be sufficient for the plants you desire. If not, consider using artificial lighting.

Natural

Location, location, location! When it comes to sunlight, different plants require different amounts. Since you cannot necessarily control how much light comes into your home, you must choose the appropriate spot to grow them.

Some plant require full sun, so they will be best suited to a spot on your south-facing windowsill. On the other end of the spectrum, some thrive in the full shade of hallways, corners, and stairwells. Do your research and find out whether your plant loves the sun, hates the sun, or can go either way.

Once you have the appropriate spot picked out, be sure to rotate your plants every once in awhile so that they will grow upright.

Artificial

In some cases, your space will not be suitable to growing the sun-loving plants you had in mind. Fear not! There are a variety of artificial lighting solutions available to allow you to bring your favorite plant home.

Incandescent Light ... Although cheap and easy to find, these are not considered to be effective 'growing' lights. Their basic use should be to highlight groupings of plants. When using incandescent lighting, be certain to keep the bulb at least 24 inches from the plant, as these get very hot and have the potential to harm them.

Florescent Light ... A wide variety of options allow you to start your own seeds or even grow full sized fruit! There are standard, high-output, and compact flourescents. All are much more efficient and longer-lived than incandescents.

High-Intensity Discharge (HID) Light ... Both Metal Halide (MH) and High Pressure Sodium (HPS) HID lights are ideally suited for growing larger trees, but can be used on any plant.

MH produce the whitest light, which has been found to replicate the sun's light most closely. They also tend to encourage a shorter growth habit.

HPS produce a yellower light, so it is used where appearance isn't everything. These lights tend to produce leggier plants, higher fruit and flower yield, but may make your plant look as if it isn't healthy. Although they may look unhealthy and dull, plants grow very well under HPS.

Some gardeners choose the best of both worlds! Since each light has their own benefits, they use each light for a different growth stage. MH lights will typically be used during vegetative growth, being replaced by HPS lights for fruiting and flowering.

Light Emitting Diode (LED) Light ... LED plant grow lights have been being researched by NASA for over a decade and are now out in stores. They produce little heat, consume little power, live long lives, and provide just the wavelengths of light that plants thrive in and nothing more. However, they are not necessarily the best option for in-home gardeners, as they are quite expensive and have poor color.