Modern technology has made a range of grow lights readily available on the market. Fluorescent and LED grow lights are the two most popular types for succulents grown indoors.
Fluorescent grow lights, to start.
Since many years ago, fluorescent lighting has been used. They are available in various sizes and shapes. T5, T8, and T12 are the three that growers choose. Due to its exceptional performance, the T5 fluorescent growth light is the best choice out of the three.
However, you can switch to CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) varieties if you don’t have enough room for the long tube. It comes in several tiny bulbs that fit into a single base with a round, flat bottom. If you only have a few succulents on your desk at home or at work, this is another excellent grow light option.
Since they frequently offer “full spectrum” lights that range from red to ultraviolet light, fluorescent lights are a favorite among gardeners. These lights are frequently referred to as “daylight,” “cool,” or “white/blue.”
Keep in mind that CFL bulbs can produce a lot of light and heat. You should place them farther from your plant than a typical fluorescent tube when using them.
The lights are pleasing to the eye and give succulents enough light to thrive in the winter.
2. a grow light made of LEDs (LED)
 
The LED grow lamp is effective in that it gives your plants particular light wave lengths. How does it perform on your cacti? Actually, succulents only care about blue and red light, exactly like many other plants. LED lighting is designed to provide succulents a very limited range of light, or really just one color. As a result, they use less energy than CFL bulbs while producing higher energy savings.
Does this imply that LED is superior to fluorescent lighting and more cost-effective? Yes, it is less expensive, but that does not automatically equate to better. When you give them a certain kind of light, they frequently behave differently. For instance, when exposed to specific red or blue light, your succulent can be urged to bloom rather than grow.  
The main disadvantage of LED lighting is that due to its low intensity, it is unable to give the UV light that succulents require in order to have a “sun-stress hue.” Consequently, your succulents will essentially only be green during the winter.
Additionally, compared to the “white light” produced by fluorescent lighting, the color of LED light may be uncomfortable to look at.
3. Metal halide and high-intensity discharge
The majority of home gardeners do not use this kind of grow light. Large-scale, commercial growth operations use it. Of course, it is the most expensive and capable of producing the strongest light and heat.
Are succulents better off with red or blue light?
Your succulents will benefit greatly from LED grow lights. The light wavelengths that your succulents require to grow and thrive are precisely what they produce. Compared to fluorescent grow lights, they are more energy-efficient and operate more cheaply. They also last a lot longer without losing any light output. Choose LED grow lights if your comfort while viewing is not a priority.
The majority of LED grow lights only emit blue and red light. Strong, wholesome leaves, roots, and stems are produced as a result of the blue light’s promotion of the chlorophyll-development process. Your succulents will remain compact as long as there is blue light present. Red light encourages fruit and flower blooming. It won’t make your succulents bloom out of season, so don’t worry. However, it will improve their capacity to produce and sustain blooms in the spring and summer. The majority of LED grow lights feature more red than blue lights because they are frequently used for growing vegetables or orchids. You can change the output of this LED grow light to produce mostly blue light if you feel the need to do so.
The Lifetimetunnel 45W LED Grow Light Panel, which is an upgraded and better model than the ones I purchased five years ago, is the one pictured above. My succulents and I are satisfied with the outcomes after purchasing three fixtures. For three years, my husband operated these lights nonstop; after that, he did so for around six months each year. There is no light loss, and they continue to function perfectly. Each fixture includes a hanger kit, however depending on your setup, you might wish to extend it. A 15-month warranty is provided. It is currently available at a buy 2 get 1 free price!
What kind of lighting is most suitable for succulents?
The majority of succulents favor direct, strong light. Even in less than perfect indoor lighting conditions, certain succulents can still grow. The succulent species that can thrive in low illumination conditions are listed below.
The huge genus of miniature succulents known as Haworthias is indigenous to South Africa. Some haworthia species have a look that is very similar to aloe vera and can be mistaken for it. Depending on the species, these plants produce rosettes of various sizes and shapes.
Some are solitary, while others form clusters. Most have substantial roots. Some species have softer, plumper leaves with translucent, glassy surfaces that let sunlight to pass through for photosynthesis, while others have thick, stiff, fleshy leaves that are often dark green in color.
Although most haworthia species can grow in low light, bright, warm settings are preferred for their appearance. Be extremely careful not to overwater the plant when it is cultivated in low light. Under low light circumstances, overwatering the plant might be harmful.
Rainforests in South America, the Caribbean, and Central America are home to the cacti genus Rhipsalis. Rhipsalis species do not flourish in direct sunlight and extremely dry soil, contrary to popular belief that cactus require strong sunlight and dry circumstances. Usually, these plants are grown indoors.
They thrive in the morning light and afternoon full shade. The surrounding, heavily overhanging tree branches provide the rhipsalis with plenty of shade in its natural habitat. In comparison to most cactus, they are also more adaptable to increased humidity. Rhipsalis requires routine watering because it is not drought-resistant.
Overwatering should be avoided, though, as it can lead to root rot. The Rhipsalis Baccifera, sometimes known as the mistletoe cactus, is one of the most well-known rhipsalis species. These plants thrive indoors and need shade or partial shade.
The bloom that this genus produces, which has the appearance of a stomach, gave rise to its name.
The Latin word for stomach is gastro. They are indigenous to South Africa and require a lot of rain and light shade to grow.
These are now able to tolerate low light levels and have developed good indoor growing habits. Additionally, they thrive in warm, direct light. They have curving, stomach-shaped blooms and long, thick, grooved leaves. They prefer sandy soils with good drainage.
Schlumbergera is a member of a tiny cacti genus. They are native to the Brazilian tropical rainforests and require some humidity. They cannot stand extreme heat or cold. The look and behaviour of Schlumbergera species are distinctive from those of other cacti.
They grow on trees in moist, humid environments as epiphytes or as lithophytes on rocky terrain. Schlumbergera stems develop joints that might be flat, shaped like leaves, or shaped like bottles. All seasons see green growth on the stems.
The Christmas Cactus or Thanksgiving Cactus is one of the most popular types and has gained popularity as a houseplant due to its stunning, spectacular blossoms. This tropical cactus does not thrive in afternoon or full sun.
Can plants use blue LED light?
When it comes to horticulture LED spectrums, growers often have two options: “red/blue spectrum,” which can look as purple or pink light, and “broad-spectrum,” which appears as white light.
Red-blue color spectrum Due to the wavelengths that they emit, LED luminaires are frequently referred to as narrow band spectrum lights. Due to their inclusion of a wide band of the light spectrum (more like to the sun), which produces a “white light,” LED luminaires that emit a “white light are frequently referred to as “broad spectrum” or “full spectrum lights” (there are no true white wavelengths).
It should be noted that virtually all “white LEDs” are actually blue LEDs that have phosphor coatings on them, which change the blue light’s wavelengths to longer ones. Blue light is absorbed by the phosphor, which then releases some or all of the photons as green and red light. This coating improves the working environment in lone source applications but decreases the efficiency of the LED in converting photons into useful PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) light. The spectrum quality of the white light emitted will be influenced by the phosphor coating’s composition. You must divide the luminaire’s Photosynthetic Photon Flux (PPF) by its input wattage in order to determine its efficacy. The effectiveness value that results will be expressed in mol/J. The luminaire is more effective at turning electrical energy into PAR photons when the number is higher.
It is advised for greenhouse farmers who already receive the complete spectrum of light from the sun to utilize the “purple/pink LED luminaires that many people connect with horticulture lighting. These luminaires use different mixtures of red and blue LEDs. In addition to being the most effective for plant development, this spectrum is also the most energy-efficient because photosynthesis peaks in the red and blue wavelengths. From this vantage point, it would make the most sense to concentrate the majority of your energy into wavelengths that are most ideal for photosynthesis and where you will see the greatest energy cost savings if you are already receiving full spectrum sunshine from the outdoors. Because blue and red LEDs have the highest photon efficacy compared to other colors, or the ability to convert the highest amount of electricity into photons, this combination is more energy-efficient than “white” or “full spectrum” LEDs. As a result, you get more growth from your plants for every dollar spent.
Therefore, why can’t we use just blue LEDs or just red LEDs and why do we need a combination of red and blue to grow plants? Even though red light is the most effective for photosynthesis, red light alone would cause poor growth in plants, such as overly elongated stems, so blue light is added to keep plants compact and in a more recognizable shape. On the other hand, plants cannot be grown only in blue light because this would have a negative impact on their growth and development. In order to produce greenhouse vegetables that already receive light from the sun, researchers have discovered that a mix of high red light and a low amount of blue light is ideal. Since there isn’t a “optimal spectrum for greenhouse crops, the majority of LED manufacturers offer a fixed red-to-blue ratio that has been found to be the best for horticulture crop growth and production.
We advise installing our HortiLED Top 2.0 RedWhite (MediumBlue) spectrum if you are a greenhouse grower. Compared to purple light, this LED spectrum has a softer pink hue that makes it easier to work with and grade plants. It also has a high efficacy rating of 3.3 mol/J, which lowers energy consumption by as much as 40% compared to conventional HPS systems. It produces excellent results for various products, including vine crops, ornamentals, leafy greens, and cannabis, at all phases of growth, whether used as a standalone LED installation or in a hybrid application (HPS-LED combination).
The “pink or purple light” emitted from LEDs in a sole-source, indoor application offers a constrained spectrum of light to the crop and might be uncomfortable to work under, however in a greenhouse, the outdoor sunshine would balance this out. As a result, many indoor growers are now using “white broad spectrum LEDs” instead of narrow spectrum LEDs.
Due to conversion, energy, and optical losses during the phosphor conversion process, broad spectrum LEDs are less effective than red/blue LEDs. Broad spectrum LED luminaires are superior to red/blue LED luminaires in indoor settings when the luminaires are the only source of light because they emit a wide variety of wavelengths for your crop during the many growth stages. This is significant because, as more research is done, it becomes clear that wavelengths like green, which were previously considered to be not particularly beneficial, are actually crucial for photosynthesis and some morphological responses. Many full-spectrum luminaires can also release energy in the far-red spectrum, which may aid in promoting leaf and stem extension.
Workers won’t be able to correctly recognize issues like nutritional deficiencies, illnesses, and pests in a setting with only red/blue light. Therefore, broad spectrum light is not only more attractive to the sight, but also facilitates labor and helps determine the health of plants.
As a result, while a red/blue LED can be used in sole source applications, because to the potential impact on human health and plant reconnaissance, we strongly advise against it. We provide a “daylight spectrum choice with the HortiLEDTop 2.0ideal for growing of indoor crops like cannabis and leafy greens for producers in solitary source applications.
Is there an ideal or optimum spectrum for plant growth? is the following query we aim to answer.
The optimum growth spectrum will be largely determined by your application and the objectives you wish to accomplish. As a result, there isn’t actually an ideal spectrum because different plants and cultivars may react differently to distinct wavelengths. This has been seen in crops like cannabis and roses, where different species grown under the identical environmental conditions and wavelengths responded to light extremely differently. Setting up a trial area to evaluate how various species will react is the greatest approach to learn how well your plant will function.
Knowing which growth qualities are most significant to you is necessary because they might be affected by different light spectrums. A specific light spectrum is not always required because most producers aim to produce crops with higher yields and higher quality. Our HortiLED Top RW(MBspectrum )’s has been created for applications that maximize yields and improve plant mass in greenhouses. Since plants can absorb the wavelengths they require as they arise, the HortiLED Top Daylight spectrum is especially made for lone source, indoor applications that may be used at all stages of the growth cycle.
You can also wonder whether different spectrums are necessary for various growth stages, such as vegetative versus blooming production cycles. You do not necessarily require two different spectrums when it comes to LEDs, unlike HID luminaires where we would normally propose CMH (ceramic metal halide) or MH (metal halide) luminaires for vegetative cycles and HPS (high pressure sodium) luminaires for flowering cycles. Light intensity and duration (such as photoperiod to induce specific responses) are more significant at these stages. In order to maximize yields, quality, and productivity as plants progress from propagation to vegetative to flowering, light intensity should be increased. This is because light intensity and yields and overall quality are significantly associated.
What to remember:
While still allowing for versatility in crop varieties and development cycles, as well as a comfortable working environment, LED luminaires should produce light quality that is optimal for plant growth and yields. Typically, LED luminaires with an optimum red/blue spectrum should be used in greenhouses as they are most effective at turning electricity into plant-useable light. A broad spectrum LED luminaire, like our light HortiLED Top Daylight, is ideal for sole source indoor grows since it is designed for all stages of plant growth and provides wonderful working conditions for staff.