Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →

How Aquarium Lights Affect Potted Plants

...
tropical plant image by photazz from Fotolia.com

For many homeowners, keeping houseplants means considering how to provide light for those plants. Even sunny windows sometimes won't provide enough light, necessitating supplementation with artificial light. Aquarium lights are compact, easy to find and inexpensive, making them a tempting choice when selecting lights for your houseplants. Make sure you know how the type of light you choose will affect plant growth before installing a new lighting system for your plants.

Light

Light occurs in varying wavelengths, appearing to your eyes as colors. Long wavelengths produce red light, while short wavelengths appear as blue or violet light. Plants use different light colors along the spectrum for various purposes relating to their growth. Likewise, aquarium owners choose different types of light depending on the needs of the organisms in the tank.

  • For many homeowners, keeping houseplants means considering how to provide light for those plants.
  • Aquarium lights are compact, easy to find and inexpensive, making them a tempting choice when selecting lights for your houseplants.

Function

To carry out photosynthesis, plants use all colors of light except for green. Blue and red wavelengths, in particular, have special importance for plants. Blue light encourages vegetative growth, causing plants to grow healthy leaves and stems. Red light controls flowering, with plants producing flowers when they receive specific amounts of red light during the day. For this reason, the University of Missouri Extension recommends providing plants with primarily blue light and small amounts of red. Because red light does not absorb well through water, most aquarium lights tend toward the blue end of the spectrum.

Types

There are two primary types of aquarium lights: fluorescent and metal halide. Both tend to provide blue light and both come with the recommendation of the University of Missouri Extension as light sources for houseplants.

  • To carry out photosynthesis, plants use all colors of light except for green.

Considerations

The blue light emitted by aquarium lights will help your plants to grow lush and green. However, if you want your houseplant to produce flowers, you should supplement its light source with light from the red end of the spectrum. Incandescent bulbs are a convenient source of red light.

Installation

The light color is only one consideration when choosing lights for your plants. The intensity of the light and the amount of time the plant receives light each day also matter. To keep light intense enough, locate aquarium lights 6 to 12 inches from your plants and provide plants with 18 hours of light per day, including any natural sunlight that the plant receives.

Related Articles

Plant Growth Under Different Lights
Plant Growth Under Different Lights
Incandescent Light Vs. Sunlight for Plant Growth
Incandescent Light Vs. Sunlight for Plant Growth
Types of Artificial Sunlight for Plant Life
Types of Artificial Sunlight for Plant Life
The Benefits of Sunlight Vs. Artificial Light for Plant Growth
The Benefits of Sunlight Vs. Artificial Light for Plant...
Sunlight Vs. Artificial Light in Plant Growth
Sunlight Vs. Artificial Light in Plant Growth
How to Use Halogen Lights to Grow Plants
How to Use Halogen Lights to Grow Plants
The Effect of Infared Light on Plant Growth
The Effect of Infared Light on Plant Growth
Do Fluorescent Lights Help Plants Grow?
Do Fluorescent Lights Help Plants Grow?
Artificial Light & Indoor Plants
Artificial Light & Indoor Plants
The Effect of Fluorescent Light on Plant Growth
The Effect of Fluorescent Light on Plant Growth
Plant Lights & Indoor Growing
Plant Lights & Indoor Growing
How to Set Up Indoor Grow Lights
How to Set Up Indoor Grow Lights
Blue vs. Red LED Grow Lights
Blue vs. Red LED Grow Lights
How the Color of Light Affects Plant Growth
How the Color of Light Affects Plant Growth
Full-Spectrum Versus Grow Light
Full-Spectrum Versus Grow Light
How to Maintain Indoor Plants
How to Maintain Indoor Plants
Can Plants Live Without Sunlight?
Can Plants Live Without Sunlight?
Garden Guides
×