Grow lights: when a window genuinely is not enough
18 of 100 species in this database need it
18 of our 100 species need it. Stand at the plant's position at midday and try to read small print without turning a lamp on. Typically $20 to $80.
Stand at the plant's position at midday and try to read small print without turning a lamp on. If you can, the light is workable for a shade-tolerant plant. If you cannot, no shade-tolerant plant will thrive there either, and no amount of care substitutes.
Depends on the plant. Necessary for sun-lovers in a north-facing home, and a waste of money for a pothos three feet from a window.
What it actually is
A full-spectrum LED run twelve to fourteen hours a day at roughly a foot from the foliage. Distance matters more than wattage; light falls off with the square of it.
What to avoid
Purple "blurple" panels work but make a room look like a crime scene, and white full-spectrum LEDs perform comparably. Ignore anything advertising a wattage without a distance — the figure is meaningless on its own.
Species in this database that need it
These species have a light floor of bright-indirect or higher — the ones that genuinely decline in a dim room rather than merely slowing.
| Plant | Why it qualifies | Water | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiddle leaf figFicus lyrata | Bright indirect light floor | 7–12d | Demanding |
| Jade plantCrassula ovata | Bright indirect light floor | 14–28d | Easy |
| Aloe veraAloe vera | Bright indirect light floor | 14–28d | Easy |
| African milk treeEuphorbia trigona | Bright indirect light floor | 14–28d | Easy |
| Flaming KatyKalanchoe blossfeldiana | Bright indirect light floor | 9–16d | Easy |
| Burro’s tailSedum morganianum | Bright indirect light floor | 14–28d | Easy |
| Mexican snowballEcheveria elegans | Bright indirect light floor | 12–24d | Moderate |
| Bird of paradiseStrelitzia reginae | Bright indirect light floor | 7–12d | Moderate |
| String of pearlsCurio rowleyanus | Bright indirect light floor | 12–21d | Demanding |
| CrotonCodiaeum variegatum | Bright indirect light floor | 6–11d | Moderate |
| Golden barrel cactusEchinocactus grusonii | Direct light floor | 18–35d | Easy |
| Ladyfinger cactusMammillaria elongata | Bright indirect light floor | 14–30d | Easy |
| Elephant bushPortulacaria afra | Bright indirect light floor | 10–21d | Easy |
| Crown of thornsEuphorbia milii | Bright indirect light floor | 10–21d | Easy |
| Bunny ears cactusOpuntia microdasys | Direct light floor | 18–35d | Easy |
| Tree aeoniumAeonium arboreum | Bright indirect light floor | 9–18d | Moderate |
| Jelly bean plantSedum rubrotinctum | Bright indirect light floor | 12–24d | Easy |
| String of bananasCurio radicans | Bright indirect light floor | 12–21d | Easy |
This table is filtered from our own species records — recorded soil recipe, humidity floor, light floor, watering interval or growth habit, depending on the product. It is not a list of things a retailer would like to sell you.
Other supplies
- Perlite worth it
- Orchid bark depends
- Cactus and succulent mix depends
- Pumice depends
- Moss pole depends
- Humidifier depends
Sources
- This database's own care records for 100 species — the recorded soil recipes, humidity floors, light floors and watering intervals this table filters on. Each species entry cites its own authorities.
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder — cultivation and pest records, cited per species
- North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — pest and disease guidance
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control — relevant where a product is used on a plant pets reach
Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-12
Prices are hand-checked ranges stamped manual, not live figures, and they move with
pack size. We do not accept payment for placement and hold no merchant
relationships; there are no commission links on this page. How this is sourced.