Can I just use my ceiling lights as my grow light?
 

I would like to know can I just use my ceiling lights as my grow light? I do have a full spectrum grow light but it’s not big enough to do all the plants on one room. I don’t want to have to buy any lights this year. Any thoughts/ideas? Thanks in advance!

Re: Can I just use my ceiling lights as my grow light?
 

right so im no expert but ill try answer this question.

So, its all about spectrums. the sun produces a spectrum of light which allows plants to grow. so a plant by a window can grow happily. however, windows affect this and filter the light. this is why plant outside normally do better than plants inside. A ceiling light doesn't produce as much intensity or the wide spectrum. now assuming you have a filament or LED light. LED light can work. they produce a wide spectrum but DOESN'T produce enough for proper photosynthesis. it needs to be intense light also. most plants grow lights are LED or specialised plant LED lights. but depending on what your lights are and the intensity. bananas love lots of light. so a ceiling light plus a bright window may just do it. but, if its just a light it probs will do for winter. just to keep it ticking over but for all year round. it wont do. it could do a low light plant eg a fern or peace lily. banans generally love full sun and can deal with partial sun. they have thick , lush leaves which are made to absorb that light. the banana may alter its appearance eg my musa siam ruby made smaller leave due to the lack of light. so bananas can adapt. but im no expert. my advice google it, see what light you have and maybe buy a nice grow light off amazon. but for summers or spring shove the banana outside and let it absorb the UV and get its tan on.

i hope this kinda helped.

Re: Can I just use my ceiling lights as my grow light?
 

Wow! I’m quite impressed! You’re pretty knowledgeable! Yeah I kind of figured that using my ceiling lights might not work! Oh, well. I do have a little full spectrum light I use but I honestly don’t think it’s enough for all those plants in the one room! :ha: I got two windows in that bedroom that do get some sunlight as well. So hopefully they’re getting more sun than I thought! Plus it’s not too long before I can bring them outside in early May! They seem to be doing pretty good! Well, except for the leaning ones you saw on the other thread! :ha: Liked your comment of let the bananas get their tan on! :ha: I’ll probably buy another couple of lights for next winter! Thanks again for your help! Very kind! :woohoonaner:

Re: Can I just use my ceiling lights as my grow light?
 

How about a night light plug-in? Can someone here recommend me something good?

Re: Can I just use my ceiling lights as my grow light?
 

Nope I’ve tried thag. They didn’t work for me. If u want lights for you plants either get official grow lights or led lights. And ask the sellers That's my advice

Re: Can I just use my ceiling lights as my grow light?
 

Pretty interesting! Thanks!

Re: Can I just use my ceiling lights as my grow light?
 

When I lived in Florida, I kept a young, potted mango tree in the garage during winter. The garage had two regular T8 fluorescent lights in the ceiling that I replaced with T8 fluorescent grow lights from Home Depot. The plant did grow, but slowly and sprouted smaller leaves during that time. My guess would be that your banana plants will stay green but grow very slowly compared to outdoors. Be very careful not to over water. I would only water my mango tree, which was in a 20 gal pot, once a week. I also had a tiny space heater in the garage to keep the temp above 60F.

Re: Can I just use my ceiling lights as my grow light?
 

A lot depends on how well-lit your room is and how high your lights are. I placed all my plants closer to the windows, where there was a lot of daylight. This is not always enough. I did not want to spend money on special lighting, so I attached my flashlight above the plants. I turn on this flashlight when the weather is cloudy. However, I rarely have to do this. There are a lot of windows in my house, so the plants have enough daylight. In any case, you can try as you like and see what happens. In this case, you will immediately understand whether it is for the benefit of your plants or not.