Succulents are an excellent way to add to the natural beauty of any space, room, or home.
They are also incredibly easy to maintain and don’t require a lot of input from the caretaker to flourish.
Like any other plant, there are significant factors that one must take care of when growing a succulent. These factors include things like soil, water, and light.
Depending on where you’re keeping your succulent, you may have to adjust certain features to get the best amount of light.
The kind of succulents that have gained popularity is the small ones you can keep on your desk.
These kinds of succulents will not receive much light since they are indoors.
However, sunlight or light, in general, is an integral part of ensuring the growth of succulents which leads to many people raising the question: Can succulents use artificial light?
In the article below, we will find whether artificial lights support the growth of succulents and the best ways to grow your plants indoors.
Can Succulents Use Artificial Light to Grow?
The simple answer is yes; they can. One of the major factors needed for plant growth is sunlight.
However, sunlight may not always be available when growing plants indoors as frequently as you would like.
In this case, artificial light can work simply fine. However, some artificial lights work better than others.
Artificial light is any light that doesn’t directly come from the sun. You can use these artificial lights and natural sunlight to amplify the growth of your succulents.
Or you can use them as the only source of light. The reason that succulents can utilize artificial light is that photosynthesis requires any form of light.
If there is enough light, photosynthesis will occur, and thus the plant will grow.
Still, there are sources of artificial light that are much more suitable for plant growth than others, which you should bear.
The right kind of positioning of plants is also essential in gaining the maximum amount of light so that your succulents may grow.
Ways to Take Care of Succulents Indoors
Grow lights
When growing succulents indoors, you will need unique lights that allow succulents to receive ample light.
If succulents don’t receive the right amount of light, they can grow withered even if they survive.
They may be called grow lights. However, these are just any lights that allow for plans to grow.
Types of Grow Lights:
Fluorescent Lights
You will often see these lights in cellars where plants are grown. They are the most common grow lights as they are highly cost-effective.
They’re easy to install in your home, which is why they are one of the most popular options for house plants.
You have a wide variety of options to choose from when it comes to fluorescent lights.
Depending on how you wish your succulents to grow a flower, you can opt for warm or cool lighting.
Before you pick the kind of fluorescent light you opt for, you should know the brightness that it can emanate and its wattage—the greater the brightness and the wattage, the lighter it can provide to your plants.
LED Lights
LED lights are another way that you can provide light to your plants. They can provide a specific degree of light for your succulents.
The two major wavelengths are red and violet. They may not have the entire spectrum of wavelengths available, so you must make the right choices accordingly.
LED lights are also cost-friendly and don’t add extra heat to the plant. They also allow you to save power, and plants are less likely to burn when fixed with LED lights.
Factors to Consider When Choosing an Artificial Light or Grow Light
Wattage
If the wattage on the light is more remarkable, it will consume more light, and you’re more likely to pay a hefty amount on your electric bill.
Try to find bulbs that are energy efficient that can give you an ample amount of brightness at less wattage.
Intensity
Light intensity is responsible for providing the amount of light to the leaves so photosynthesis can occur.
The greater the light intensity, the more the chances are of photosynthesis occurring.
You would need at least 2000 lumens in succulents, which is how light intensity is measured.
Heat
Light energy does not exist in a vacuum. With light comes heat energy, so it’s necessary to know how much heat your light will match.
If there’s too much heat, your plant may start to burn, and if there’s too little heat, then your plant may not grow.
The heat imaged by the light will determine how near or far you keep your light and how long you keep it there.
Color
Sunlight is different from artificial light because it occurs in a spectrum. When growing plants indoors, you also need the complete spectrum of light.
However, more slides occur in either warm or cool tones.
Ideally, it would be best if you opted for lights with a temperature of at least 5K Kelvin so that your succulents may receive the complete spectrum of light.
Growing Succulents Indoors with Artificial Lights
Now that we know that succulents can be grown using artificial light. We can look at ways to perfect light conditions when growing succulents indoors.
You may have to take care of how you’re using artificial lights for succulent growth.
You must also know whether you’re using artificial lights in combination with or utterly independent of sunlight.
Once you know this, you can position your grow lights for the maximum facility.
Light Cycles
Light cycles are necessary to inform succulents what the weather is. For example, suppose you are using artificial lights throughout the year.
In that case, the intensity you apply as the seasons change should vary to prepare indoor succulents to grow outdoors if necessary.
Light cycles don’t just work for seasonal changes. Light cycles also need to be determined so that you can inform the plant when it’s day and night, as this allows them to grow at a tremendous pace.
The way to establish these light cycles is by understanding that the more light you provide, the quicker they will grow.
However, we suggest that you follow a simple pattern for day and night. You can keep the lights on for 16 hours and off for 8.
In winter, you can increase the time the lights are switched off so that the plant acts accordingly.
In summer, you can increase the daytime by turning on the lights for 20 hours and turning them off for 4. These light cycles depend entirely on you.
Position
As we mentioned before, knowing how you would place your plants under the light is necessary.
If you’re using a normal grow light, it’s recommended that you keep the plant two to six inches from the lamp so that it doesn’t have extra light or heat.
You must consider how your plant will react to the light and how hot your light runs.
You want to ensure that you give your plant the maximum amount of light possible without harming it.
Try to check up on your plants when you shift positions so that you can understand the impact and save your plants if the position is not optimal
Watering
watering indoor plants is a little trickier than watching outdoor ones. Under grow lights, you’re in charge of day and night as well as winter and summer.
However, the watering schedule you’ll follow will be similar in that in winter, you’re going to water less, and during summer, the watering frequency should increase.
In summer, you will water the soil once it’s dry. However, in winter, you should water succulents once every two weeks.
Overwatering or underwatering can cause great harm to your succulents, so it’s imperative to keep checking for the best time to water.
Duration
The duration you keep your lights on will determine how fast your succulents grow, and they help define night and day and the light cycles for your plant.
You can set up a timer if you want a more incredible amount of daytime or even more control over the lighting mechanisms.
Duration means the period for which your succulents will receive light.
Safety
You must keep plugs and cables attached to the lights far away from the plants as they can cause them to burn.
You should also ensure that no water touches any cables or the plants.
To practice extra precaution, you may want to unplug your lights before watering the succulents.
Final Thoughts
Succulents can use artificial lights to grow. However, you must opt for lights that can provide an intensity like the sun.
Light intensity matters a lot when growing succulents indoors, as artificial light becomes the primary light source for the plant.
For photosynthesis to occur, this artificial light needs to be remarkably intense so that the process can occur quickly and the succulent can grow.
Moreover, when growing succulents indoors, you must also consider other factors like soil, water, and safety.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is it ok to Water Succulents at night?
Some succulents like Sedum, Crassula, Aloe, and Haworthia do best in bright light and need to be watered often. The sunlight helps them photosynthesize and produce food.
Succulents (and other desert plants) require full sun. They like their roots to be in lots of water, so it is best to water in the morning before the sun is up.
How many hours of artificial light do succulents need?
Succulents require little light. These plants require very little light, a windowsill will do. Succulents require less light than many other houseplants, which may need direct sunlight.
Why are my succulent leaves falling off when I touch them?
Succulent leaves fall off because succulents need air and light to survive. Try placing the plant in a cool area. Also, try providing it with more light.
