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Hi there,

I’ve been a long time enthusiast for succulent plants.

I live in New York City and during the Winter I don’t get the kind of light they need so have started to research grow lights.

It must be small since I live in an apartment.
(I’ve seen ones that are 2″ long but I need one that is smaller. )

Can you make any recommendation to me?
I can’t stand to see the plants get so leggy in the attempt to reach out for more light!

Thanks so much,
Susan Barth

Hi Susan, the most important thing to remember is that the light has to be within a certain spectrum for the plants to be able to use it to grow.

There are fluorescent spot lights, developed specifically for growing plants, and if your collection is small, these are perfectly adequate.

The only issue I’ve found with them is that they warn you not to use a timer, which pretty much negates the benefits of giving your plants a specific length of light.

There are no shorter fluorescent tubes than the 2′ ones, that I know of.

Some of the curly fluorescent lights seem to be good for growing plants under; depending on your light fixture, these will just replace an ordinary incandescent bulb, but you will need to have at least 60 watts (or the equivalent) to benefit the plants.

There also isn’t much room under these lights, so you may be able to fit four smallish plants under them, and have them about 6″ away or less for best results. The good news? These can be used with a timer!

See more about grow lights here.

Hope that helps.
Jacki