Will plants grow under white LED lights?
Sophia Carter
Published May 08, 2026
While COB and white light LEDs can grow plants, with all of the energy wasted in the green spectrum they aren't necessarily the most efficient. White LEDs only produce 40% of usable light and the rest is wasted in power consumption and heat.
Do white LED lights work on plants?
White LEDs are designed and manufactured for humans- they are ideal for our eyes' color needs, but not for plants!Can we use normal white light for plant growth?
Yes, bulbs that you have in your house can be used to grow plants. However, regular incandescent bulbs do not provide the range of color spectrum light that plants thrive on. A better choice for indoor growing would be LED lights designed for that purpose.Will normal LED lights grow plants?
Yes, plants will grow under normal LED lights. Grow lights aren't special – they're just strong. Bright light causes plants to grow, whether they're marketed as grow lights or not. They do need to be close to them though – the closer the better (without them burning).What color LED is best for plants?
What Color Light is Best for Plant Growth?
- Violet-blue light in the 400 – 520 nanometer range encourages chlorophyll absorption, photosynthesis, and growth.
- Red light in the 610 – 720 spectrum range promotes flowering and budding.