Are you wanting to grow plants indoors? Is the current lighting less than par? If so, then a grow light may just be the thing you need. After all, light is what most plants need in order to grow well, along with good soil and water. The only problem is that there are so many lighting options available these days, and it may feel a bit overwhelming when shopping for the right one. Mars Hydro is a company that specializes in grow lights and accessories for indoor gardening, and they were kind enough to allow me the opportunity to give one of their products a try.
The Mars Reflector 240W Hydro LED Grow Light Lamp has various uses for the indoor gardener. Whether you’re cultivating plants in a greenhouse or in the home, this light works for both hydroponic gardening or with traditional soil media. And the options on what to grow are only limited by your space – any number of vegetables, herbs and flowers are suitable. I decided to try out some basil, which is easy enough to grow in the garden, but I was curious at how well the herb would do indoors for awhile, especially since light is a major factor with many plants inside.
The package comes with the LED grow light, hangers, power cord, warranty card, and instruction manual. One of the great things about LED grow lights is that they provide plenty of red and blue light, which maximizes plant growth. In fact, plants that receive plenty of blue light tend to have stronger, healthier looking stems and foliage growth. Red light is necessary early on for seed germination and root growth, as well as aiding in flowering and fruit production. The Mars Reflector grow lamp provides even distribution across the color spectrum. This particular grow light also includes two switches for plant growth – one for the germination/seedling stage, also great for foliage growth, and one for flowering, which is especially helpful when growing something other than leafy greens, like a tomato or flowering houseplant.
All Mars lights are ETL listed, which means they’ve passed the most stringent safety standards among LED lighting – no need to worry about your plants getting too hot. Of course, the low-noise fan also alleviates this issue and remains cool to the touch as well. While I don’t completely understand some of the techno lighting terms within the instructions, like PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation), and what they mean, I found the instructions to be fairly simple overall and the light particularly easy to use. Just hang it up and plug it in, pretty straightforward.
 |
 |
 |
As for my basil plant, it took off rather quickly, with seeds germinating in only 3 days, and it is growing large enough to move outside with nice bushy growth and pretty green leaves.
