Not enough indoor light and using grow lights to replace natural light, which plants are hard to keep alive in low light?

Not enough light at home, wanting to use lamps to supplement light for plants, does it actually work? Plenty of gardening beginners have probably mulled over this question. Actually, the answer is pretty clear: absolutely yes, but you have to use the right method.

When it comes to supplemental lighting, it is not just grabbing any desk lamp and shining it on the plant; what plants need is light of specific wavelengths, mainly blue light and red light—blue light governs growth, red light promotes flowering and fruiting. The dedicated plant grow lights on the market now are quite good, with tube types, bulb types, and even small lamps that can be clipped onto flower pots. When using them, pay attention to distance; generally 30 to 50 cm from the plant is most suitable. Too far and there is no effect, too close and it easily scorches the leaves. Give them 8 to 10 hours of light a day, and it can basically make up for half a day of natural light. In places with poor light, like a north-facing balcony or a corner of the living room, adding a grow light lets plants live much more vigorously.

But some friends think, since lamps can supplement light, does that mean any plant can be grown indoors? Not really. Some plants have especially "rigid" light requirements; if there is not enough light they really will slowly wilt, and even die outright.

First in line are succulents, especially those varieties that love basking in the sun, such as Aeonium (Aeonium arboreum), Haworthia (Haworthia cooperi), and Graptopetalum (Graptopetalum paraguayense). They originally grow in places with intense light; if they lack light for a long time, the leaves become thin and long, the color changes from bright red or purple to a dull grayish green, and in serious cases the roots rot. I once saw someone put a succulent next to the TV cabinet, and within a few days it had stretched out like a "bean sprout"; in the end the whole pot could not be saved.

Next are jasmine and gardenia. These two flowers especially "love light"; without enough light they not only fail to bloom, but the leaves also turn yellow and drop. A friend put a jasmine in the bathroom, saying they wanted the room to smell nice, but in less than two weeks half the leaves had dropped and all the buds had fallen off; only after moving it to the balcony did it slowly recover. They are like "sun lovers"; if they do not get enough sun for 6 hours a day, they easily throw a fit.

There is also the rose, which is famously a "light freak". If light is insufficient, the branches become thin and soft, and not only does it bloom little, it also easily attracts pests and diseases. I once saw someone complain in a neighborhood group that their rose only grew leaves and would not bloom; later they found out it was blocked from the light by a big tree beside it. After moving it to a spot with good light, the next year it was covered in flowers.

In addition, those with "sun" in their names, like moss rose and sunflower, absolutely cannot do without strong light. Moss rose without light simply will not bloom, and its stems fall over; sunflowers grow tall and weak, toppling at the first gust of wind, and simply cannot produce plump seeds.

So, supplementing light with lamps when there is not enough light is a good method, but you have to choose the right lamp and use the right method. And for those plants that are especially "greedy for light", if your home really has poor light conditions, either steel yourself and give them up, or put in some effort to set up supplemental lighting equipment; otherwise, after all that hard work raising them, in the end you just watch them wilt, and what a pity that would be.