Tried grow lights from Amazon and they did nothing for my seedlings

I spent $40 on a set of those purple LED panels last spring because everyone in this group raves about them. My tomato seedlings got all leggy and pale after 3 weeks under those things. Then I borrowed my neighbor's old T5 fluorescent shop light from his garage and my peppers doubled in size within 10 days. Anyone else had way better luck with basic tube lights over those fancy Amazon LEDs?

3 comments

3 Comments

butler.abby9d ago

Tbh I had the exact same experience last year and it was so frustrating. Those cheap purple LEDs from Amazon are seriously hit or miss, most of them just don't put out enough power for real growth. I switched to an old T8 shop light from Home Depot and my basil seedlings went from barely surviving to actually thriving in like a week. The plant science people online always say lumens don't matter but I swear those basic tube lights just work better for starting seeds indoors. Ngl I almost quit gardening entirely after wasting money on those Amazon lights, so I totally get the disappointment.

jesse_craig269d ago

Yeah the "lumens don't matter" thing drives me nuts. Lumens are literally for human eyes, not plant photosynthesis. Those cheap purple LEDs just don't have the wattage or the right spectrum spread to actually do anything. I got burned on a set that claimed 1000w equivalent but pulled like 30w from the wall. Total scam. T8 shop lights are the real MVP for seed starting. Cheap bulbs, good coverage, and they actually pump out usable light. People overthink this stuff way too much.

noah_webb8d ago

The way they literally almost quit gardening over it is wild.😂