How to Grow Microgreens Using Plant Grow Lights:Everything you want to know

Have you ever dreamed of creating a lush micro garden at home, only to be hindered by insufficient natural lighting? Perhaps you've already tried growing microgreens but experienced slow growth, stretching, or even plant death due to inadequate lighting?

Don't worry - this is exactly when grow lights shine!

In this comprehensive guide, I'll take you through what microgreens are, why they need special lighting environments, and how to select and use appropriate grow lights to create the perfect indoor growing environment.

Whether you're a gardening beginner or an experienced growing enthusiast, this article will help you better understand and apply grow lights technology, making your micro garden flourish!

What Are Microgreens

What exactly are microgreens? How do they differ from regular vegetables? Let's unveil the mystery of these tiny plants.

Microgreens are vegetables harvested at the seedling stage, typically picked when the first pair of true leaves or second pair of true leaves emerge.

Why are microgreens so popular?

The biggest reason is their exceptionally high nutritional value. According to USDA research data, microgreens contain 4-40 times more vitamins and antioxidants than mature vegetables!

This means a small handful of red cabbage microgreens might contain nutrition equivalent to an entire mature cabbage.

Beyond their amazing nutritional value, microgreens offer these compelling advantages:

• Short growing cycle, typically requiring only 7-21 days from seed to harvest
• Crisp texture and intense flavor, perfect garnish for dishes
• Rich variety of colors, from bright green to deep purple and red
• Small space requirements, ideal for indoor and small-space growing
• Year-round cultivation possible, unrestricted by seasons

Common Types of Microgreens

Microgreens come in numerous varieties - almost all edible plants can be grown as microgreens. Here are some of the most popular microgreens types:

• Arugula: Slightly spicy flavor, rich in calcium and vitamins A, C, with approximately 7-day growing cycle.
• Beetroot: Vibrant red stems and green leaves, rich in iron and antioxidants, with approximately 12-day growing cycle.
• Broccoli: Contains abundant sulforaphane with anti-cancer properties, with approximately 10-day growing cycle.
• Sunflower: Crisp texture, rich in protein and vitamin E, with 8-12 day growing cycle.
• Pea: Sweet, fresh taste, rich in protein and vitamin K, with 8-12 day growing cycle.
• Radish: Spicy flavor, rich in vitamin C and potassium, with 6-8 day growing cycle.
• Shiso: Unique aroma with anti-inflammatory properties, with 14-21 day growing cycle.

Each microgreen variety has its own characteristics, allowing selection based on personal taste and nutritional needs. Many beginners prefer starting with fast-growing, high-success varieties like sunflower, pea, and radish.

What Tools Are Needed for Growing Microgreens?

Ready to embark on your microgreens growing journey?

First, you'll need to prepare some basic tools. Don't worry - compared to other gardening projects, microgreens growing requires relatively simple equipment with smaller investment. Let's look at what tools you'll need:

1. Growing Trays: Shallow containers are ideal, about 2-3cm deep with drainage holes at the bottom. You can use professional growing trays or creatively repurpose shallow dishes, plastic food containers from home.

2. Growing Medium: Options include soilless growing mix, coconut coir, peat moss, or organic potting soil. Beginners are recommended to use pre-mixed microgreens-specific growing medium, which is typically already adjusted to ideal pH and nutrient levels.

3. Spray Bottle: Fine-mist spray bottles can evenly distribute water while avoiding washing away seeds or damaging tender seedlings.

4. Seeds: High-quality seeds are the foundation of success. Choose organic, non-GMO seeds to ensure optimal health benefits and germination rates.

5. Thermometer-Hygrometer: Monitor temperature and humidity of the growing environment for timely adjustments.

6. Timer: Automatically control grow lights on/off times, ensuring plants receive adequate lighting.

7. Fan: Promote air circulation and prevent mold growth.

8. Scissors: Clean, sharp scissors for harvesting microgreens, avoiding pulling and plant damage.

9. Labels: Mark different microgreens varieties and seeding dates.

10. LED Grow Lights: Such as 40W T8 Tube are ideal choices for beginners. They provide uniform lighting, high efficiency, and affordable pricing. The spectrum design specifically promotes leafy plant and seedling growth, perfect for early development stages of microgreens.

11. Or if you need higher-powered plant lights, such as 120W LED Grow Light, this full-spectrum LED panel is not only highly efficient but also provides precise spectrum needed for all plant growth stages, with lower long-term operating costs, making it an ideal choice for growing microgreens.

How to Grow Microgreens

After acquiring suitable tools, it's time to begin your microgreens growing journey! Here's a simple yet effective step-by-step guide to help you successfully grow delicious microgreens from scratch.

Step 1: Prepare Growing Containers

1. First, ensure your growing trays are clean and hygienic. If reusing old containers, wash with mild soapy water and rinse thoroughly to prevent disease transmission.

2. Lay about 1-2cm thick growing medium in the tray bottom. Keep the surface level but don't compress excessively to ensure good drainage.

3. Use a spray bottle to gently moisten the growing medium until it's moist but not waterlogged. The medium should feel like a wrung-out sponge.

Step 2: Sowing

1. Determine sowing density based on different seed sizes. Generally, microgreens have high sowing density - seeds can be quite close together but avoid overlapping.

2. Evenly scatter seeds on the moist growing medium surface. For larger seeds (like sunflower or pea), you can lightly press them for good contact with the medium.

Step 3: Covering and Germination

1. Gently spray water on seeds, ensuring they're adequately moist.

2. Most microgreens seeds don't require soil covering, but you can lightly cover with thin growing medium or cheesecloth to help maintain humidity.

3. During germination, many seeds actually prefer dark environments. You can cover the growing tray with another tray or black plastic sheet, creating a dark, moist environment.

4. Place trays in a warm location (ideal temperature around 20-22°C), checking humidity daily to ensure the medium stays consistently moist.

5. Most microgreens seeds germinate within 2-5 days. Once you see sprouts emerging, immediately remove covers and place trays under grow lights.

Step 4: Using Grow Lights

1. Adjust grow lights height. For 40W T8 fluorescent tubes, maintain lights about 10-15cm from plant tops; for stronger LED lights like 120W LED grow lights, distance can increase to 20-30cm.

2. Set timers to provide 14-16 hours of daily lighting. Ideal setting is lights on at 6 AM, off at 10 PM, mimicking natural daylight cycles.

3. As plants grow, adjust light fixture height appropriately to maintain proper distance.

4. If plants show stretching (thin stems, pale leaf color), lighting may be insufficient - reduce distance between fixtures and plants.

Step 5: Daily Care

1. Watering: Microgreens prefer consistent moisture. Use spray bottles to water from bottom or sides, avoiding direct spraying on tender plants, which helps prevent mold growth. Generally, check humidity once daily and supplement water as needed.

2. Ventilation: Ensure good air circulation. If the growing area is enclosed, use small fans to create gentle airflow.

3. Temperature Control: Maintain room temperature between 18-24°C. Avoid placing growing trays in areas with large temperature fluctuations, such as near heaters or air conditioning vents.

4. Observation: Regularly check plant health, watching for potential issues like mold, stretching, or discoloration. Early problem detection allows timely growing condition adjustments.

Step 6: Harvesting

1. Microgreens are typically ready for harvest within 7-21 days, depending on variety and growing conditions.

2. Optimal harvest time is when the first pair of true leaves is fully expanded but the second pair hasn't fully developed.

3. Use clean, sharp scissors to cut stems close to the growing medium. Avoid pulling plants to prevent disturbing the medium.

4. Morning-harvested microgreens usually have the best flavor as they accumulate more nutrients overnight.

5. Immediately rinse gently with clean water after harvest, then drain using a salad spinner or paper towels.

6. Microgreens not used immediately can be stored in sealed containers in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.

Common Problems and Solutions

1. Stretching: Thin stems, plants leaning to one side. Usually caused by insufficient or uneven lighting. Solution is adjusting grow lights position and intensity for uniform illumination.

2. Mold: Appears as white or gray fuzzy covering. Usually from overwatering or poor ventilation. Solutions include reducing watering frequency, increasing ventilation, and removing affected plants.

3. Uneven Germination: May be seed quality issues or uneven sowing. Ensure fresh seeds are used and try more uniform sowing. Pre-soaking some difficult-to-germinate seeds also helps.

4. Yellowing: Yellow leaves usually signal nutrient deficiency. Due to microgreens' short growing cycle, additional fertilization isn't typically needed. However, if the growing medium lacks nutrients, consider light supplementation with diluted organic liquid fertilizer.

Following these steps, even gardening beginners can successfully grow delicious, healthy microgreens. Combined with suitable grow lights, you'll be able to enjoy fresh microgreens you've grown yourself year-round, adding color and nutrition to your table!

Conclusion

Grow lights are undoubtedly one of the key elements for successful microgreens cultivation. By providing appropriate light intensity, spectrum, and duration, grow lights help you create ideal microgreens growing conditions in any season and any indoor environment.

Through the guidance and tips provided in this article, I hope you can embark on an enjoyable microgreens growing journey, experiencing the complete process from seed to table.

Ready to begin? TheOneGrow offers various high-quality grow lights and microgreens growing tools to start your indoor gardening adventure!

FAQs

How Much Light Do Microgreens Need?

Microgreens need approximately 14-16 hours of daily lighting. When using grow lights, ensure moderate light intensity, typically between 30-50μmol/m²/s. Insufficient lighting causes plant stretching with weak stems and pale leaf color; excessive lighting may burn tender plants.

It's best to use timers to control grow lights on/off times, mimicking natural daylight cycles.

Which Grow Lights Are Best for Growing Microgreens?

For microgreens, grow lights with higher blue light content are ideal, as blue light promotes leaf growth and compact plant structure. Full-spectrum LED lights are the most versatile choice as they provide various wavelengths needed for plant growth.

Beginners can start with fluorescent tubes like 40W T8 tubes - they're affordable and effective. If budget allows, 120W LED full-spectrum grow lights provide better growing results and energy efficiency.

Can Microgreens Grow Using Only Natural Light?

Theoretically, if you have a well-lit windowsill or balcony, microgreens can grow using natural light alone. However, even in sunny South Africa, natural light is affected by seasons, weather, and daylight hours.

Additionally, window glass filters out some beneficial light spectrums for plants. Using grow lights ensures plants receive stable, adequate lighting year-round, significantly improving yield and quality.

Can Microgreens Be Harvested Repeatedly?

Unlike some herbs that can be harvested repeatedly, most microgreens can only be harvested once. This is because harvesting typically involves cutting the main stem, preventing continued plant growth.

However, due to microgreens' short growing cycle, you can use succession planting - sowing new seeds every few days to ensure continuous supply.

How Much Electricity Do Grow Lights Consume?

Grow lights energy consumption depends on their type and wattage. For example, a 40W fluorescent tube running 16 hours daily consumes approximately 19.2 kilowatt-hours monthly. While high-efficiency LED grow lights have higher initial investment, they're more energy-efficient long-term.

A 120W LED grow light's actual power consumption might only be 70-80% of its rated power due to LED technology's higher efficiency. Considering microgreens' high nutritional value and market prices, home growing remains economically viable even including electricity costs.