Growing Peppers Indoors With Grow Lights

Is it possible to grow your own peppers indoors? Definitely! But you’ll probably need grow lights to do that.

Peppers are the best place to start for those who are growing plants under lights for the first time.

We will tell you everything you need to know about growing peppers indoors with grow lights.

Spoiler alert: My top pick is the HLG 65 QB120 grow light. It’s affordable and has the best light spectrum for growing peppers.

With no further delay, let’s get started!

Peppers And Light

Peppers are high-light, full-sun plants. That means they need at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight each day.

But the question is, how many hours of artificial light do they need?

Your pepper plants will generally need between 14 and 16 hours of artificial light per day.

But a more specific answer to that question depends on the grow light you’re using.

Choosing A Grow Light For Your Pepper Plants

People make many terrible mistakes at this step due to a lack of information.

There are hundreds of grow lights, and identifying the best ones can be challenging.

There are many factors you should take into consideration when choosing a grow light for your pepper plants. Those factors are spectrum, intensity, and efficiency.

Spectrum

Peppers are fruiting plants.

Heavy-flowering and fruiting plants need a lot of red light during their flowering phase. Red light drives flower formation in plants. (Learn more about growing plants with lights.)

One study showed that when pepper plants receive light that is 95% red, they produce the highest quantity of flowers.

So, you need a grow light with a spectrum that is very rich in red light.

The light spectrum should also be somewhat rich in blue light. That will encourage strong vegetative growth.

Intensity

Peppers need grow lights with relatively high intensities.

To find how bright a grow light is, you need to look at its PPFD measurements.

PPFD is the quantity of useful light that your plants receive each second. It’s measured over an area and at a certain distance from the light source.

The minimum PPFD requirement for your pepper plants is around 400 μmol/m²/s.

You need to find a grow light with PPFD measurements above that threshold.

High-quality LED grow light brands usually provide the PPFD measurements of their devices.

Here’s an example of how PPFD measurements are usually presented:

Is the grow light with the above PPFD measurements suitable for pepper plants? Yes, since all its PPFD measurements are around 400 μmol/m²/s and above.

By the way, the higher the intensity of a grow light, the larger its coverage area.

So, the intensity of a grow light also determines the number of pepper plants you can grow under it.

Efficiency

To grow your peppers sustainably, you need an efficient grow light, not just a bright one.

Nowadays, LEDs are the most efficient grow lights. But not all LEDs are equal.

You can assess the efficiency of an LED grow light using a unit of measurement called PPF efficacy.

For sustainable growth, you need to choose a grow light with a PPF efficacy rate above 2 μmol/J.

Our Top Two Grow Light Recommendations For Pepper Plants

HLG Quantum Boards (QBs) are the perfect choice for peppers. They’re great for all heavy-flowering and fruiting high-light plants.

Quantum Boards have very optimized light spectrums. Also, they’re very intense and efficient. HLB QB’s PPF efficacy rate is around 2.5 μmol/J.

These grow lights come in DIY kits, which means you need to assemble the light yourself.

HLG 65 QB120 is one of the brand’s most affordable grow lights, and it’s recommended for beginners. It can cover a 2’ x 1’ (0.6m x 0.3m) growing area.

If you don’t like assembling stuff, you can look at the other grow light recommendation below.

Click here for lowest price ->

Mars Hydro TS 1000 LED is one of the best grow lights for amateur gardeners.

It’s very affordable compared to other grow lights.

Mars Hydro TS 1000 has a spectrum that’s perfect for flower and fruit formation. The light is also very bright and has a 2’ x 2’ (0.6m x 0.6m) coverage area.

Mars Hydro TS 1000 has a PPF efficacy rate of 2.3 μmol/J, which is remarkably high.

The device is relatively very inexpensive.

Click here for lowest price ->

Where To Grow Pepper Plants Indoors?

You can grow your pepper plants anywhere indoors. But if you want the best results, you must create a closed environment.

Isolated grow rooms can sometimes be expensive or even impossible to set up.

The best alternative to a grow room is a grow tent.

Grow tents are increasing in popularity among indoor gardeners for several reasons.

First, they give you complete control over the growing environment. Second, they’re portable and can fit anywhere around the house. And above all, grow tents are very affordable.

If you’re not interested in grow tents, you can still grow your pepper plants without them.

Check Price ->

Setting Up The Grow Light

You can install grow lights by hanging them from the ceiling of your grow room or tent.

When you hang a grow light, you can easily adjust the distance between it and your pepper plants.

As your pepper plants enter their flowering phase, you need to bring the lamp closer to them. You want them to receive more intense light.

And as they grow taller, you’ll need to move the light away from the plants to avoid burning the top leaves.

Grow light manufacturers almost always provide the recommended hanging heights for their devices. They give suggestions for every growth phase.

Stick to those recommendations to get the best results.

Pepper Plants Indoor Growing Conditions

Soil

All pepper plants thrive in soil that’s well-drained and rich in nutrients. Avoid using heavy soils that trap a lot of water.

One of the best soil for pepper plants is Foxfarm Potting Mix (Ocean Forest).

It’s loose enough and rich in nutrients.

Water

Most peppers can tolerate some drought. But if you want to obtain the highest yield from your pepper plants, you must water them regularly.

Remember that peppers don’t like soggy soil, so avoid over-watering them.

Temperature And Humidity

Pepper plants, especially hot peppers, love warm temperatures.

For that reason, gardeners consider hot peppers some of the easiest plants to grow indoors.

Your grow lights may even put out significant amounts of heat. That’s okay! Your hot peppers will still grow amazingly well under them.

However, bell peppers prefer moderately warm temperatures (up to 77°F or 25°C).

Keep the humidity levels around your pepper plants at around 50%.

Space

Although some pepper plant varieties can grow in small containers. But most peppers will grow best in three-gallon containers that are at least 10″ wide.

Feeding

You need to use fertilizers for your pepper plants after they flower.

Make sure not to overfeed your pepper plants. Too much nitrogen can limit their productivity.

Some of the most essential nutrients for your pepper plants are phosphorus, calcium, and potassium.

The fertilizer you’re using may not contain enough calcium. In that case, you can use calcium supplements to achieve the same results.

Enjoy growing your pepper plants indoors, and if you have more questions, don’t hesitate to contact us!