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A grow light for one plant on a desk or side table

One plant on a desk is a different job from a shelf. The plant is small, it sits where you work or read, and the light has to suit the person in the chair as well as the leaves. Most of the mistakes come from buying for a bigger setup than you have: a bar meant for a cabinet, or a panel that lights the ceiling. This page is about one pot and one fitting.

Two sensible options

For a single plant there are really two choices.

A clip-on gooseneck. It clamps to the pot rim or the desk edge, and the arm bends to aim a small head at the leaves. Coverage is deliberately small. Some have a timer built into the head, which means you should not put them on a second timer at the socket. The hours page explains why, with a maker's note.

A grow bulb in a lamp you already own. If the desk has a lamp with an open shade, or a bare bulb holder angled at the plant, a full-spectrum grow bulb turns it into a plant light that still looks like a lamp. The catch is the fitting and the shade. Many British lamps are bayonet, many grow bulbs are E27 screw, and a closed shade traps heat. Those checks are in E27 and B22 fittings.

How these fit with bars and panels is in bulb, bar, panel or gooseneck. For a desk, a bar and a panel are both more than you need.

Choosing between them

A gooseneck is better when:

• there is no lamp on the desk, or the lamp is in the wrong place
• the plant is small, such as a pothos cutting, a small fern or a single succulent
• you want something you can aim precisely and move out of the way

A bulb in a lamp is better when:

• you already have an open lamp near the plant
• the plant is a little larger and needs a wider pool of light
• you want the light to look like a normal lamp rather than a gadget

If you find yourself wanting two goosenecks, or a bulb that lights three pots, you have a shelf, not a desk plant. Move the pots together and use a bar. That route is covered in grow lights for shelves and glass cabinets.

Glare: aim at the leaves, not at you

A grow light on a desk sits near eye level for hours. Glare is the most common complaint, and most of it is about angle.

• Aim down. The head or bulb should point at the plant from above. If you can see the bright LEDs from your chair, it is aimed too flat.
• Put the plant beside you, not in front. A light behind your screen or across the desk shines towards your eyes. To one side, it shines away.
• Mind the screen. A bright light reflecting on a monitor or a glossy desk is distracting. Move the plant or the light rather than squinting.
• Prefer white light. A neutral white lamp is easier to sit next to than a purple one, and it does not change how everything else on the desk looks. Colour is covered in full spectrum or blurple.

Never stare into an LED at close range, and keep it out of the eye line of anyone sitting nearby, including children and pets.

Distance and hours for one pot

The right distance depends on the lamp. Use the maker's distance chart for the model you buy, and start there. A gooseneck is usually aimed closer than a bulb, but "usually" is not your lamp. If leaves bleach or curl, it is too close. If new growth is long and pale, it is too far, or on for too few hours. The reasoning is in PPFD, DLI and distance.

Hours follow the same rules as any houseplant lamp: a set day on a timer, then a dark period every night. A desk plant has one extra wrinkle. You may switch the lamp on when you sit down to work, and forget it when you leave. A timer avoids that. If the lamp has its own timer, use that one, not a second timer at the socket. The ranges are in hours and a dark period.

Where to look for a fitting

The houseplant shortlist lists a clip gooseneck and E27 grow bulbs by their makers' stated specifications. It is not a test, and the specifications there are as the makers state them on the date shown on that page. When you buy, check the watts on the rating label rather than any "equivalent" figure, check it is rated for UK mains and comes with a UK plug, and check whether it has a built-in timer.

A single small lamp on a desk is a small electrical load. The arithmetic for working out what it costs, from the watts and the hours, is on the running cost page.

Leads on a desk

A desk already has chargers, a laptop and a monitor. Plug the lamp in without adding another loose adaptor to a pile. Keep the lead away from where you put a mug or water the plant, and out of the path of a chair or feet. Shelf-scale cable advice is in timers, cables and shelf layout.

Questions

Is a clip gooseneck enough for one houseplant?

For one small or medium pot, often yes, if it is aimed from above at the maker's recommended distance and run on a regular day. It will not light several pots.

Can I use a normal desk lamp as a grow light?

Only if you fit a grow bulb that suits the lamp's fitting and the shade is open enough to let the bulb cool. An ordinary household bulb is not designed for plants, and the RHS artificial lighting guide describes domestic bulbs as unsuitable because their intensity is not enough.

How do I stop a grow light on my desk from hurting my eyes?

Aim it down at the plant, put the plant to one side of you rather than in front, and choose a white light rather than a purple one. If you can see the LEDs from your chair, change the angle.