Zone · Guides · Grow light bulbs, strips or fixtures

Grow light bulbs, strips or fixtures?

By the Zone product team

Updated October 14, 2026

Which kind for which setup

Grow light bulbs: A19 vs BR30 vs PAR38

All three Zone shapes screw into a standard E26 socket. The letters are the bulb’s shape and the number is its diameter in eighths of an inch, so a PAR38 is the widest. Reflector shapes (BR and PAR) aim the light forward, toward the plant. An A19 spreads light more in every direction, like a household bulb. Check that the bulb physically fits your lamp or fixture before you buy.

Nominal diameter is the standard size for that bulb name, not a Zone measurement. Zone hasn’t published watts or light output for these three bulbs yet.

• Grow light bulb (Z-GR-CB40): Screws into a standard E26 socket. 49 umol/s PPF as published on the listing. LED life: 15,000 hours. 40 W, ETL listed · damp locations.

Grow light strips

• 4 ft linkable grow strip (Z-XP-GSH4): Links end to end. Integrated LED. PPF 47.
• 11.8 ft grow light strip (Z-TPL-GR12): Bends under shelves and plant racks. Plugs in, adhesive backing. Red and blue diodes. PPF 8. LED life: 20,000 hours. 24 W.

A strip is the usual choice for shelves and racks: it runs the length of the shelf, close above the plants. The 4 ft strip links to the next one; the flexible strip bends around a rack.

Hanging, clamp and foldable grow lights

• Foldable grow light (Z-XY-GR24PC-4): Two heads swing 135° and turn 320°. Screws into a standard E26 socket. PPF 30. LED life: 50,000 hours. 24 W, ETL listed · damp locations.
• Colour-select grow light (Z-DW-B21-GRSPL): Three spectrum settings for growth stages. Hangs from chains.
• Clamp grow light (Z-GRCLP-3S): Spring clamp. Head tilts. 13 W, ETL listed.
• 11-1/2 in. LED grow high bay light (Z-XP-GRUFO-100M): Hangs from a hook. 100 W, UL certified.
• LED grow light fixture (Z-GRDFS): .

Tabletop gardens

• Tabletop mini garden (Z-VG-MB): Built-in automatic timer. Vegetative and flowering light modes. 8 planter pods. Built-in water-level gauge. Grow light on an adjustable arm. The timer runs the light 16 h on, 8 off.

Match the light to how your plants are laid out

Look at the shape of your growing area before you count pots. A single row of herbs on a windowsill shelf, a wide seed tray and one tall pepper plant all need light in different places. A strip covers the row nicely but leaves the corners of a wide tray dim. A single bulb lights the middle of a tray well and the edges less. A fixture with adjustable heads can be aimed where the leaves actually are.

Think about how the setup will change, too. Seedlings that sit an inch under a strip today may be a foot tall next month, and a plant by a window gets less sun in winter. Leave room to raise the light or move the plants as they grow, and follow the product’s instructions for how close it can sit. Don’t guess at hanging heights or keep adding hours; go by advice for the plant you’re growing.

Can a regular white bulb help my houseplants?

A suitable white light can contribute to plant lighting; the word grow alone does not establish enough light at the leaves. University of Minnesota Extension’s winter houseplant guidance discusses supplemental full-spectrum lighting. The useful result still depends on the plant, amount of light reaching it and duration.

For shelves, measure the space remaining above the leaves after allowing for the lamp and plant growth. The plant-shelf guide separates fit, total light output and coverage. It does not turn a household Kelvin value or a Zone PPF value into a crop-specific hanging height.