Are you using LED bulbs yet? They’re quickly becoming essential for growing succulents: less trouble, healthier plants, and beautiful results. LED bulbs have taken root as grow lights for good reason—especially since the advent of 'high-intensity LEDs,' which can even support light-loving succulents.
But... is that really the case?
As a science geek who can't help but question everything, the PUKUBOOK editor is here to ask: Do you truly need a "horticultural" LED to grow your plants? Can't you just use an ordinary LED bulb from the store? I mean, if it works, it'd save you a ton of cash!
So, I put it to the test myself.
And the results were genuinely surprising...
First, about this whole "high-intensity"/"low-intensity" thing: there’s actually no strict definition. Generally, I call bulbs you'd normally find for household lighting at hardware stores (up to about 100W equivalent (around 10W for an LED bulb)) 'low-intensity', while brighter bulbs—too intense for ordinary room use—are what I call 'high-intensity'. 'Low-intensity' here just refers to standard bulbs used for regular indoor lighting.
Kicking off with my personal go-to: only available at the official PUKUBOOK COLLECTION shop, this black spotlight-style bulb is a fixture for plant lovers—and the 10W model is a standard. With a proven track record—almost any plant thrives under it—this is what made me wonder if 'high-intensity' really is necessary, inspiring this experiment.
Next up, the famous Nitori 100W model. Among name-brand bulbs, this is the cheapest 100W LED in Japan—at least, until another sort appeared...
A key point here: the biggest difference between spotlights and typical household bulbs is 'directionality'. Spotlights aim almost all their light forward; standard bulbs scatter it in every direction. Without a hood to focus the light, much of the brightness gets lost and your plant won’t be illuminated enough (removing the cover is always an option, but let’s save that for another day).
Did you know IKEA was among the first to offer plant-suitable LEDs? Their original 'grow light' bulb is discontinued, but that’s fine for this backyard comparison.
Here, I selected the brightest 100W bulb IKEA offers. Do note: other features, like dimming or remotes, may vary—be careful choosing. One fun twist: all their bulbs are 'warm-white' only. We’ll see how that impacts the plants.
Unbelievable! DAISO has just released a 100W equivalent LED bulb—and at only ¥330 (the same as their 60W!), it's an absolute outlier compared to Nitori (at a quarter the price) and even cheaper than of those suspicious no-brand bulbs on Amazon. If this can work for plant growing, what a game changer!
Currently, you can’t get this one online—it seems to have hit shelves in late '23—and this might be the world's earliest review from actual plant use!
The test setup: a homemade cardboard box I’ve used for prior LED comparisons. Plants were about 15cm (6 inches) from the bulb—up close! Timed to shine for 15 hours per day. The plants sat in saucers, meaning water was always available—a wet environment. No fan inside the box (though another circulator runs in the far corner of the room 24/7).
The inside walls are lined with reflective insulation, making things about 10–20% more efficient than empty space. For bulbs like Nitori’s, think of a lamp shade focusing their scattered glow.
The DAISO and Nitori bulbs' specs are nearly identical—so if DAISO works, Nitori would likely perform similarly (Nitori takes a rest this round). To compare 'low-intensity' with 'high-intensity,' the 16W PUKUBOOK COLLECTION bulb joined as well, making four contestants in total.
At the start, all test plants were in similar condition, and they were isolated for about 2 months before comparing outcomes.
Ranking was utterly subjective: judged on whether each plant looked ideally suited to its variety.
First up: classic "Lilacina." This plant doesn’t change much under strong light, but if the light is lacking, it shows fast with an etiolated (stretchy) look.
Though the growth tip was lost early and the plant ended up unbalanced, the new growth is dense with good color—promising to become a typical attractive Lilacina.
Here, a strong purple hue signals stress, and the curled leaves add to that impression. It seems a bit too bright for Lilacina here.
You can really see the impact of too much light—this one just didn’t grow properly.
This may be an "unlucky" result, as the growth tip was lost at some point, making it hard to judge. Still, while the purple is good, the plant feels stretched and sparse, so it didn't compact well.
For comparison: what happens if you keep the plant indoors without LED at all?
You guessed it—the plant stretched out dramatically. It neither grew fast nor developed those twists. Without LEDs, succulents simply won’t grow properly indoors, but even low-intensity LEDs can make a huge difference.
This one’s similar to the popular ‘Momotaro,’ so it’s representing ‘typical Echeveria.’ Also: I intentionally placed it just outside the main spotlight as a test for how spot vs. diffuse bulbs function.
This was almost too close to call, but I put DAISO on top for its “slender, elongated leaves.”
You could honestly swap these two—it comes down to preference. IKEA did great.
As predicted, the spotlights struggled here; both were obviously too dim at this distance. My pick goes to this one for showing a bit more red at the tips.
This one had more leaves but worse color. It lost points for being a less "Tapalpa"-ish (Momotaro-esque) character.
Not a common variety, but as an agavoides-type hybrid, its colors flare up with light-induced stress—a key comparison factor.
Here’s the so-called "super-stressed coloring" at its dazzling best—amazing with the AS 10W.
Not as intense as #1, but it shows healthy, balanced color and form—probably the most beautiful and even result, courtesy of IKEA.
DAISO’s was paler by comparison. IKEA’s sunset-hue seemed to work well for this hybrid.
Sorry. There’s plenty of stress color, but it just couldn’t keep up—growth stalled.
High-intensity light is pretty much a must for agaves. So, can "low light" pull it off?
Nothing made the Red Cat redder than the 16W. Yes, it's "excessive stress," and it grew slower... but it’s an agave! A titanota! You need this kind of "tough love" for serious agave culture ((lol)).
Not quite as intense, but the 10W grew a hefty, healthy plant. If you want more growth than form in a young pup, this might be the sweet spot.
Not quite enough oomph for agaves—it’s stretching and a bit leggy.
Same story here, but the stress color is stronger than in DAISO’s. (In a separate test, red spectrum lighting really enhances the claws! We'll cover agave/red-light combos another time...)
After featuring this "plump and juicy" Dodson in our recent Haworthia special, could any of these bulbs recreate that look?
The difference was obvious. Only IKEA produced the ideal, plump, jelly-like Dodson.
Brightness was similar, yet this plant wrinkled up. Odd, because at first it looked plumped up, too. The outcome’s so clearly dependent on "color" of the light, more research feels necessary.
Totally wrinkled. Haworthia seem sensitive to this brightness—it’s a bit much for them.
If 10W didn't work, 16W is even harsher. Barely recognizable as the same plant...
How best to tally up the scores? Adding up the placement points gives us this ranking...
Wait—what?!
Unbelievable—DAISO comes out as number one?! That DAISO bulb for just 330 yen?!
Looking back, DAISO consistently delivered "just right" results for Echeverias of all sorts—not too strong, not too weak. Echeverias, in fact, tend to grow best (with softer looks) when not blasted by intense light. That’s pretty much how they’re produced in big nurseries specialized in mass propagation, come to think of it.
IKEA, on the other hand, showed stronger stress coloring and made Haworthia plump up beautifully—really surprising! Their "red-tinted" light is something like a perpetual sunset. The reason why it leads to these differences is intriguing and still a mystery, but when the variation is this distinct, it’s clear the old wisdom that "grow LEDs must be daylight white" just doesn’t always hold up.
Still, with both DAISO and IKEA, the "absolute maximum brightness" is nowhere near spotlight-level. So for serious sun-lovers—like agaves, cacti, or other bright-light succulents—high-intensity lamps are still winning. Don’t forget: spotlights can always be raised to create lower-intensity zones, offering more flexibility.
This is called the “First” Championship for a reason: these are "provisional results." A few experiments didn’t go quite as planned, and, of course, the test was in a "special cardboard box" setting. Next time, I plan to try something more "real-world" (expect an update in about three months!).
And so, a brand new option has arrived!
For anyone thinking, "Plant grow LEDs are just too pricey for me"—
Run to DAISO! Right now!!
#...and, in classic PUKUBOOK COLLECTION fashion, we’re dropping this article right before the long-backordered LED bulbs are back in stock… Please check out the soon-to-return LEDs for yourself! (lol)
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