It's hard to imagine the small amount of artificial light would actually make a difference for your plants, or else periodic full moons would pose problems for plants in nature. If the leaves/branches within just one or two inches from the light itself behave differently from the rest of the plant, then I would assume the light made the difference - but if you're more than a few inches away it's something else.

A standard hard-contact photocell used on post lamps and other standard outdoor fixtures should face north, never into the sun. This is not because it will deteriorate the lens, but because it will cause the internal thermal relay to overheat and fail prematurely. This is a shortcoming of the unit's fairly simple design. You'll find this warning printed in the installation instructions. However, many or most of the photocells used in motion sensor lights are not of the same design, so this precaution may not apply to them. The only time I've used such a fixture I had it fixed to the west side of the house, and it worked reliably for several years. (Then I moved away, so I don't know what happened later.) LEDs as used in solar powered fixtures, and available for a price that mere mortals can afford, are great for path markers and indicators. They are satisfactory for illuminating small areas if low light output (tens of lumens) is acceptable. However, they have a considerable distance to go before they're really suited to providing really bright, useful general illumination, with good efficacy, at a reasonable price. Try again in 5 years or so. If you really need to light up the outdoors, I recommend a hard wired fluorescent wallpack light. Metal halide is great but AFAIK not really available in the homeowner's price range (if someone knows of an exception please post!). HPS is wondrously efficient, but the color rendering is dismal. Hope this helps!

X-posted in Electrical

I would, but I've just too much to do. I started a challenge a couple weeks ago where I'm going through room by room and getting rid of what we no longer need. This week is the pantry, though Monday I got pulled to the drink station cabinet because I found tea in the pantry and when I opened that cupboard, I realized it could use a little moving around of things. It's like dominoes. LOL. If I don't keep up with these things they get out of control, I live with three males, so I do these challenges on a somewhat regular basis. I am planning on turning Wednesdays into "Crafting/Sewing" so maybe next week.