November 26, 2021
Starting seeds indoors is a great way to fill beds affordably and get a jump-start on the growing season. Seed suppliers offer an almost limitless number of flower and vegetable varieties, and starting the seeds indoors will give you more control over variables like temperature, humidity, and soil moisture. This is a project that almost anyone can tackle, as long as they have the right materials, a little knowledge, and a whole lot of light.
Even the brightest windowsill generally will not provide enough light for seedlings to grow strong and healthy. Window glass blocks a surprising amount of light, and the farther plants are from the glass, the less light they get. Fortunately, setting up a simple seed-starting light system with affordable fluorescent or LED fixtures is not difficult.
Plants require a full spectrum of light, like natural sunlight, for photosynthesis and blooming. The optimal spectrum for a plant’s photosynthetic needs is between 400 nm (blue) and 700 nm (red) of wavelength, a region called Photosynthetic Active Radiation (PAR).
Plants need blue light for vegetative growth, red light for budding and blooming, as well as other wavelengths of light in-between such as green light.
Too much red or deficiency in blue light would result in hyper-extended petioles and slowed growth. Too much blue light would result in plants with bleached or discoloured leaves.
Choosing a light source is an important decision for indoor growers.
There are three big types of lighting that you have to choose from:
LED (HortiPower)
High-pressure sodium (HPS or HID)
Fluorescent
LED grow lights offer many more possibilities with regards to the spectral mix of the fixture to improve crop growth and grow all year round. Other lighting technologies like high-pressure sodium, metal halide, and fluorescent have a fixed spectrum. LEDs themselves also have a fixed spectrum, but they can be tailor-made.
A LED grow light provides a more balanced growth spectrum with a lot more blue and red light compared to an HPS fixture. Plants generally do well under grow lights and can grow much stronger with better color, better roots, and generally healthier. HPS lights waste electricity by providing a light output that isn’t as effective for plant growth. This is because they are primarily made to help people see (light) instead of helping plants to grow. Moreover, HPS fixtures have an infrared spike which adds a large heat load and can cause plants to grow thin.
Fluorescent lighting provides a relatively good amount of blue for crop growth. However, it is lacking in the red region which is also very important for photosynthesis.
HID and fluorescent lighting also contain mercury. When the light breaks it can release vapour that can be inhaled. Therefore it is considered hazardous waste. LEDs do not contain any mercury.
You can use growth lights to grow microgreens such as cress; herbs such as mint, basil; leafy greens such as baby spinach, lettuce, kale; berries such as strawberries, blueberries; propagate fruiting vegetables such as cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, and more. The exact type of grow light and the quantity you’ll need depends on your crop and where you’ll grow.
Generally, it is recommended to use grow lights indoors in a dry environment. If you have some windowsill where you can put grow lights or a shelf with grow lights that would work well. A garden greenhouse would work great as well especially if you’re growing light-loving crops such as tomatoes. Typically in the garden greenhouse, you’ll need a high intensity to grow light. A grow tent is also a great environment to grow without any natural daylight.
ECO Farm ECO-GX Series 330W LED Grow Light Bar
Features:
This ECO Farm LED grow light is designed to replace traditional greenhouse Lighting, this LED grow lights deliver superior growing results using less electricity than traditional horticulture Lighting and operate cooler than HPS lamps to guard against leaf burn.This energy-efficient LED grow light fixture emits more light in the useful 450Nm blue and 660 NM red spectrum than regular White light; Blue light promotes tall leafy plants, vegetative growth and the red light encourages budding, flowering, and fruiting. This grow light is equipped with Osram chips , high efficacy of 2.7μmol/J increase your yield 50% compare with other old led grow lights, uniform PAR value at average 891umol/m²/s. This LED grow lights are ideal for greenhouse, horticulture, hydroponic or aquaponics planting and indoor gardening; The lights emit more blue spectrum wavelengths and Color for the appropriate photosynthetic response.
California Lightworks GH Pro 340 LED Grow Light
Features:
The California Lightworks LED grow light is designed with greenhouse operations in mind. This light offers spectrum variability, wireless control, and photosensors to automatically balance output with natural light. California Lightworks uses only the highest quality LEDs from Osram. The light features a slim profile to prevent shadows and ensure an even spread across the canopy. This supplemental greenhouse light draws a maximum of 340 watts. To add to the safe and efficient function of these lights, the grow light has a passive cooling system with no fans. The GH Pro 340 has an IP rating of 65. The GH Pro 340 Supplemental Greenhouse LED grow lighting provides that same versatility. You can manage the light spectrum to control your crop’s development and accelerate the grow cycle. Even better, the GH Pro 340 offers this functionality wirelessly.
Determine the area you need to cover with Led grow lights
When you choose the Led grow light system for your indoor garden, you must first determine the size of the garden and choose a light system that will be efficient for that size. A system too small will not help the plants to grow as they should and a system too big will overwhelm the plants with its light, so you must choose one that is suitable for the area of the garden. You can choose a Led grow light panel that you can hang from the ceiling, or Led straps that you can attach on a wooden board as you want to.
Choose the type of light you need
There are several types of Led grow lights that emit different kinds of light for different stages of the growth process. The blue light, or the cool light, is good for the plants as it encourages bushy growth, while the red light is located at the opposite end of the light spectrum and is great for the blooming stage because it releases a hormone response that creates blooms. The reddish or orange light created by some Led grow lights usually produce heat, but some lights can also create a full spectrum of light without emitting any heat.
Combine the spectrum of light
The incandescent lights should be placed at least 24” from the plant in order to produce beneficial light because these lights tend to get very hot and should be handled with care. These types of lights are easy to install given that they come with a clip handle that allows you to place them where you need to, they usually last less than 1000 hours and are good for a specific plant or a small grouping of plants. The fluorescent grow lights are the most popular choice because they are energy efficient, easy to install, long-lasting up to 20.000 hours and produce blue light that is cool to touch and allows you to place them a few inches from the plants.
Don’t let the small price fool you
Although it may sound tempting to buy a Led grow lights system that costs less than others, you will shortly see that it will be less effective and it will require more electricity, thus the overall costs will be higher. A more expensive Led grow light system will turn out to be more energy efficient and it will give a better yield in boosting the growth of your indoor garden. Nevertheless, this doesn’t apply to all products so read some reviews in order to be certain that you are making the right choice.
Keeping plants healthy outside is already hard — now imagine if you have to do it indoors. A great set of grow lights can make a difference — they can easily help you ensure that your plants are well-nourished and growing in a healthy way.
Grow lights are easy to use, low-maintenance, and effective. Adding the right indoor lighting for plants can make your plants look as if they’re really receiving light directly from the sun! You won’t even see the difference.
October 20, 2023