To speed up the growth of seedlings at home, you can use special lamps to illuminate the seedlings. Such lamps are called phytolamps, because they have a specific spectrum of light that maximizes the effect on the plant.
Phytolamps are produced in the following types: energy-saving or luminescent, induction, sodium and the most modern - LED.
Plant illumination with phytolamp
How does lighting affect seedlings?
Backlighting for seedlings is necessary to ensure the stable development of plants, flowers, fruit bushes. Good illumination is an important condition for seed germination, the formation of leaves, stems, and ovaries. With an insufficient amount of sunlight, the photosynthetic apparatus of seedlings ceases to function, the growth of the root system and leaves slows down. The stems can begin to stretch, bend, curl. The immunity of plants is disturbed, the seedlings lose their quality characteristics, which further affects the yield, the size of the fruits.
Light spectrum of lamps Supplementary lighting lamps have different color spectra:
- Red;
- blue;
- Violet;
- yellow;
- green.
The presence of red spectrum lamps in the device increases the germination of seed material. With the further development of the bush, the shade of the spectrum contributes to the harmonious development of the variety, stable growth of the stem, branches and leaves.
Light spectrum most affecting plant growth The colors of the spectrum blue and violet help the formation of cells, increase the rate of their division. Shades of blue in the phyto-lighting device prevent the stems from stretching, the plant harmoniously forms the shape of the crown. The stems acquire the required density and thickness. The cold range contributes to the harmonious growth of ornamental plant varieties.
The shades of the spectrum, green and yellow, are intended to balance other colors in the agrolamp, because reduce the harmful effects of infrared, ultraviolet lamps.
When deciding which phytolamp is optimal for growing seedlings, it is important to take into account that it is not recommended to use 1 color of the spectrum. It is necessary to combine several tones for a complex effect on stems and leaves at different periods of development. The range of intensity of shades can vary depending on the type of plant, season.
When choosing a lamp for seedlings, it is important to determine the design and dimensions of the device, the backlight power, the efficiency, and the presence of a reflector.
1 lux = 1 lumen / 1 square meter
In the description of lamps, you can often find lumens and suites. People often confuse these units of measurement with each other. Lumens measure the amount of light emitted from a lamp. And in suites, they measure the degree of illumination of an object. In fact, everything is simple, for example, there is a lamp emitting 1000 lumens, if you place it above a table with an area of 1 square meter, at such a distance that all its light falls on the table, then the illumination of the table will be about 1000 lux.
https://youtu.be/D6CTieFfFAQ
Can incandescent bulbs be used?
Incandescent devices are not suitable as a lamp for illuminating seedlings; special devices for germinating and forming leaves and stems are suitable. Bushes, illuminated by standard lamps, will not be able to form, acquire immunity sufficient to move into open ground.
Incandescent lamps are also not recommended due to their uneconomical energy consumption. The luminous flux accounts for no more than 4.6%, thermal energy - about 95%. When using incandescent lamps, seedlings may be burned. The spectral characteristics of the devices also do not correspond to those recommended for seed germination, development of leaves and branches.
What types of phytolamps are there?
Manufacturers produce phytolamps for seedlings:
- luminescent;
- energy saving;
- induction;
- sodium;
- LED.
Energy saving or fluorescent lamps
Energy saving lamps are a type of fluorescent lamp. The devices are compact, have a high performance (at least 15000 hours), are equipped with a built-in choke and an E27 base, which is comfortable to install. The devices can operate for several seasons, are economical and safe to use. Ultraviolet lamps are placed at a distance of at least 15-30 cm from the seedlings.
Fluorescent Lamp Experts prefer to use standard fluorescent daylight lamps with a linear design in arranging a place for plants. The light output of energy-saving devices is less due to the twisted tube. Fluorescent devices are distinguished by their affordable cost, economical power consumption.
However, the devices produce light of the pink-lilac spectrum, which adversely affects vision; in the apartment, devices must be supplemented with a mirror screen. It is necessary to take into account a small amount of lamp working time (10,000 hours), a decrease in the glow intensity when most of the shelf life is reached. The devices are recommended for greenhouses and supplementary lighting of bushes for a period of up to 3-4 weeks.
Induction lamps
Induction lamps are used to illuminate plants. The devices are based on the principle of operation of luminescent devices, however, they differ in design solutions. The induction lamp has no electrodes inside. The induction lamp includes a tube with a phosphor deposition, an induction coil, a magnetic ring, and a current generator. The device has a long shelf life (60,000 hours). When operating 12 hours a day, the lamps can function for about 15-20 years. The decrease in light intensity in the device is insignificant (5%).
Induction lamp Devices are not damaged by voltage surges. The flask does not heat up during long-term operation, the devices can be placed next to the seedlings. The color rendition of the devices is similar to the natural solar one. Manufacturers produce models for greenhouse structures, universal use, for seed germination and the period of fruit ripening. Light, useful for plant growth, reaches more than 95%. The disadvantage of these devices is their high price.
Sodium lamps
Sodium lamp Sodium lamps are low-cost, economical in energy consumption, and emit warm colors. The devices are designed to operate for several seasons, and allow you to adjust the luminous flux for different types of plants. The devices produce even illumination and create conditions for stabilizing photosynthesis. The cost of lamps is high.
LED lamp
LED lamps for phyto-luminaires are distinguished by a long service life, the products are of high quality, economical in energy consumption. Round-the-clock illumination of plants is allowed, if necessary. The advantage of LEDs lies in the even light with a full spectrum of shades in the required proportion (multispectrum). Bicolor varieties are also produced.
LED lamp The devices are compact, ergonomic, easy to install and light in weight. A large number of devices can be placed in a limited area. Phyto-luminaires are distinguished by an increased service life, LEDs work for more than 50,000 hours. The luminous flux characteristics do not decrease over time. Lamps do not heat up, there is no risk of burning foliage, stems.
Popular turnkey solutions
For growing seedlings on the windowsill, you can buy ready-made solutions from manufacturers. In the list of the best lamps for seedlings phyto-lamps:
- "Sun";
- Alamak;
- "Khatisa";
- Wasat.
Reflax phyto-lamp "Sun"
The phyto-lamp "Solnyshko" is designed for illumination of flowers, seedlings; it is produced in several varieties with a power of 70-150 W. The sodium-type device is designed to illuminate agricultural crops. The device is compact, optimal for use in rooms. The device is mounted for growing bushes on a tabletop or by a window on an area of about 1.5-2 m².
The power can be varied for the type of crop grown. During operation, it is important to comply with the manufacturer's requirements and turn off the device no earlier than 5 minutes after connecting. When illuminated, seedlings acquire a rich green color, immunity for transplanting into open soil or a greenhouse. When flowers and fruit-bearing plants are grown, fruit ovaries and buds begin to form. The device is realized with an adjustable bracket for fixing to a table, shelves, windowsill.
Table phyto-lamp "Alamak"
The Alamak device is designed to illuminate seedlings in an apartment. The light radiation of the device contributes to the formation of a bush resistant to open ground conditions and greenhouses. The phytolamp design is compact, ergonomic, easy to install. The model is equipped with a bracket with adjustable height. The lamps in the device are LED, the power of the device reaches 540 lux.
The illumination of the device is full-spectrum, stimulating the process of plant photosynthesis. A power supply unit and an electric wire 1 m long are supplied with the device. The backlight power is regulated in the design. The permissible height of the device is 48 cm. The distance between the device and the leaves is limited by the manufacturer and amounts to 5-20 cm.
Led table lamp for plants "Hatisa"
Tabletop lighting device "Khatisa" is designed for indoor use. Stylish design allows you to place the device in office premises, study rooms to illuminate small greenhouses, flower beds. The device is equipped with LED lamps. The height of the structure can be varied (5-50 cm), the luminous flux of the device reaches 800 lux. The bicolor lamp works up to 100,000 hours. The kit includes an adapter and electric wires. The dimensions of the device are 50x15x10 cm.
Wasat LED window lamp for plants
The LED device "Wasat" is supplied with fasteners and is intended for installation on a windowsill, table-top. The device is economical in power consumption, compact, with high luminous efficiency. The body is made of aluminum alloys, equipped with 30W LEDs. The design can vary in length (80-120 cm), the width reaches 3 cm, the thickness is 3 cm. The bracket can be adjusted in 3 planes. The area of the illuminated space is 20-50 cm. The device is equipped with a power supply unit, a cable 1.2 m long.
How to highlight seedlings correctly?
When installing lights on a windowsill, it is important to follow the recommendations of device manufacturers and standard requirements for creating artificial lighting for seedlings:
- the direction of the light source should be from top to bottom, to match the sun's rays;
- phytolamp is located at a distance of 25-40 cm to the seedlings;
- for 1 m² of space, the optimal power of the device is at least 70 W;
- in winter, it is necessary to increase the illumination up to 4-5 hours using sodium or LED backlighting;
- when growing seedlings, you need round-the-clock illumination for up to 3-4 days, then the daylight hours are reduced to 14-16 hours;
- it is important to observe the schedule of day and night changes when supplementing plants;
- it is forbidden to install devices on tubs, trays for seedlings, because the arrangement will damage the even growth of the stems;
- an indicator of the distant placement of the lighting device are elongated stems, a dull shade of foliage, it is recommended to bring the device closer to 1/3;
- flowers need at least 14 hours of illumination per day;
- during periods of rainy, snowy winters, it is important to increase the time of plant illumination.
In accordance with the parameters of heat tolerance, plants are divided into the following groups:
- 1,000 - 3,000 lux is optimal for cultivars growing in partial shade, requiring illumination away from foliage. The group includes euphorbia, agave, calathea, ficus, dracaena.
- 3,000 - 4,000 lux are recommended for bushes developing under diffuse lighting. The power of the devices is suitable for seedlings of pepper, cactus, gardenia, camellia, begonias, palm and tea crops.
- 4000 - 6000 lux are suitable for varieties that develop in direct sunlight. The selection of crops includes legumes, pomegranate, hibiscus, gerbera, mimosa, chrysanthemum.
- 6000 - 12000 lux are optimal for exotic plants, bushes with fruits. Cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers. The list of crops recommended for illumination includes roses, eucalyptus, jasmine, cacti, citruses, olives.
Lighting is essential for plant life and growth. Without enough light, the seedlings turn pale and wither.
What kind of lighting should be, prices for various types of lamps and how to make a supplementary lighting device yourself from inexpensive materials and LED strip, we will tell you in this article.
Lighting for seedlings
The most popular plants grown as seedlings are tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and cabbage. Many decorative flowering annuals are also sown first in small containers and only after reaching a certain size are transplanted into open ground.
This need is associated with the discrepancy between climatic zones and the duration of the growing season of individual species, or the need to pick the main root to improve the development of the root system.
Seedling illumination with LEDs
There is a fairly significant difference between lighting for mature plants and seedlings. Seedlings capture light not only with chlorophyll for photosynthesis. Phytochrome and cryptochrome also absorb light and are responsible for the division, elongation and specialization of the cells of the future plant.
Light, its intensity, color temperature, spectrum and duration of illumination are very important for germinating seeds and growing viable seedlings. With a lack of light, the plants stretch out, become pale or turn yellow, their development slows down, the timing of flowering and fruiting is postponed.
In conditions when the seedlings are on the windowsill, passive illumination can be arranged for them. A reflective screen (white paper or cloth, foil on a substrate) is installed between the seedlings and the room. Light coming from the window bounces off the screen and illuminates the plants from the other side. But all these are half measures, since natural light is completely insufficient.
Backlighting with old incandescent lamps, despite the brightness, gave a very low result, since the plants need a certain spectrum, and the necessary blue and red remains in the total luminous flux much less. Incandescent bulbs get very hot, requiring additional ventilation and watering.
Artificial plant lighting options
For artificial lighting of plants (in particular, seedlings), the following types of lamps are recommended:
- Luminescent. The time-tested option is still used by most greenhouse farms. It is inferior in other types of lighting for seedlings.
- Metal halide. Economical, but they do not give enough light in the blue spectrum.
- Sodium. Quite an expensive type of lamp that requires the installation of additional control equipment. Luminescence predominantly in the orange and yellow spectra.
- LED. Of all types of artificial lighting, the future belongs to LED plant lamps. They deserve a separate listing of numerous advantages. For plants located on racks, it is convenient to use, for example, such as in.
Advantages
The advantages of supplementary lighting of seedlings are:
- Economical - they use 8 times less electricity than standard lamps.
- Durable - with heat dissipation, they can work up to 50,000 hours.
- Repaired - a LED that has stopped working can be easily replaced. Agree, this is much cheaper than buying a new lamp.
- Installation of LEDs of different power and spectrum allows you to get exactly the lighting that best suits the needs of a particular seedling at a particular time. If you need to change the spectrum, just replace one with another in the same lamp.
- Turns on instantly and gives an even glow without flicker.
- They heat up very little, which makes it possible to place them lower above the plants without the risk of causing burns on the leaf plate.
- Low voltage operation improves safety parameters.
- Environmentally friendly - do not contain harmful chemicals and do not need special conditions for disposal.
It can be assumed that the ever-increasing consumer interest will affect production volumes and prices will begin to fall.
Let's take a closer look.
Popular models
The choice of a specific model depends on where exactly the lighting will be installed, for which crops, at what distance from the tops of the plants.
Professional LED Plant Light 75W (10 Spectra)
Where phytolamps for LED seedlings can be used:
- in greenhouses and farms;
- in private homes;
- apartments;
- in summer cottages.
Depending on the types of shelving and the number of seedlings, LED lamps can be of different shapes:
- Trumpet - suitable for supplementary lighting of seedlings in narrow long rows, often used on windowsills.
- A tablet or phytopanel is the shape of a lamp in the form of a rather large square. This is a professional luminaire designed to illuminate wide shelving units.
- Single lamp - supplementary lighting in this form is used when growing a small amount of seedlings for personal needs.
- - illuminate from a greater distance and a larger area than single luminaires.
- LED strips - can be configured in any order. They are more often used for making phyto-lighting with their own hands.
When choosing a phytolamp, read the instructions carefully. A good manufacturer must indicate from what distance what area can be effectively illuminated by a specific phytolamp model. This information will be very useful when planning the number and power of purchased lamps.
Example: "Topaz", the parameters and the price of which are given in table 2, depending on the distance to the plants, gives the indicators indicated in table 1.
As you can see from the table, prices are not encouraging. This is the main reason that LED backlighting is not so popular despite its obvious benefits. But you can significantly reduce the cost of the lighting device if you make it yourself.
How to assemble an LED seedling light
The simplest version of LED phytolamps is made of LED strip.
Materials for work:
- A panel, the size and shape of which matches the area on which the seedlings will grow. You can use a lamp from a damaged fluorescent lamp.
- Aluminum profile.
- Red and blue LED strip with Velcro. Do not forget to correctly calculate the proportions of blue and red spectra recommended for your plants before buying. Most often it is 1 length of the blue spectrum for 8 lengths of red.
- Power supply or driver.
Diy phyto tape assembly diagram
When choosing between a driver and a simple power supply, keep in mind that the first not only transforms the standard 220 volts into the required 12 or 24 volts, but also stabilizes the voltage. Drivers are available for specific LED wattage.
Luminaire assembly consists of the following sequential steps:
- We clean and degrease the panel surface.
- We attach an aluminum profile to the panel - it is needed to dissipate heat and extend the life of the LEDs.
- We cut the tape into the required lengths. You need to cut it between the soldering - it is visible on the tape.
- We connect the segments with a connector or with a soldering iron.
- We remove the protective covering from the inside of the tape and glue it with slight pressure on the aluminum profile. Avoid kinking the tape too much to avoid damaging the tracks that power the diodes.
- We install the panel on a stand-legs that will hold the lamp above the seedlings at the required height.
- We place the power supply at the required distance from the outlet and connect it to the LED strip. It is important to observe the polarity.
- You can use it.
The price of an LED seedling lamp shouldn't force you to refuse such high-quality lighting. If you have hard-working hands, you can make a completely high-quality lamp with your own hands.
Video
This video will tell you how to make a DIY LED seedling lamp.
Purchased LED seedling lamps for seedlings are just not intended. They are suitable for greenhouses, conservatories and indoor plant lighting. The spectrum of their LEDs is dominated by red, which helps build up green mass. There is no need for seedlings to build up green mass, on the contrary - they need a strong root system.
There should be much more blue in the spectrum of LED lamps intended for supplementary lighting of seedlings.
The design of a budget LED seedling light was invented by a highly respected FORUMHOUSE user with nickname Lifted and has been successfully tested by many members of the forum.
- What do I make a budget LED lamp for seedlings;
- DIY budget LED lamp design;
- How to check the safety of a luminaire.
Budget lamp: number and ratio of LEDs
LEDs are the most non-budgetary component of this budget project, it is important to buy as many of them as you need. User FORUMHOUSE Lift, based on his experience, deduced the following formula:
Required number of LEDs = 50 LEDs of 1W x 1 sq. meter of seedlings.
So, in order to organize a full-fledged illumination of seedlings on a windowsill one and a half meters long and 30 cm wide, 25 LEDs are required (it is better to round up to 24).
These are the minimum requirements.
The less light the window gives, the more LEDs should be in the luminaire.
The ratio of red and blue LEDs depends on the seedling time. If all forecasts and signs indicate that the seedlings can be planted on time, the optimal ratio of red and blue is 2: 1. If you are not sure about the timing, then it is better to use more blue, up to 1: 1. Under such a lamp, seedlings will be able to wait for disembarkation without stretching or getting sick.
Ratio of red and blue
|
Dates of planting seedlings |
Red Blue |
The blue color delays the development of green mass and stimulates the development of roots.
Components of the structure
To make a budget LED lamp for seedlings, you will need:
- LEDs with a power of 1-3 watts, blue (440nm) and red (660nm);
The light wavelength given in parentheses indicates that the LED is designed specifically for plant illumination.
- Any aluminum profile;
- Insulated mounting section 0.2 -0.5 sq.mm;
- Thermal paste or hot melt glue;
- Power cord with plug;
- Source of power.
How to Make LED Light Cheap - Buy LEDs at a popular online auction. Drive "led 1W 660nm" into the search bar.
Luminaire frame construction
The location of the LEDs depends on the width of the surface on which the seedlings will stand. If this is a window sill less than 25 cm wide, they can be mounted on one ruler, if more - on two or even three.
Lift Participant FORUMHOUSE
The ruler is a piece of aluminum profile 100 mm shorter than the sill.
It is important to arrange the LEDs evenly, and given that each one emits a light cone with an angle of 70-120 degrees, so that the projections of these cones slightly overlap each other, as in this diagram by our user with the nickname Liftanuty.
The width of the profile is calculated based on the fact that for high-quality heat removal from one one-watt LED, 25 sq cm of surface is needed.
A symmetrical U-shaped symmetrical profile is best suited for LED strips. Along its edges, you need to make stops with a height of 1 mm.
In the frame, the ruler must be secured with screws or blind rivets.
LED installation
Blue and red LEDs are evenly spaced on the ruler, taking into account the ratio of colors (red, red, blue, etc.). Before mounting on the ruler, indicate where the LED of a certain color will be fixed.
You can mount LEDs in different ways:
- screws;
- self-tapping screws;
- rivets;
- heat-conducting glue.
For LEDs "on stars" in the ruler, two fastening holes should be drilled in the line.
It is ideal to use heat conductive adhesive from radio stores, it will be both fasteners and thermal spacers at the same time.
The "plus" of one "LED" is connected to the minus of the other by any radio-mounting wire from 0.2 sq. Mm. The work uses a soldering iron no more than 40W.
The LEDs have polarity markings, but there are inconsistencies that are detected by a multimeter in the "dial" mode.
Source of power
When choosing drivers, the creator of the luminaire strongly recommends that you be careful: if there is a choke with two windings instead of a transformer in the circuit, then using such a driver to make homemade lamps is life-threatening.
Drivers discharged from China must be checked for galvanic isolation by the phase indicator, pressing it in turn to the output terminals of the driver.
viktor50 FORUMHOUSE Member
If the indicator does not light up at any output, it means that the driver is with a transformer; galvanically isolated from the mains. If the indicator lights up, there is no decoupling and it is imperative that the sockets be turned on in the switchboard through an RCD (residual current device).
Experience of use
A FORUMHOUSE YurecV member assembled such a budget luminaire from Chinese LEDs and drivers, as well as an aluminum I-beam from a hardware store.
The luminaire has two rulers, each with 21 LEDs (10 blue and 32 red), the distance between them is 4.5 cm. The LEDs are attached to the I-beam with auto-sealant.
The lamp cost a thousand rubles (prices in 2016, but even then it was 4-6 times cheaper than buying a finished one) and a day of work: half a day for assembling the frame, marking and fixing the LEDs, and another half day for cutting, cleaning , tin and solder the wires. Between these processes, I had to wait a day until the sealant was completely dry.
LEDs on each line are connected in series, each line has its own driver. The whole structure consumes 32 watts.
The lamp heats up, but weakly: up to 41 degrees. It can be lowered closer to the plants without the risk of burning them.
In operation, the lamp has shown itself in the best way, even light-loving dill under it grows fluffy and spreading.
Summarizing
A DIY lamp made of LEDs for seedlings costs several times cheaper than a purchased one. But the main advantage, which cannot be bought for any money: the correct ratio of red and blue in the spectrum. Such a lamp will illuminate the seedlings evenly over its entire area. And strong, unstretched, healthy seedlings are the main condition for an excellent harvest.
On FORUMHOUSE you can learn more about how to make a budget one, read an article by a user with the nickname Liftanuty about the results of home experiments (and why they are better than phytolamps). The collective experience of the application portal can be explored. There is an article on the portal that summarizes successful manufacturing experience. Find out how to get. Watch a video on how to properly harden and feed adult seedlings.
Seedlings grown at home need additional lighting. Even on sills with a southern orientation, young plants do not receive enough light for normal development. To provide them with the desired length of daylight hours, a lamp with an ultraviolet spectrum is needed. Such bulbs are LED, halogen, induction, sodium. Their shape is also different - there are both ribbon and tubular spotlights.
Backlight requirements
Growing seedlings at home is a process that requires certain knowledge from the grower. Due to the insufficient duration of daylight hours, it is difficult to grow crops from seeds without additional supplementary lighting for healthy ones. But, additional light sources must meet certain requirements. Luminaires for supplementary lighting must have the following characteristics:
- The device should illuminate, and not heat up the air within the radius of its influence, as this leads to drying out and overheating of the soil.
- The light emitted by the bulb must be soft.
- The lamp should emit light in most of the blue or red spectrum.
- Radiation must affect the seedlings evenly, but not intensely.
Attention!
It is impossible to use standard incandescent bulbs for supplementary lighting of vegetation - they emit a lot of heat, which provokes overheating of the sprouts. About 95% of the energy they consume is converted into heat.
Lamps for supplementary lighting
The artificial light produced by bulbs cannot completely imitate the sun's rays, but it is able to provide the necessary conditions for the accelerated development of any seedlings. With the help of such lamps, you can grow plants all year round, even in conditions where it was previously impossible (polar night, rooms without windows, etc.). But, not all light sources can provide such an effect.
Light bulbs illuminating plants are required to provide seedlings with a certain spectrum of radiation. It leads to the activation of the development and growth of seedlings in those conditions that are not suitable for them. At the same time, germinated plants, subject to a correctly selected spectrum of light bulbs for supplementary lighting, are able to quickly reach parameters sufficient for transplanting into the ground.
Sodium
Gas-charging sources, the main consumers of such agrolamps for vegetation are greenhouse farms of various sizes. But for home use, there are low-power sources - up to 100 watts. For the most part, sodium lamps are represented by Russian Reflax products, although there are OSRAM, Philips or General Electric, but the products of these manufacturers are more expensive. Reflax lamps have the following advantages:
- increased efficiency of supplementary lighting;
- profitability;
- long-term operation;
- large size of lamps.
To illuminate a classic apartment window sill, a DNaZ 70 W lamp is sufficient. If we take sodium agrolight bulbs for HPS plants of the same power, then they do not have a reflector and they are located at the rate of 1 light source per 1 m.To obtain the most natural spectrum, it is necessary to combine DNaZ, DRiZ and HNaT, since the blue spectrum in separate devices is not enough.
Phytoluminescent
There are many fluorescent lamps suitable for illuminating seedlings. The most famous - Fluora from Osram, which power is 18 W - they are distributed in 1 piece. for 1 m. There are also Russian light bulbs of 30 W - LFU-30. They are also used one per 1 m of the apartment window sill. But, the main disadvantage of phytoluminescent lamps is the unnatural light of pinkish-lilac color.
On a note!
Such lamps are used only in conjunction with a reflector or screen that separates the room from the illuminated area.
Luminescent
Such household bulbs with a white glow can be used for supplementary lighting of seedlings. But, they have 2 drawbacks - low power and lack of red spectrum. To obtain an acceptable luminous flux, there must be a distance of 15-35 cm from the lamp to the seedling container, and a pair of fluorescent bulbs with a power of 40 W or more is needed for 1 m of the window sill.
LED
One of the best species for seedlings. The combination of red, white and blue LEDs allows for maximum efficiency. At the same time, LED bulbs have increased efficiency, long-term operation, and the spectrum can be quite simply adjusted by adjusting the lighting to the current needs of plants. Before picking, you can focus on the blue and red LEDs, and then lower the light intensity. The main disadvantage of LED is the high price of ready-made LED systems.
Induction
Such lamps have appeared on the market recently. Induction light sources are bispectral, they emit at once 2 spectra demanded by seedlings. Induction lamps are economical and efficient, they have a universal spectrum, and the operating temperature is no more than 75˚ C. But, the price of such ready-made systems is higher than that of LED ones, and therefore they are rarely bought for supplemental lighting of plants.
Selection and application of phyto-lamps
Before choosing a specific agrolamp model, they pay attention to efficiency and power. In this case, other parameters are taken into account - the operating temperature of the device and its spectrum. At each stage of development, seedlings need a predominance of a certain part of the spectrum, for example - at the first time after planting, blue light is needed, to which red is gradually added. Also, different crops need their own approach to growing and a certain length of daylight hours.
Reflectors, reflectors and light screens help reduce energy costs. Therefore, when they are not included in the factory complete set of the lamp, they must be purchased separately or made by yourself. If burns occur on the foliage of plants, then the position of the light source is adjusted, moving it away. They also correct the position when the seedlings turn pale or stretch by bringing the lamp closer. If the stems stretch to the side, then adjust the position of the source so as to eliminate the excess of side light.
So far, none of the artificial light sources can completely replace the sun's rays. But, phyto-lamps for additional illumination of grown seedlings can reduce the time for the development of young plants and accelerate the time of their planting in open ground. At the same time, the quality of seedlings when using agrolamps is increased, and the percentage of culled seedlings drops sharply.
Reading time: 6 minutes
A Russian gardener cannot do without seedlings. The climate in most regions is such that it is unlikely that you can grow heat-loving crops in the ground.
The only way to wait for ripe fruits or lush flowering is to grow seedlings at home. This is not an easy occupation: you need to learn new technologies, experiment with new varieties, accumulate your own experience.
Why do you need additional lighting?
By sowing seeds in winter, summer residents, in fact, are going against nature, expecting that the plants will be strong by the time they are planted in a greenhouse or in the ground.
On short winter days, you won't be able to grow healthy seedlings without additional lighting.
It is not difficult to learn how to create a comfortable temperature in the room, what the rules for watering should be, but things do not always go well with. And although in March-April the sun becomes more generous, daylight hours increase, for southerner plants a night lasting 13-14 hours is against their nature.
Light promotes the process of photosynthesis, its deficiency will lead to disease. This means that you need to use additional light sources during the early growing period. The effect will be striking:
- daylight hours will last;
- each sprout will receive light, which will prevent them from stretching;
- young plants will consistently develop to mature crops.
Home lighting methods
Each person who has been growing seedlings for a long time has his own preferences. There are two main ways of organizing additional lighting: on a windowsill without lamps and using various types of lamps.
On the windowsill without the use of lamps
To use this method, you need a low cardboard box with the top and one side removed. The walls are wrapped in foil. The structure is installed behind the seedlings. The sun's rays, penetrating through the window glass, are reflected from the foil onto the plants and illuminate them from all directions.
Healthy tomatoes grown on a windowsill
This cost-effective method can be used by almost everyone. However, it has a serious drawback: on cloudy days, the seedlings will not have enough light., foil will not be able to compensate for this deficit. There is only one way out - to use lamps.
Advice. If there is a street lamp opposite the window, on the windowsill of which there are seedlings, it is necessary to close the window with foil at night. Otherwise, the plants will be disoriented by the presence of light at unnecessary times. In the daytime, the foil must be removed without turning off the lamp.
When do you need additional lighting?
There is an opinion that the need for enhanced light arises when 2-3 true leaves appear, and before that, natural light is enough for the sprouts. This is not true. According to agronomists, emerging seedlings need more regular lighting than mature plants.
For peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, daylight hours should last 8-12 hours a day. Green crops need 8-10 hours, tough-growing crops (for example, celery) need 12-16 hours.
No need to place plants in dark places
If it is fine days, additional illumination will be required only in the morning and in the evening; in cloudy weather, maximum illumination is needed. Regardless of the type of lighting, the best place for seedlings is south windows.
Important! Artificial light will not fully replace sunlight, so on fine days, shoots should be taken out onto the balcony.
How to place lighting fixtures?
It is possible that some mistakes were made initially when placing the devices. It's never too late to fix them. It is necessary to change the arrangement in such cases:
- Plant leaves are covered with burn marks. This means that the nearest lamp is too close.
- The leaves of the seedlings turn pale and the stems stretch out. The reason is that the light source is far away.
- If side lighting is used, the stems may bend towards the lamp. Move the luminaire up.
What lamp should be used to illuminate seedlings at home?
Choose your seedling lighting carefully
It is advisable to choose lamps for supplementary lighting of young plants, taking into account several requirements:
- For plantings to grow well, you need a specific color spectrum. The most suitable are devices that give off red or blue rays. Under the influence of red-orange light, seeds germinate faster, vegetation and flowering are activated. The result of additional illumination with violet-blue rays is an increase in cell growth and the appearance of short, strong shoots.
- It should be borne in mind that the purpose of the selected lamp is to give the right amount of light, but not overdry or overheat the air.
- The beams of the device should be soft, not irritating to seedlings.
- Lighting should be uniform, covering the farthest seedlings.
A big plus, if a reflector is present in the selected device, this will save the summer resident from having to tinker with it himself.
Luminescent
These are representatives of popular fluorescent lamps. They attract summer residents with very democratic prices. Install, remove, change them can be a person without special skills. Another advantage - they do not heat the surrounding air.
Disadvantages: low power, which means that you will have to buy several such devices even for a small windowsill, which is fraught with decent electricity costs.
To make up for the missing light, you need to use several fluorescent lights
In addition, there is not enough red in the emitted spectrum, because of this, the lamps will have to be placed 20-25 cm from the plantings and everything around should be covered with foil in order to save photons of red light.
Metal halide
This type of lamps is a good substitute for the spring sun for seedlings. They give off not only light with a predominant content of the blue part of the spectrum, but also ultraviolet light, which helps the growth and strengthening of young plants. When installing, the rule should be observed: the more power, the higher the lamp is installed. This will keep the soil from overheating and drying out.
Such a device is not cheap, but the price is offset by a long service life. When choosing, it should be borne in mind that the device is suitable for illuminating seedlings only at an early stage of development, with the onset of the flowering and fruiting period, it is turned off. Another significant drawback is that some models can explode if water gets on them.
LED
Their advantages:
- the lamp does not glow, so it is possible to place it at a short distance from the plants;
- the illumination spectrum of the device is made up of blue and red LED bulbs, this works in the best way when growing;
- lack of infrared radiation;
- the devices are safe: even if splashed with water, no breakdowns and temperature changes will occur.
There is only one drawback: high cost, not every summer resident can afford them.
On a note. will not allow the plants to dry out and overheat. Excessive thermal moisture will not appear - the cause of fungal diseases.
Phytolamps
This type of LED lamp is popular with gardeners and gardeners. They are prized for several qualities:
- economical consumption of electricity;
- low heat transfer, which does not affect the temperature regime;
- environmental friendliness: they do not emit harmful ultraviolet radiation;
- optimal ratio of red and blue spectrum.
This kind of lighting is perfect for young plants.
The disadvantages include their high cost. However, due to long operation, electricity savings and high yields, the cost of lamps quickly pays off.
Sodium
Pros of this series:
- Low price. There are more expensive models, which have built-in convenient mirror reflectors that direct the light beam in any direction;
- Regulates the content of the desired spectra in the luminous flux;
- The radiation from these lamps is warm, yellow-orange, safe for humans;
- Long lasting.
Flaws:
- Bulky due to large flasks, not suitable for all window sills;
- Difficult to install. To connect them, you will need a choke and pulse-incendiary devices;
- Waste electricity consumption.
Important! For supplementary lighting of plants, ordinary incandescent lamps are not suitable. They have an insufficient radiation spectrum, therefore, even at high power, they will not give the required amount of light. In addition, these lamps tend to get very hot, the sprouts can burn out.
How is it correct?
In order for additional coverage of young cultures to bring the expected result, you need to adhere to several rules.
- Do not install light sources close to bushes so as not to overheat them. The recommended height is one and a half meters. If the device emits cold light, the distance can be reduced to half a meter.
- Seedlings located in dense groups are best illuminated with compact fluorescent lamps; on shelves and window sills - compact but powerful devices.
- To determine the required distance between the seedlings and the lamp, you need to extend your hand under the incident light: if the heat is felt well, it is better to fix the device higher.
- To understand whether enough lighting devices are installed, you should turn on another one: if the light has increased, then additional lighting is needed.
Useful video
We offer you to watch an informative video about the subtleties and nuances of supplementary lighting of seedlings:
Thus, in order for additional lighting of seedlings to give the desired result, it is necessary to fulfill all conditions - from choosing a place for plants to placing correctly selected light sources.