It is very important to choose the right bulbs for growing indoor, greenhouse and aquarium plants. If you make a mistake in choosing, further consequences can be disappointing: seedlings (or algae) may simply not have enough light, which can stop their growth or more. serious problems- too bright lighting and heat release will burn the leaves, which will lead to the death of the plant world. In order to avoid various kinds of troubles, you need to know which lamps for plants are better to choose, buy and use in the future. Next, we will provide to your attention a comparison of all the most popular types: from incandescent bulbs to LEDs.
Overview of existing light bulbs
To make the information easier to perceive, we will simultaneously list all existing types lamps that are best suited for lighting and growing plants, and we’ll immediately talk about how rational it is to use each option.
So, today, to illuminate the plant world in the house, you can choose and use such light sources as:
- . The cheapest and not recommended option for many reasons: have short term service, low light output (up to 17 lm / W) and significant heat generation. As a result, seedlings or indoor flowers in a pot will not receive required amount light, as a result of which this will negatively affect the growth rate and, accordingly, the correctness of cultivation. In addition, a light bulb that is too powerful can burn the leaves if placed next to the plant. Bottom line - this option should never be used at home, because. it is best to choose more modern and efficient types of lamps, which we will discuss below.
- Fluorescent (energy saving) lamps. This option is much more appropriate to choose and use to illuminate vegetation in the house, greenhouse and directly in the aquarium. Energy-saving lights have many advantages, such as high light output, low heat generation, and cost-effectiveness, making them a good option for lighting indoor and aquarium plants. In addition, there are special fluorescent fitolamps that are designed only for growing seedlings and flowers.
- LED light bulbs. LEDs are the youngest type of light bulbs, which in a short period of time has managed to gain high interest in various fields of application. LED bulbs are better for plants due to what they consume minimal amount electricity, they practically do not emit heat and, moreover, they can have a different spectrum of light radiation, which allows you to choose the right LED bulbs for your own type of plants in the house.
- Gas-charging (sodium, mercury, metal halide). On this version of lighting products, you need to dwell in more detail, because. Not all gas charging lamps are suitable for growing plants. Of all the options listed, mercury lamps are the worst for plant growth in the home, greenhouse and aquarium. This is due to the fact that they have a luminous flux almost 2 times less than sodium and metal halide light sources. In addition, the light spectrum of mercury products is not quite suitable for the development and further growth of seedlings, flowers, algae. As for sodium lamps - they shine brightly in yellow-orange, which is very much in line with natural sunlight. Review of experts - it is better to choose and use mercury bulbs for growing flower plants. Well, the last option - metal halide lamps are the most expensive, but at the same time the most suitable light sources for those representatives of the "green world" who prefer vegetative growth rather than flowering.
So we told you which lamps are suitable for lighting and growing indoor plants. We draw your attention to the fact that for the home the most best options in terms of price and efficiency, there will be CFL fluorescent lamps that have a light output of 80 to 100 lm/W. If you can afford to spend a little more, it is better to choose LED grow lights, which are still superior to the sodium bulbs previously used in greenhouses and greenhouses!
You can learn more about which light bulbs are best suited for growing seedlings (for example, tomatoes) or flowers in the video examples:
How to arrange lighting?
You have familiarized yourself with what lamps for growing plants are, and you probably already know which version of light sources to choose for your own conditions. Now we will briefly tell you about how best to organize the backlight so as not to harm flora in the House. 
The first thing to consider is the height from the fixtures to the leaves. Minimum distance should be 15 cm if the plant is light-loving and 55 cm if shade-tolerant. In addition, the light should fall on flower pots or seedlings (or aquarium flora) strictly at a right angle. Otherwise, the plants will reach for the light and take on an ugly shape.
Secondly, each specific type of representative of the flora requires its own specific light spectrum. Some flowers need the blue spectrum, some the red spectrum. You should first ask florists or read on the Internet about the requirements for growing your favorite plant, and then choose the right lamps.
Third - if for some reason you did not find a light bulb with suitable characteristics light output and spectrum, you can organize combined lighting, for example, lamps daylight simultaneously with phytolamps, etc.
I do not like( 0 )Each of us in the house has indoor plants that help add a piece of comfort to our interior.
Available for sale today whole line variety of living plants. They differ in their shape and size. Each type provides for certain conditions of detention.
Some need a large amount of light, others, on the contrary, the minimum.
Insufficient lighting can lead to premature death of a cultural species. Alternative solution this problem, there will be additional lighting for indoor flowers.
It should be noted that the lighting process should not be too intense. Here it is important to consider its normal supply.
The main signs of insufficient lighting
With insufficient sunlight, the plant quickly begins to change its appearance. The leaves acquire a less saturated color, and sometimes they simply begin to crumble. In some cases, the appearance of round spots on the surface of the sheet plate is not excluded.
The flower grows noticeably in height. The stem becomes thin and lifeless.
If one of these symptoms is found, it is necessary to change its location on the window opening.
To quickly restore the plant, you can install an additional light source. How to arrange lighting for indoor plants? Everything is quite simple.
For this you will need:
- LED Strip Light;
- table or stationary lamp designed for indoor plants.
To normalize the life process of plants, there are special varieties lamp lighting.
For each type, it is necessary to select the appropriate intensity artificial radiation. The photo of indoor flower illumination shows a variety of designs.
Tropical species need more powerful devices. As for indoor violets and orchids, then a small stream of lighting is enough for them. In such devices, there are several simulation modes. solar radiation.
How to choose?
The main thing in this matter is to choose the most appropriate intensity of light rays for most species.
In specialized departments, represented huge selection LED strip with variable light beams. Here the maximum imitation of solar radiation is created. The operation of such a lamp can take quite a long period of time.
In the event of a malfunction of such a backlight, an inoperative element can be easily replaced. This applies to both the whole segment and its individual parts. The LED strip is firmly fixed on any surface.
Fluorescent lamps have been developed to save electrical energy. They have minimal weight and simple design.
An incandescent lamp is also suitable for lighting indoor flowers. The only drawback of such a device is its excessive power consumption.
by the most budget option there is still an LED strip or table lamp with energy saving light bulb. These types of designs are able to maintain the optimal supply of light in the dark.
Installation
In the process of creating an artificial light source, you need to think about its location. Incorrect supply of light rays can cause serious problems for a houseplant.
At the time of fixing or installing the device, it is recommended to take into account the maximum distance from the pot to the lamp. In this case, you can stick to 30 cm.
If burns or light spots begin to appear on the surface of the leaves, then it is necessary to increase the light distance. Uniform dispersion, helps indoor flowers maintain a beautiful appearance.
Photo lighting for indoor flowers
The issue of landscaping an apartment is not difficult in itself. There are more than 1000 types of indoor plants that are on sale. On this occasion, many books, articles in magazines, instructions, etc. have been published. But almost all of them consider finding indoor plants when natural light, even if it is in partial shade.
Why do plants need good lighting?
Lighting is required for plants for photosynthesis, after which special substances appear that are for them energy and base material. First of all, the formation of this substance will depend on the volume and quality of the light energy that the leaves absorb. But chlorophyll, which directly transforms the light flux into organic compounds, has pronounced absorption maxima in the blue and red ranges of the spectrum. At the same time, it rather weakly absorbs the yellow and orange spectrum and does not absorb infrared and green rays at all.
In addition to chlorophyll, pigments such as carotenoids take part in light absorption. As a rule, they are invisible in the leaves due to the presence of chlorophyll, but in autumn time when it breaks down, carotenoids give the foliage an orange and yellow. In the process of photosynthesis, they are of no small importance, as they absorb light rays in the blue and violet spectrum, these colors prevail on cloudy days.
What does a houseplant need?
The need of plants for lighting largely depends on the temperature in the room, the warmer the room, the more light the plant needs. Thus, plants in winter time it is worst in a poorly heated and poorly illuminated room.
Light mode. The duration of daylight hours plays an important role in the life of any plants. For equatorial flowers, who are accustomed to almost constant natural light at 12 o'clock, our geographical location will most likely not like our geographical location, when the minimum daylight hours last until 7 o'clock, and the maximum is more than 15 o'clock.
Illumination and artificial lighting for plants
First, let's determine when plant lighting required:
- During the maintenance of plants in winter and autumn at a temperature of more than 22C in regions with very short daylight hours.
- When keeping plants on window sills with direct sunlight less than 3.5 hours.
- During the maintenance of plant seedlings in winter and autumn in regions where cloudy weather prevails.
In other cases, the installation of additional lighting is simply not justified and, to some extent, will be a waste of money and effort.
During supplementary lighting of plants, it is necessary take into account such factors:
Artificial lighting for indoor plants
It is forbidden to use classic incandescent lamps alone: in their spectrum there is no violet and of blue color, and infrared irradiation creates stretching of flowers, their strong heating, drying of leaves and waste of electricity.
Such special incandescent bulbs in neodymium bulbs advertised today do not show significant improvement. These include Paulmann Phyto-lamps, OSRAM lamps, etc. Despite their high illumination due to reflective coating and small angle light, their spectral indices practically do not differ from simple incandescent lamps.
A slightly better effect can be achieved while using halogen bulbs. But, despite the more positive composition of the spectrum and increased light output, this type of lamp is hardly optimal, since the filament creates a large release of thermal energy.
You can maintain an attractive appearance of flowers and grow seedlings with the help of lighting. white fluorescent lamps, they create cold light (their spectrum is as close as possible to the solar spectrum). Since these lamps are not very powerful, several of them are installed simultaneously in special reflectors that enhance the flow of light and do not allow flickering lighting to enter the room.
As a rule, their shortcomings come down to an increased diffuseness of the light flux (sufficient light requires many lamps) and the quality of the generated lighting. Fluorescent lamps have a lot of blue in their spectrum, so they need to be installed only in combination with the rest.
The purpose of fluorescent lamps is to illuminate the shelves with flowers, to illuminate the plants on the window. It is almost impossible to fully grow flowers that are very demanding on lighting under fluorescent bulbs.
Phyto-luminescent lamps in the form of tubes are actually efficient in the process of photosynthesis, economical, create a uniform light on the surface and heat up slightly during operation, this makes it possible to install them close to the flowers. But their pinkish backlight is unnatural for people, irritates the mucous membranes and significantly changes the visual perception of the decorativeness of flowers.
Phyto-lamps with several peaks of light emission in the blue and red spectrum, specially made for flowers, they are also great for young shoots and growing seedlings. You can choose phytolamps with more natural lighting, but the efficiency of these lamps is slightly lower, due to radiation in the unused spectrum by plants - green, which, at the same time, can be compensated by adding powerful lamps.
sodium, metal halide and mercury lamps- these are the so-called gas-discharge light bulbs high blood pressure. Their main purpose is to create a powerful luminous flux. So, they are best suited for illuminating greenhouses, winter gardens, large-sized single flowers, plants that are very demanding on light. They talk about the possibility of installing these lamps in apartments with caution - such lamps are quite expensive, use a large amount of electricity and heat up significantly, many operate in the ultraviolet spectrum, which is dangerous for vision.
Height and installation options for lamps above indoor flowers
The best location of the lamps is achieved with the condition that the lighting will fall on the flowers from above.
Very high standing lamps in order to illuminate the maximum number of plants, as a result, nothing is highlighted, since the illumination decreases in proportion to the distance, for example, by setting the lighting height from 25 cm to a meter, the illumination will decrease by 30 times. Optimal height for light-loving colors, the position of the lamp (fluorescent) is approximately 17-22 cm.
Most economical option- make the direction of the light flow perpendicular to the plant, that is, install the lamp directly above the flowers, and equip the light source with a reflector. You can buy ready-made reflectors in aquarium stores. With the help of a reflector, you can remove the feeling of discomfort if the light falls into the eyes, but the most important thing is to direct almost without loss the main part of the lighting flow, which is often wasted. Phyto-lamps have a full-fledged spectrum of rays required only by colors and therefore create light that irritates human vision. It is for this reason that phyto-lamps especially need reflectors.
It is advisable to hang a light bulb over the flowers: when illuminated from the side, the plants grow, stretching towards the light source. If the flowers are illuminated only by artificial lighting, then the lamps need to work at least 12 hours daily. If artificial light is used as an additional one, for example, in winter, then 4-6 hours are enough.
It is best to make the height of the lamps adjustable, so that if burns are found on the flowers, you can change the height of the lamps. Tall stems and a pale color indicate that the light source is located quite high. The smallest distance of a flower to an incandescent bulb is 35cm, to a fluorescent bulb 7cm, and a sodium bulb is half a meter.
How to calculate the number of fluorescent lamps?
Backlight power calculation and the choice of the type of light bulbs will completely depend on the need for indoor flowers in lighting. All flowers according to the degree of need for illumination can be divided into:
- shade-tolerant;
- loving moderate illumination - tropical plants;
- light-loving - plants whose birthplace is large sunny spaces.
Lighting power must be selected in proportion: per 1 dm. sq. flower area should be:
- more than 2.5 W for light-loving;
- 1.5-2.5 W - for those who love moderate illumination;
- 0.50-1.5 W - for shade-tolerant.
According to the degree of illumination, 1 watt of power of a fluorescent bulb creates 70 lm, an incandescent bulb - 4 times less. Given this value, you can calculate the number and power of light bulbs for flowers. For example, the size of the window sill where the plants are located is 100 dm. sq. Thus, the following total lamp power will be needed:
- 2.5W x 100dm. sq. = 250W.
This area will require approximately 2-3 light bulbs with a power of 70 W. It must be said that this calculation is approximate and is considered only a guideline in choosing their number. It is desirable to use powerful and oblong lamps, as they have a high light output. In other words, two 34W lamps are better than four 17W lamps.
Summing up, it must be said that the duration of artificial lighting will depend directly on natural lighting. As a rule, this is a couple of hours in the morning and a few at night. That is, the lamps will be on in the morning, until the time when you need to go to work, and in the evening until the time before bedtime.
But, in general, this time must be about 5-7 hours. In cloudy weather up to 10 hours. If the day is sunny, 4 hours is enough. In addition, it is proved that the backlight does not show positive effect when it is irregular, because by turning on the lamps only “when you remember”, you will only harm indoor flowers, knocking down their biorhythms.
The life of indoor plants depends not only on proper care and irrigation, but also to a large extent from proper lighting. But if there is plenty of light in the summer, then what to do in the autumn winter period when the sky is overcast and daylight hours are incredibly short.
Plants need light to carry out the process of photosynthesis, due to which substances are formed in the plant body that serve it. building material. Naturally, the different types plants, the process of photosynthesis proceeds in different ways, which is why they need different amount Sveta. Generally speaking, all ornamental flowering plants need more light than decorative foliage. Light-demanding plants include all types of plants from hot countries that are accustomed to a large number light throughout the year.
In addition, plants should be distinguished not only by how much light they need, but also how bright it should be. Some plants prefer direct sunlight, others prefer soft diffused light, and still others like partial shade. The minimum recommended illumination at which plants normally absorb carbon dioxide and other substances is 1000 lux, while for the full development of most plants, illumination is required at least 300-4000 lux, but for plants demanding light 10000-12000 or more lux.
If you don't have a home special device to measure lighting - a luxmeter, you can try to determine whether the plants have enough light per eye. The following signs may indicate a lack of illumination:
- Plants develop very slowly, stem and leaves are thin and weak
- New buds practically do not form and have a pale color, and after formation they disappear
- The leaves of the plant acquire a uniform color, sometimes they can turn yellow and fall off.
What lamps to use for lighting
Choice right lamp plays an important role in organizing the right lighting for plants. For example, many people believe that an ordinary incandescent lamp with a tungsten filament can provide enough light to plants. In fact, incandescent lamps are able to convert only 5% of the electrical energy received into visible light, converting the remaining energy into infrared (thermal) radiation, which causes plants to overheat and dry out. In addition to all of the above, the spectrum of an incandescent lamp is mostly red, while plants need both red and blue, which slows down the development of plants.
More suitable lamps would be modern LED and energy-saving lamps that emit a sufficient amount of light, but the spectrum of light emitted by them is also of little use for lighting plants.
The most appropriate in this case would be daylight fluorescent lamps
providing cool daylight or special sodium lamps high pressure, which are often used in the late stages of maturation and plant growth. Lamps of these types have an emission spectrum consisting of red and blue flowers. In addition, they are economical and have a long service life.
In order to prevent plants from getting burned, it is recommended to install lighting at a distance of at least 30-50 centimeters from the illuminated plants. It is also important to remember that plants are characterized by phototropism - a change in the direction of plant growth depending on the direction of the incident light. If you place the lighting on the side of your plants, they will turn their leaves towards the light and lose their natural shape, so it is recommended to place the lighting directly on our plants.
Seedlings of any plants require additional illumination. Rescue lamps that emit ultraviolet light. They are induction, halogen, sodium, and LED. In form, these are pipes, ribbons, spotlights. Read how to choose the right backlight.
Rules for choosing a lamp with ultraviolet radiation
Natural sunlight is essential for plant growth and development. Without it, future seedlings become pale, lethargic, susceptible to ailments and pests. To get strong healthy seedlings, you need to make up for the lack of lighting in time by choosing the appropriate lamp. Their range is large, and before buying a suitable device, it is worth considering:
- the needs of young shoots;
- ergonomics of the lamp at home;
- savings and energy efficiency.
Lighting is very important for seedlings and young plants.
Completely replace the sun artificial lighting impossible. The task of the gardener in this case is to choose the color spectrum as close as possible to natural radiation. In nature, the following sequence of colors is distinguished:
- infrared, not visible to humans - has bactericidal properties, promotes the development of lush green mass;
- red - optimizes the production of chlorophyll, stimulates germination, flowering, foliage development;
- orange - accelerates the process of fruit ripening;
- yellow and green - important as lighting components, reflected from the foliage;
- blue and blue - affect photosynthesis, root development, thanks to them the sprouts do not stretch;
- ultraviolet, indistinguishable by the human eye - helps fight diseases, promotes the development of the ground part of the seedlings.
Each of the colors visible to a person corresponds to its own temperature, which increases in increasing order. Minimum - for red, 1500 K, maximum - for violet, 8000 K. For good development seedlings need light with a temperature of 1500 and 6000-7000 K. These indicators correspond to red and blue-blue. In the first few weeks, more blue is needed for reliable rooting of sprouts, after transplantation, an equal amount of both colors is required.
Attention! It is definitely not recommended to take traditional incandescent lamps for seedlings - those that are most often used to illuminate the house. 95% of the energy in them is transformed into heat, which can lead to overheating of the sprouts, their refinement, and burns.
Characteristics of halogen, fluorescent and induction lamps
It is believed that halogen lamps are not the best way to illuminate seedlings. They are brighter than incandescent bulbs, but they heat up less. Over time, their degree of self-giving decreases. At the same time, the use of halogen lamps is justified in cases where you need to add red color - its temperature here is 3000 K, i.e. twice the usual.
Fluorescent lamps are more suitable for lighting seedlings. They are economical because they consume little electricity, do not heat the air and at the same time give a lot of light. However, there is practically no red light in their spectrum. Therefore, their use is especially undesirable when germinating tomatoes, cucumbers and citrus fruits.
Fluorescent lamps
At the same time, there are many blue and violet rays in fluorescent light sources, which are useful for root development. Another advantage is that you can choose a light bulb with any spectrum: warm, cold or daylight. Each of them has its own characteristics:
- Warm - good during the flowering period.
- Cold - necessary in the vegetative growth phase.
- Day - used at any time, sometimes - throughout the entire cycle of growing seedlings.
Advice. To illuminate seedlings, there are special phytoluminescent lamps that are distinguished by a long service life and economy. However, they emit an unnatural lilac-pink color, so their use in a living room - for example, on a windowsill - is undesirable.
Induction lamps also consume little energy, allowing you to save on electricity. At the same time, they have a fairly high light output. The most perfect are bispectral lamps that emit both red and blue colors. These lamps do not flicker and evenly distribute light.
Pros and cons of sodium lamps for seedlings
Very often, such lighting devices are used in greenhouses. They emit a red-orange light that favorably affects mature plants in the flowering and fruiting stages. Sodium lamps do not irritate the eyes, so they can be used at home. But for this you should choose a lamp with a power of up to 100 watts.
sodium lamp
Additional benefits of sodium lamps:
- economical consumption of electricity;
- efficiency of application both in greenhouses and on small areas with seedlings;
- long service life.
The disadvantages include:
- relative bulkiness;
- the absence of blue in the spectrum;
- complex connection;
- the need for additional use of a control device.
Advice. You can increase the energy efficiency of a sodium lamp by using a capacitor when connected.
Description of LED grow lights
To date, this type of backlight is perhaps the most common. For the human eye, such radiation seems gloomy, but for plants, its red-blue spectrum is optimal. LED lamps are more expensive than others, while they have a number of advantages:
- Profitability.
- Durability. Service life - up to 50 thousand hours.
- Ease of repair - the LED that has become unusable can be replaced.
- Quick turn on and flicker free light.
- Low heat - plants do not get burned.
- Possibility to install LEDs of different spectrum and power. This allows you to choose the most correctly the radiation needed by seedlings in a particular period. For example, if you need to add blue or red.
- Small dimensions.
LED lamp
It is worth giving preference to a specific model, taking into account where the lighting will be located, for seedlings of which crops and at what distance from the tops of the sprouts. Depending on the type of racks and the number of seedlings, you can choose a lamp of any shape. In stores you will find their varieties:
- Pipe. Often used on a windowsill or in long narrow rows.
- Tablet (another name is phytopanel). Looks like a big square. Used by professional agronomists to illuminate seedlings on wide racks.
- Single lamp. Most suitable option for additional illumination of a small number of sprouts at home.
- Spotlight. Cover a wider area when compared to single lamps. At the same time, they work effectively at a great distance from seedlings.
- Ribbon. She's going in any order. Usually used for self-manufacturing do-it-yourself lighting.
Phytopanel
- The hotter the lamp heats up, the higher it should be placed above the seedling containers. You can find out the temperature of a working device from the description of its technical characteristics.
- In different phases of development, plants need different lighting. For example, immediately after sowing, future seedlings need to be illuminated around the clock. During this period, the blue-blue spectrum is useful. In the future, you need to add red.
- Don't forget about individual approach for each crop - consider the shade tolerance of plants. The average length of daylight hours for vegetable sprouts is 12-13 hours. At the same time, tomatoes need 14-16 hours, cucumbers - 13-15 hours, white cabbage- 16 hours, peppers - 9-10 hours.
- Reflectors and light screens, as well as reflectors, help to efficiently illuminate and at the same time save energy. You can make them yourself. The easiest way is to put a kind of shield on the windowsill white color- for example, from matte cardboard. You can cover it with foil - for sure everyone knows its reflective ability.
Monitor the behavior of plants to correct the position of the lamp in time
Also pay attention to how sprouts develop under the influence of additional artificial lighting, and make adjustments in time:
- the appearance of burns on the leaves is a sign of a low-lying phytolamp. Hang it higher;
- pallor of leaves, too elongated stems - signals of a diametrically opposite problem: the lamp hangs too high / far. Lower it to allow the seedlings to gain strength;
- the stems stretch to the side, become crooked, deformed - they overdid it with side lighting. Place the light source on top.
Regardless of which lamp you decide to choose, it is important to use it correctly. Only in this case it will be possible to improve the quality of seedlings and reduce the number of weak plants.
How to choose a lamp for plants: video
Lamp for additional illumination of plants: photo
