Short daylight hours are the main reason why seedlings need to be provided with artificial lighting. Especially in winter, plants will lack sunlight for development. But first you need to learn how to choose lamps with the right power and the appropriate emission spectrum. In the proposed article, the reader will be told how to make lighting for seedlings at home.
Basic rules for backlighting
For the rapid growth of seedlings, artificial light is needed. Thanks to modern materials, manufacturers produce lamps that imitate the sun's rays. In nature, plants thrive on the energy they receive from natural light sources. This process is called photosynthesis. Its essence is that the leaves absorb solar energy and as a result, photochemical reactions occur.
In winter, it becomes problematic to grow seedlings in an apartment, because due to the short daylight hours, the sprouts do not receivethe required energy. In this case, additional illumination of plants is a prerequisite for the correct and he althy growth of seedlings. Before you make artificial lighting for home seedlings, you need to consider a few requirements:
- Artificial light should fall evenly on seedlings.
- Supplementary lighting should not heat or dry the air.
- Need to install soft light bulbs.
If you organize the right lighting for seedlings, it will begin to develop rapidly, and its leaves will become a rich green color.
Why do I need additional illumination?
It is best to place seedling pots on a windowsill as this will absorb the maximum amount of solar energy. To increase the lighting time, supplementary lighting should be used a few hours before dawn and one to two hours after sunset. However, this is only true when the weather is cloudless outside. In addition, sunlight may not penetrate well into the apartment due to trees or tall buildings. In this case, artificial lighting for seedlings is the main source of energy that seedlings will absorb.
But lighting plants around the clock is not recommended. Seedlings need night rest, because during the day they store energy, and spend it at night. If you ignore this advice, the leaves of the seedlings may become covered with dark spots. Round-the-clock lighting should be provided only for seed prepared for germination. Otherwise, lighting seedlings for more than 14 hours is a bad idea.
To understand for sure whether it is necessary to illuminate the plants in clear weather, for this you simply need to direct the beam of the electrical appliance at the seedlings. Is there a difference between artificial and natural lighting? This means that young seedlings will absorb enough solar energy for proper growth.
How much light do seedlings need?
To understand this issue, we must first say that the sun's rays have a different spectrum of light and a certain length. Plant growth is most affected by waves that have blue and red colors. The first 500 nanometers (nm) long regulate the rate of development and help form strong stems. In turn, red wavelengths of about 600 nm promote rapid leaf growth and productive photosynthesis. The lamp for supplementary illumination should emit about 300–800 nm. However, it must be taken into account that for each period of development, rays of a different spectrum are needed:
- Blue and violet radiations help cell division, so they are important at the initial stage of growth.
- Rooting and budding depend on the red light spectrum.
To organize the lighting of seedlings with your own hands, you must first provide the seedlings with enough light. When choosing lamps, you need to pay attention to their power (measured in watts), and then determine the number of lighting fixtures required. For example, for 1 sq.
Also,Another important parameter to consider is the level of illumination. It should be at least 6000 lux (lux), however, to illuminate the seedlings, it is better to achieve an indicator of 8000 lux. The intensity of the radiation can be easily changed, as some fixtures are equipped with a power regulator.
Choosing a lamp: the best options
Guaranteed plant growth - the right light. Special lamps emitting infrared and ultraviolet rays will help to cope with this task. In addition, their temperature corresponds to daylight, so they will be able to quickly develop seedlings. Lamps according to the emitter used are classified into the following types:
- LED;
- sodium;
- fluorescent;
- phytolamps.
It is undesirable to use ordinary incandescent lamps for these purposes, since they can burn the plant. As a rule, they are used for growing cacti. Before deciding which lighting is best for seedlings, you need to study the features of each option.
LED bulbs
Such devices are considered the best replacement for natural light. LED seedling lighting is an ideal solution for growing plants of various varieties. The advantages of this luminaire include the following features:
- compact size;
- light weight;
- durability;
- harmlessness;
- does not deteriorate under the influence of mechanical damage, high temperature and high humidity;
- economical (onediode consumes about 1 Wh);
- high light output;
- easy installation due to sticky base;
- no infrared radiation;
- heats little, so it can be placed at a minimum distance from plants.
It is better to use a ribbon consisting of blue and red LED lights, because this way you can achieve comfortable lighting for seedlings. In addition, making such a lamp yourself is an easy task. To do this, you need to calculate the area of crops that need to be illuminated, and the height of the suspension.
Using LEDs to light seedlings is a great idea as it can protect plants from various diseases that happen due to high humidity.
Sodium lamps
There are two types of such devices: high pressure and low pressure. The first option is used as lighting for seedlings. Sodium lamps have the following specifications:
- working time - up to 24 thousand hours;
- light output is about 150lm/W;
- one bulb consumes 70Wh;
- plants absorb radiation by 26-30%.
High pressure sodium lamps are cheaper than LED lamps, but they have a lot of disadvantages:
- Emit little blue light (approximately 8%), which is necessary for the he althy and proper development of seedlings.
- Use a lot of electricity.
- For their operation, you need to install a power regulator.
Such devicesrecommended for growing vegetables (such as cucumbers and tomatoes) and berries because these bulbs emit a lot of orange light.
Fluorescent lamps
Lighting devices of this variety are best used to illuminate a small amount of seedlings. Fluorescent (or energy-saving) lamps emit little red light. They have the following specifications:
- working time - no more than 15 thousand hours;
- plants absorb about 20-22% of emitted radiation;
- light output parameter - no higher than 80 lm/W;
- One lamp requires about 20-60 Wh.
The advantages of luminescent models include the fact that such lamps do not heat up, so they can be installed near plants. Using such lighting for growing seedlings at the initial stage is a good solution.
Phytolamps
These are specially made devices for additional illumination of seedlings. These bulbs look like LED bulbs. The luminescence spectrum of phytolamps is pink-violet. In addition, they emit some ultraviolet and infrared light. The first is necessary to increase the frost resistance of plants, and the second - to stimulate metabolic processes.
Fitolamp is an ideal lamp for growing seedlings. Thanks to special clamps, it can be fixed on the ceiling. In addition, the phytolamp is equipped with a lighting brightness control.
Optimalfixture distance
If you place the lights too close to the seedlings, the plants may suffer because of this. But an excessively large distance is also bad, because this will reduce the illumination of the lamps, and, consequently, their efficiency. The optimal height at which the lamps should be fixed is 10–40 cm from the seedlings. At the initial stage, the plants will develop better if the lamps are placed as close as possible to them, so the devices should be supplemented with a mechanism with which it will be possible to adjust the height.
Light fixtures must be fixed on brackets - supporting parts - or with bolts, anchor bolts, screws or special glue.
Setting backlight
Before lighting the seedlings, it is necessary to prepare a place where the plants and lighting fixtures will be located. When installing the backlight on the windowsill, you need to consider the following recommendations:
- Prevent tipping and accidental water ingress.
- It is advisable to install the lamps from above, as this way the plants will be provided with maximum light.
- It is necessary to use reflectors in the form of foil isolon: in this way it will be possible to direct the light to the right place.
- The closer the lamps are to the seedlings, the better.
You can also make a do-it-yourself rack of glued laminated timber or edged boards for lighting seedlings, which will take up little space. It can be placed close to the wall, and hang lamps above the shelves. The result should be a compact and strong design.
Conclusion
If you need to grow a lot of seedlings, you first need to prepare a separate room for it. This need is related to the level of humidity, since in ordinary rooms, increased moisture can damage plants. In addition, it is desirable to install a photo relay and a timer on the lamps. The first device reacts to natural light, and the second turns off the light fixture when the set time limit expires.
The article outlined the main types of lamps that are used to organize artificial light. Everyone can decide for himself what kind of lighting for seedlings is best. But gardeners often use LED lamps and phytolamps for this purpose.
