Is artificial lightweight good for plants?
We often recommend placing plants that will be kept indoors in a room with plenty of lightweight; that is, in which there are windows through which sunlight easily enters. The point is that they all need lightweight to perform photosynthesis and, therefore, to produce food and grow. But, Is it possible to have robust plants with artificial lightweight?
The brief answer is yes, you can.. Now it is significant to choose the right artificial lightweight for your plants, because not all of them will work. In fact, the lightweight from the bulbs we usually have at home is not the best for good growth. To do this, we will need to purchase special lamps or lightweight bulbs.
How much lightweight do plants need to grow?
Plants began their evolution about 400 million years ago in the oceans. At that time, apart from microorganisms such as bacteria, only algae existed. However, over time, some began to float to the surface, as was the case with Cooksonia, which photosynthesized through the stems because the leaves had not yet emerged. Later, slightly more intricate plants emerged, such as mosses, ferns and cycads. And about 150 million years ago, early flowering plants.
Why am I saying all this? Because plants depend on sunlight for everything: they breathe, photosynthesize, grow, bloom, etc. Through their photosynthetic parts, i.e. those that contain chlorophyll, the pigment that gives them their green color, they transform sunlight into carbohydrates. However, to understand this better, you need to learn more about solar radiation.
Image – Wikimedia/Horst Frank, Jailbird
Even though it might seem to us that things are more or less always the same, the human eye and plants “see” the world in a different way. The point is that, although the Sun emits ultraviolet, noticeable and infrared radiation, people can only see noticeable radiation, i.e. when the wavelength is in the range from 380 to 780 nm. In addition, we are able to see three colors: blue, red and green and many of their combinations.
Plants, on the other hand, although they are sensitive to wavelengths from 400 to 700 nm, absorb only red and blue lightweight and reflect green lightweight., that’s why we see them in this color. But this is also one of the reasons why we cannot operate established lamps for them, because they are created for us, humans, so that we can see, not for plants.
Related article:
Why are plants green?
What effect do different types of radiation have on plants?
Depending on the radiation received by the plants, they will react in one way or another. For example:
- Growth: depends on infrared radiation and blue lightweight.
- Seed germination: blue lightweight and, to a lesser extent, ultraviolet lightweight stimulate this process.
- Flowering and fruiting: red or far red lightweight helps them bloom and bear fruit.
- Plant growth in the shade: In conditions where the ratio of red and distant lightweight is high, plants that are not exposed to direct sunlight can grow.
Can artificial lightweight be useful for plants?
As we predicted at the beginning of this article, artificial lightweight can actually be useful for plants. However, Everything will depend on the glowing flux of a given lamp., measured in candelas or cd, illuminance or lux or luminance (cd/m2). And the thing is that not all of them have the same lightweight intensity.
Similarly, you need to know that it is also intriguing to determine how many photons will be delivered. They are measured in micromoles of photons (mmol), which allows the measurement of flux or density. The latter is a measure calculated by taking into account the square meter exposed to lightweight and the seconds needed to receive it. Therefore, the further away, the fewer micromoles of photons the plant will receive.
Currently, artificial lighting for crops has been modernized to such an extent that you can find lighting systems adapted to stimulate e.g. seed germination, growth or flowering.
What is the best artificial lightweight for plants?
Taking into account what we have said so far, the choice of artificial lightweight for plants will depend largely on what we wanted to achieve. For example*:
- Seed germination and seedling growth: if grown in areas with little sunlight, it is worth purchasing lamps emitting blue lightweight (35%), red lightweight (25%), far red lightweight (25%) and white lightweight (4000K, CRI70, 15%). However, if there is natural lightweight, blue lightweight (75%) and red lightweight (25%) will suffice.
- Plant growth and development: In the absence of sunlight, white lightweight (4000K, CRI70, 80%) and red lightweight (20%) will be provided. On the other hand, if so, red lightweight (90%) and blue lightweight (5-10%) will be provided.
- Flower production: to bloom, if grown only under artificial lightweight, it will receive white lightweight (4000 K, CRI70, 60%), red lightweight (20%) and far red lightweight (20%). On the contrary, if it receives natural lightweight, red lightweight (60%) and far red lightweight (20%) will be enhanced; in low lightweight conditions it may also be necessary to provide it with blue lightweight (20%).
- Fructification: If there is no sunlight, white lightweight (4000K, CRI70, 60%), red lightweight (30%) and far red lightweight (10%) will be used. On the other hand, if there is natural lightweight entering the room, white lightweight (4000K, CRI70 20%), red lightweight (70%), and far red lightweight (10%) will suffice.
*Note: This information was obtained from the SECOM website.
Where to buy?
Lamps with artificial lightweight can be purchased here: