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When growing seedlings at home, lighting is indispensable. Daylight is not enough, and LED strip for plants can take on its role. Suitable lighting is purchased in a store or made by hand.
The benefits of artificial lighting for plants
For active growth, seedlings need a long daylight hours, which cannot be provided in early spring. Without sufficient lighting, the processes of photosynthesis slow down, the stem and foliage begin to wither.
Artificial lighting helps to cope with the problem, but there are difficulties with the selection of lamps, because not any light is suitable, but only the one whose spectrum and intensity are closest to the sun. For example, yellow or white light stimulates photosynthesis, but their benefits are limited there. And you also need help in the formation of cells, the development of leaf plates, the formation of inflorescences.
The best way is to organize lighting using a set of LED strips with different emission spectra, supplementing them with reflectors. In this case, diffused light is obtained, which is the case with solar lighting in nature.
The three most useful colors are:
- blue – for accelerated root growth;
- red – for the formation of inflorescences;
- pink – complements the properties of the first two, helping the growth of foliage and flowering.
Video “What you need to know about artificial lighting for plants”
In this video, an expert will talk about artificial lighting for plants.
Lamp heating
A well-thought-out lighting system has a limitation – heat should not be released much, because overheating is harmful to seedlings. That is why incandescent lamps are not suitable – the flasks significantly heat the surrounding air in the immediate vicinity.
High pressure sodium lamps are good for greenhouses or conservatories. However, when it comes to growing seedlings at home, too much heat is radiated.
LED strips are the best solution for growing plants at home, as they practically do not heat up and are suitable for city apartments.
Spectrum of emitted light
Plant chlorophyll feeds on light with wavelengths between 380 and 710 nanometers (nm), ignoring the rest of the spectrum. One part of the absorbed light activates the process of cell division, contributing to the growth of green mass; the other makes the processes of flowering and fruiting more intense.
There are white light LED strips with wavelengths:
- 400–500 nm (cold);
- 500–700 nm (warm).
Advantages of LEDs over other light sources
Unlike most other light sources, LEDs have a lifespan of tens of thousands of hours at constant brightness. Important advantages are also:
Advantages:
- consumption of less electricity (incandescent bulbs, for example, exceed this figure by several times);
- reduced fire hazard;
- a small angle of illumination – 120 ° (i.e., only pots with seedlings can be illuminated, and not the whole room);
- lack of flicker, infrared and ultraviolet radiation;
- the ability to select and combine the optimal colors for different crops.
There is a significant disadvantage – the high cost. But once installed, you can use it for years. Thus, the minimum costs for electricity will pay off the costs over time.
Do-it-yourself LED backlight assembly
You need to start by choosing the right place. It is impossible that drops of water fall on artificial lighting. Then proceed to the manufacture of phytolamps, for which you will have to:
- calculate the appropriate power;
- purchase the desired set of tapes;
- select power supply.
Let’s consider these points in more detail.
Power calculation
In order for plants to fully grow, it is desirable for them to provide illumination in the range of 10-15 thousand lux. From this value are repelled when buying LEDs.
For example, a box for seedlings has dimensions of 75×30 cm. The calculations will be as follows:
- The total area will be: 75 × 30 = 22,5 cm² or 0,225 m².
- Light intensity: 15000×0,225=3375 lumens (lm).
By mounting the tape at a height of one meter from the box, we get the given intensity.
If you reduce the height to half a meter, according to the inverse square law, the intensity will decrease by 4 times (in our case, to 845 lm). Under the last value in the store, a suitable light tape is selected.
The choice of LED strip and power supply
It will be possible to cover the entire area of the box with the help of several fragments of LED strips, the length of which matches the length of the box (75 cm). The characteristics of the product indicate the luminous flux extending from 1 m. Since we need 75 cm, we add the remaining 25% to the indicated intensity, which will be:
- for 2 fragments: 845/2×1,25=530 lm;
- for 4 fragments: 845/4×1,25=256 lm.
For our purposes, a tape with the following parameters is suitable:
- brightness – 465 lm;
- combination of warm and cold light: 3000K+6000K;
- supply voltage 12 V.
These are the models SMD 3528-W-60led (three meters) and SMD 2835-W-60led (one and a half meters).
Connecting the tape to the power supply
If a three-meter version of the LED strip was chosen, we have:
- 60 LEDs per meter;
- power of 4,6 watts per meter.
Also do not forget about 25% losses in cables. As a result, the requirements for the power supply are calculated: we multiply 3 m of length by 4,8 W of power plus 1,25 losses – we get 18 W.
A device with any case is suitable, but the moisture protection class corresponding to the place where it will be installed. The following scheme is used for connection: the tapes are connected to the power supply in parallel through connectors, the length of the continuous section does not exceed 5 m.
Rules for mounting the backlight
Lamps are mounted above containers with seedlings. If the system is multi-tier, fastening to the bottom of the shelf of the upper tier will do.
It is recommended to make the lighting system mobile. It is desirable to change the gap between the seedlings and the light source from time to time (in the range from 10 to 40 cm). For example, when the first sprouts appear, the LED strip is lowered as close as possible, and when rapid growth begins, the light source is gradually raised. For this purpose, installation is recommended to be done on ropes, attaching them to the lintels of the rack shelves.
Reflectors (mirrors or foil are suitable) are mounted on the sides to scatter the light falling from above. The duration of the backlight is selected for specific conditions. The farther the unit is from the window, the longer the backlight will last.
To avoid overheating during prolonged operation, it is better to fasten the tapes to the plane by placing an aluminum gasket under them.
Author’s advice
Plant Lighting Options
To increase productivity and save space for seedlings, build multi-tiered racks. An ordinary frame with shelves is made, a screen or a foil fence is made to ensure round-the-clock work, and at the same time not interfere with people in the room.
Another option is sets of miniature LEDs, powerful enough to organize individual lighting for each culture pot. Such point devices can simultaneously serve as decorative nightlights.
Customer Reviews
“I decided to grow strawberries in the country in a greenhouse. I immediately thought about lighting. Friends helped to collect phyto tapes (her husband did not have enough perseverance). Now, I hope the harvest will be good.”
“I wanted to highlight my violets. I read reviews, found a link to sell tapes, ordered. Experts advised that the brighter the better, consulted with the color set. I was pleased with the result – both the flowers are beautiful, and a lot of energy is not consumed.”
The construction of artificial lighting for home seedlings does not take much time and does not cost a lot of money. As a result, the gardener manages to satisfy the needs of the grown plants as much as possible, providing them with development, and himself in the future with useful harvests.