Good To Grow Shedding Light On Indoor Planting

Natural sunlight has grown amazing plants outdoors since the dawn of time. However, when the natural route isn’t an option, the artificial route will have to do. The good news is technology and science have given us the ability to grow amazing plants in an artificial setting such as inside your home. Taking our scientific understanding of how plants utilize light like the LED technology, the horticultural industry has developed specifically grow lights that are designed to output the exact light plants need.

What light do plants need?

Plants can only utilize certain wavelengths of light emitted by the sun. This specific wavelength range, which is often referred to as Photosynthetically Active Radiation (or PAR for short) falls within the 400 nanometers (nm) to 700nm wavelengths.

All light emitted between 400nm to 700nm can be absorbed by plants and utilized for photosynthesis, with the exception of green light (that has a wavelength of about 510nm). Plants have no use for a green light and instead reflect it, which is why our human eyes see an abundance of green out there in the natural world.

When fall season arrives it is understood that the growth phase of the plants and trees is over. But if you have luxuries like a greenhouse for a year around growing and an autumn-proof tunnel extension then you’re safe to go.

This luxury is not available to all the people, that’s why they have to wait and conform to the natural cycle of the seasons for growing plants and crops.

Many plants need a summer climate to grow under the heat of the harsh sun and humidity and light are the two key factors for a functional greenhouse. The growing light technology is now available to everybody.

There are three kinds of grow lights that you can select. The most common lights are high-intensity lights, used in an investment horticulture.

These types of lights produce too much heat like a mini sun and are too bright for home. If you select an high-pressure sodium (HPS) or high-intensity discharge (HID) light in your house, ensure that it’s less than or equal to 400 watts.

Like every other technology, the lighting technology has also been advanced. The next types of lights that are getting ‘limelight’ are light-emitting diodes (LED). A good LED will have an adjustable wavelength color, which is a life-saver in terms of ever-evolving wavelength warrants.

LED grow lights are cost-effective in operational costs. They use lesser power to operate than the HPS or HID lamps. Additionally, LED lights are proven to have a durability of almost of a lifetime. They will last effortlessly for thousands of hours or more before you need to change the light fixtures. This robust quality makes LEDs the best choice to grow plants inside.

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Fluorescents have been utilized to grow plants since decades. These lights are cheap just like the LEDs. Fluorescent light bulbs have evolved enough to grow an annual plant to full term in an indoor environment. But, you should have got the right bulb fixture to deliver this inside the home.

Your desired outcome will be achieved with an installation of 48-inch, four-bulb, T5 fixture with two red and two blue bulbs. These types of light can be used for a stretch of time to grow plants indoors during the harsh winters. Therefore, fluorescents and LEDs are good options for a grow light.

After you have decided on the light fixture, you will need to study your plants’ nature and instincts. Always ensure to suspend the light like a pendant. Use chains or ratcheting ropes as hangers. So that you can adjust the light high or low until you come to an understanding of the suitable light intensity level.

If you notice the slightest sign of withering or yellowing, then you should adjust the light lower to approach the apex of the plant. If you come across the situation the other way around, then you’ve to adjust the light a bit higher.

Plants like tomatoes, which require a lot of exposure to the sun; you have to provide 16-18 hours of intensive light every day for survival and fruition. Other plants will require 12-14 hours of light every day. If you are planning to use a lux meter to caliber the intensity of light, remember that full sun-exposure plants need at least 800-foot-candles of light per square foot. Medium light plants require under 250- to 800-foot-candles.

You can buy the lux meter from any good gardening supplies store. A lux meter is an effective method to gauge the light your plant is getting in any given space without all the trial and error of adjusting your light high or low. A timer to turn that grow light on and off is an essential that will help you understand your plant growth more in detail.

If you have a plant that you take inside each fall only to see it languish and become yellow due to frost and eventually low lights or no lights, or just want to grow a vegetable plant in the kitchen, spending for a grow light is indispensable.

Author Bio:

This guest post was written by Hassan Khan Yousafzai, he is passionate about Digital marketing. Along with educational background in Software Engineering he is bridging gap between marketing and development department. At Techvando, he has been consulting brands all over Pakistan to gain online traffic and profitable leads.