Content
For illumination of seedlings They accommodate different types of lamps, but not all of them are equally useful. Plants grow well under red and blue light spectrum. It is also important to consider light temperature. LEDs help create optimal lighting conditions lamps for seedlings factory and homemade.
Spectra and color temperature
When choosing a suitable LED lamp for illuminating seedlings, you need to find out what spectra it emits and color temperature. Plants will benefit from:
- Blue light has a positive effect on cell development. The optimal color temperature is 6400 K.
- The red glow stimulates seedlings and development of the root system. The optimal color temperature is 2700 K.
Plants are sensitive to illumination - 8 thousand lux. It is difficult to achieve such indicators with artificial light sources. If the seedlings are illuminated with LEDs, the illumination obtained is about 6 thousand lux.
The duration of additional illumination is different for each crop.When choosing LED lighting for seedlings, the operating mode can be set with the following time limit: after germination, cabbage and tomato seedlings are illuminated for 16 hours, seedlings of adult tomatoes - 14 hours, cucumbers - 15 hours, peppers - 10 hours.
Novice vegetable growers are interested in the question of whether illuminating seedlings with white LEDs is allowed if specialized lamps are not available. The fact is that the peak of the blue and red spectrum necessary for plant photosynthesis is 440 and 660 nm. White LEDs have a broad emission spectrum, but their peaks are not normal. On the other hand, planting material develops well under fluorescent fluorescent lamps. This means that simple white LED lamps for illuminating seedlings are also suitable.
The height of its location above the planting material depends on the power of the LED lamp. Some cultures like strong brightness, others like moderate brightness. It is optimal to maintain a gap between plants and the lamp - from 10 to 50 cm.
The video provides an overview of LED backlight lamps:
Advantages of LED light sources
In addition to saving energy, homemade lighting of seedlings with LED lamps is characterized by the following advantages:
- Long service life. LEDs can shine for up to 50 thousand hours, provided that heat dissipation is properly arranged.
- It is easy to replace a burnt-out LED yourself in a homemade lighting device. Repairs will cost much less than buying a new lamp.
- LEDs can be selected according to the temperature and color of the glow, which allows you to create optimal lighting for each group of planting material.
- Smoothly changing the brightness of the glow with a dimmer brings the artificial lighting closer to natural light.
- Low heat generation will allow the LED lamp to be brought as close as possible to the seedlings without the risk of getting burned.
- LEDs do not contain mercury or other harmful substances.
- The lamp operates with a voltage of 12 or 24 volts, which makes it safe for the vegetable grower to care for planting material.
The disadvantage is still the high cost of high-quality LEDs, but in 2–3 years the backlight will pay for itself.
Types of lamps
LED lighting devices come in different sizes and shapes. Depending on the amount of planting material, the lamps can be completed or independently assembled from LEDs according to individual parameters. When choosing devices according to shape, they are guided by the following parameters:
- Tubular models are convenient for arranging lighting on long narrow shelves or window sills.
- Square shaped tablets or panels cover a large area. The lamp is suitable for illuminating wide shelves.
- A single low-power lamp is used when growing a small number of seedlings.
- Floodlights illuminate a wide area with a large amount of planting material.
- You can organize illumination with a lamp of any shape LED strips.
The price for LED lamps for seedlings is determined by the quality and characteristics of the LEDs. Preference should not be given to cheap lamps, but to those that are more suitable for growing planting material.
Assembling a homemade lamp
Homemade LED lamps for illuminating seedlings can be soldered from separate light bulbs. The presented circuit in the photo consists of LEDs and a rectifier power supply. The difficulty of assembly lies in the large number of parts that need to be soldered.
It’s easier to assemble a lamp from an LED strip and an old fluorescent lamp housing:
- First, all the filling is removed from the inside, and an aluminum plate - a cooler - is installed in its place.
- Blue and red LED strips are cut into pieces of one module at a time. The incision sites are indicated with a scissors design.
- Each module is soldered with wires, alternating colors. There are usually 5–8 times more red light bulbs than blue light-emitting diodes.
- The coolant is degreased with alcohol. The protective film is removed from the back side of the self-soldered LED strip and glued to the aluminum strip.
- The tape is connected to a 12 or 24 volt power supply, which depends on the characteristics of the product. If the lamp glows normally, install the original matte diffuser on the body.
It’s even easier to assemble a lamp from LED phyto-tape. The light bulbs are already selected on a strip of different glow colors, which will eliminate the labor-intensive process of separating and soldering the modules.
The video shows an LED lamp for illumination:
Tips for choosing LED light sources
Helpful tips will help you figure out which LED lamps are best for seedlings.
Form
Long shelves or it is better to illuminate the window sill with a linear lamp. Round base models are suitable for illuminating free-standing boxes with seedlings.Lamps create a limited projection of the light spot, and in long areas you will have to hang several of them.
LED spectrum
Red and blue light is useful for the development of seedlings, but if the wavelength does not match, the phytolamp will be of little use. When purchasing a product, it is important to study the spectrogram on the packaging. The optimal blue wavelength is 450 nm, and the red wavelength is 650 nm. If the parameters deviate or there is no spectrogram, it is better to refuse to purchase a phytolamp.
Power
When calculating the power of LED lamps for seedlings, it is necessary to distinguish between two important parameters:
- rated power indicates the maximum operating parameter of the LED;
- real power is how much the LED will actually produce.
Light bulbs should not be constantly operated at rated power, otherwise they will quickly fail. It is customary to apply half voltage. If you take a 3 W LED, then its real power will be 1.5 W.
The total power of the lamp is calculated by the number of LEDs. Moreover, it is the real, not the rated power that is summed up.
Radiator
LEDs emit little heat, but they do get hot. Radiators are aluminum coolers that prevent the crystals from overheating above the permissible temperature of 75OC. In case of overheating, the LED changes its parameters or fails. A small radiator is unable to remove heat from a large number of light bulbs.
The greater the distance between LEDs, the better. The radiator performs its functions faster.
The gap between the phytolamp and the tops of the plants
Phytolamp power | Distance to seedlings | Light spot projection (diameter) |
7-10 W | 20-30 cm | 25-30 cm |
7-10 W | 35-40 cm | 45-50 cm |
15-20 W | 40-45 cm | 85-90 cm |
When illuminating seedlings with LED lamps, it is important to correctly calculate the distance between the tops of the plants and the light source. The gap range is usually from 10 to 50 cm. Taking into account the power of the phytolamp, the diameter of the light spot and the characteristics of the growing vegetation, the optimal distance is calculated.
Phytolamp spectra
For LED lighting of seedlings to be beneficial, you need to choose the right phytolamp. Depending on the composition of the spectrum, the light source is divided into three groups:
- bicolor lamps emit blue and red light. The phytolamp is suitable for illuminating seedlings during standard cultivation on shelves or a windowsill.
- A “full spectrum” lamp reflects its characteristics in its name. A product for universal purposes, the glow of which is close in parameters to the sun's rays.
- In the “multispectrum” lamp, a white glow and another distant red color are added to the two primary colors. The light source is used to illuminate adult plants indoors.
When purchasing LED lamps, you should give preference to branded products with a guarantee. In case of failure, the seller is obliged to replace the product.
Reviews
There are different reviews about LED lamps for seedlings. We invite you to familiarize yourself with several of them.
