Not many people know that special lamps are needed not only for growing plants under the conditions of a greenhouse , but also for the normal growth and development of many indoor plants. If you want your green pets to be healthy in winter and summer, then it's time to think about buying a lamp for plant growth, and how to choose it and tell our article.
Which lamps are better for plants?
The normal development of any plant directly depends on the amount of sunlight it receives. Therefore, in winter, in conditions of short daylight hours, it is so important to provide indoor plants with sufficient light conditions, especially when it comes to exotic plants.
Incandescent lamps
It would seem that it's easier - to buy a sufficient number of conventional light bulbs and do not turn them off either day or night. But the fact is that plants need not just light, but beams of a certain part of the spectrum - blue and red, which a conventional incandescent bulb can not give. In addition, during operation, the incandescent lamps are strongly heated, which also does not affect the plants in the best way.
Fluorescent lamps
In comparison with incandescent lamps, luminescent lamps have a number of undeniable advantages: they have higher light output, they are less heated during operation and use less energy. When choosing a fluorescent lamp for plant lighting, it is necessary to pay attention to the marking - it should contain the letters LD or LDC, indicating the presence of blue rays in the radiation of the lamp, so important for the process of photosynthesis.
Energy-saving lamps
Energy-saving, or as they are also called "economical" lamps are also suitable for plants. At the same time they are produced in a wide range, which makes it possible to select an economical light bulb of the spectrum necessary for a given phase of plant development. Such lamps have excellent indicators of electricity consumption and a long service life, and they do not warm up at all. In the active growth phase, plants will need energy-saving lamps labeled 6400-4200 to blue, and in the flowering phase, the bookmarking and maturation of the fruits - 2700-2500 to red.
Gas-discharge lamps
Gas discharge lamps are by far the most intense source of light. They are simply irreplaceable, if the task is set with the least cost to illuminate a large enough space. But they also have quite serious drawbacks, in particular, require the use of special ballasts.
Three types of gas-discharge lamps were used in plant growing:
- sodium;
- mercury;
- metal halide or metal halide.
Melal-halogen lamps most of all from all gas-discharge cope with the problems of fading plants grown under artificial conditions: they produce radiation of the right part of the spectrum and high power, they serve for a relatively long time and are relatively easy to operate. But these bulbs are quite expensive.
LED lamp
The latest developments in LED technology make it possible to organize artificial lighting that meets all the necessary requirements. In one LED light you can install several LEDs of different spectrum, completely covering all needs
Aquarium lamps for plant growth
Aquarium lamps can also be used to grow indoor plants. They produce radiation in the necessary parts of the spectrum, they are not heated enough during the operation and have good electrical characteristics. But aquarium lamps have a significant drawback - they are quite high cost, so it is not wise to specially buy them for lighting indoor plants.