How To Choose Lights For Medicinal Plants?
Planning to grow medicinal plants indoors? Growing sustained, harvestable amounts of medicinal plants indoors require long periods of intense light (6-8 hours of direct light for most varieties).
Why? Abundant light is essential for helping the plants produce the oils that give them their distinctive flavors. Without the right amount of light, your plants won't taste much like ... well ... medicinal plants.
Why is light so important
Plants rely on the energy in sunlight to produce the nutrients they need. But sometimes they absorb more energy than they can use, and that excess can damage critical proteins. To protect themselves, they convert the excess energy into heat and send it back out.
Light is one of the most important factors for growing houseplants. All plants require light for photosynthesis, the process within a plant that converts light, oxygen and water into carbohydrates (energy). ... Without adequate light, carbohydrates cannot be manufactured, the energy reserves are depleted and plants die.
Many people give up on gardening when they realize that the sun doesn’t shine enough on their indoor plants. Others, however, think of innovative solutions, such as growing plants with lights. Lamps are also a source of light, so we should be able to grow plants under them, right?
The truth is, you can grow any plant with artificial light, and people have been doing it for decades. And, with the newest light technology, growing plants with lights has become easier than ever! But, if you want to grow plants with lights, you must be ready to learn all about it. For that purpose, I wrote this definitive guide on how to choose artificial light.
What is a Light-Emitting Diode (LED)?
LED stands for “Light Emitting Diode”. In short, it is a semiconductor that is emitting light when an electrical current passes through it. LEDs are available in all sorts of sizes. It can be tiny such as 3mm or 5mm. These LEDs are mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) which is assembled in a light source (e.g. lamp) or housing (e.g. lighting fixture). The brightness of an LED and the color that is emitted by the LED is dependent upon its power and frequency within the electromagnetic spectrum.
Intensity describes the amount of light that reaches a surface at given distance from the light source. A super-bright bulb that's 12" from a surface might, for example, provide the same light intensity as a dimmer bulb that's 2" from the surface.
Duration describes the number of hours of light a plant receives in a 24-hour period. We can control it by turning lights on and off or, more easily, with a programmable timer.
Color describes the visual appearence of light. Most grow lights provide full-spectrum light. Most of the light plants use is from the blue ("cool") and red ("warm") ends of the spectrum; they use little yellow and green light. Blue light stimulates vegetative growth (foliage and roots) while red light stimulates plants to produce flowers and fruit.
The Importance Of Different light?
White Light for Plants
White LEDs are also available, but they are just blue LEDs with a phosphor coating to make them look white, and they are less efficient than single-wave blue LEDs. White light that is provided by fluorescent bulbs is a broad-spectrum light that incorporates different colors that are useful for plants. This is why an ordinary fluorescent light is one of the best lights to use for grow lights. By contrast, white LEDs do not provide a broad-spectrum light.
Red Light Wave Lengths
Red light is needed by plants to induce flowering and fruiting. Houseplants that are grown for their blooms, such as African violets (Saintpaulia spp.) and begonias (Rieger begonias), or fruiting plants such as tomatoes (Lycopersicon spp.) or peppers (Capsicum spp.) must have red light. However, these plants also need a certain amount of supplemental blue light as well to stimulate healthy growth. These plants would not perform as expected if grown under solely blue or white LEDs.
The role of UV
Increasing the THC content of plants, only be used in the last two weeks of flowering stage, and if be used at other times in the plants,may have a negative effect on plants.
The role of IR
Increasing the number of flowers , only be used in the early flowering period and stopped once buds begin to appear. This requires the IR and UV must be individually controlled.
Blue LED Lights
Blue light is a specific light wavelength that is needed by plants for photosynthesis and growth and is ideal for use on seedlings and young plants. Blue LEDs are far more efficient than they were a few years ago and are useful in grow light systems in combination with other light wavelengths.
So, What Is The Best Grow Light For Beginners?
Generally, medicinal plants require at least six hours of sunlight per day. If where you're growing your medicinal plants doesn't have access to natural light, you can substitute that with artificial lights. Use LED or HID lights for best results. Your plants would need 14-16 hours of light.
Grow lights should provide the proper spectrum of light for photosynthesis, which key to plant growth. Before purchasing a light, be sure to check out the provided color spectrum.If you are a beginner, lights that provide a full spectrum are the ideal choice for your growing space. This is where LED lights come in handy.
Here are some best LED grow light for your reference:
ECO Farm ECOZ Pro 700W/1000W UV+IR LED Samsung 301H Grow Light Strips With Controller Plug And Play
- ECO Farm ECOZ Pro 700W/1000W series was the latest trend and most popular for its good design and ease of use.
- Full spectrum: the light include IR and UV which is similar to the sunshine, ideal for all kinds of indoor plants veg and flower at all growth stages.
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Three channels: veg, bloom, UV.
It is a perfect top-lighting solution for commercial horticulture cultivation, or a full-cycle top-lighting solution for home hobbyists cultivating.
ECO Farm DBL 320W/480W Full Spectrum Dimmable LED Grow Light With Samsung Chips
- Keep the balance of the PAR/Lumen Output and Coverage. Long lifespan.
- Dimmable & full spectrum: The intensity of light can be adjusted according to the needs of plants. Light chips consisted of 3000K+5000K（6000K）+660nm +740nm, the full spectrum LED grow light is designed in scientific light spectral ratio that maximize photosynthesis and optimize the yield. The full-spectrum LED grow light is optimized for rapid growth and complete plant development.
- Assemble design & no fan no noise - DBL LED grow light can be disassembled, installed and moved easily.
- New upgraded structure and material make the light more lightweight.
- Top Quality LED Samsung 281B chips offer up to 2.5 umol/j light efficiency, high quality, high efficiency as well as energy saving.
- With IP65 waterproof.
ECO Farm Full Spectrum Samsung 301B/301H Chips+ UV&IR 110W/220W/450W/600W LED Quantum Board
- Samsung LM301B/301H diodes, high efficacy 2.7 μmol/J.
- Full Spectrum grow light: Samsung 301B/301H white light+UV+IR which is suitable for plant growing
- Noise free-fanless design.
- Fast heat dissipation with solid aluminium.
- Adjustable MeanWell driver.
- IP65 waterproof light.
- Increase yield and crop quality, ideal for all growth stages.
These are three Led grow lights for medicinal plants, if you are interested in these light, please feel free to visit our official website：www.ecofarmgreeninc.com！
If you have more issues with your plants, do not hesitate could contact us freely.
Our emails address is: business@ecofarm.ca
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