The sun is a great blessing to a majority of plants and animals. This is because it is the sole source of all the energy light and heat we wholly depend on for survival. Human beings depend on vitamin D from sunlight for it enhances the development of healthy bones and teeth. Humans also depend on plants and other animals for survival, directly and indirectly as sources of food. Some animals also depend on plants for food. This trickles down to a food web that entirely utilizes sunlight for existence.
Sunlight is all plants need to process sugars in a process known as photosynthesis. In its absence, all crops wither away and die, sequentially leading to the death of all other organisms that depend on them. For this reason, we can’t survive without sunlight, and if it’s so, we must have a compelling alternative. Best LED grow lights come into play where sunlight is no more.
Why is light back-up being necessary?
Light back-up is necessary for a smooth continuity of plant life in the absence of sunlight. Just like human beings, plants never want to be in the dark! Climatic changes, such as long winter months, can lead to insufficient amounts of light required by plants to flourish. A significant threat is thus posed to plant life calling for an alternative view source.
In other cases, farm structures such as greenhouses block between 30 – 50% of the sunrays, necessitating sufficient, internal light supply to ensure optimal plant growth. This technology also presents benefits such as more yields and farm produce as well as alternating food flavors due to different light wavelengths
What to backup sunlight
Plant death in the absence of sunlight is a thing of the past, thanks to the plant growth lights. Plant lights are artificial electrical devices that have an immense capacity to supply plant light need for growth. These lights are used in the total absence of light or during the winter months when sunlight is insufficient.
These lights function by lengthening plant-light exposure hours. This means optimal photosynthesis hence abundant growth and yields, curbing plant growth problems associated with low light such as general stunted growth, yellow leaves and loss of variegation in vegetable leaves. What kind of light can facilitate optimal plant growth?
Let’s dig in!
Types of light required by plants
Not all kinds of light are useful to plants. Plants are susceptible to light that belongs to the blue spectrum, that is red and blue light. This spectrum light is tailored to supply plant-light requirements for healthy growth, development as well as photosynthesis. The wavelength of the spectrum of such light can be defined by the term PAR or rather Photosynthetically Active Radiation. These attributes necessitate consideration of several factors when choosing the type of light to be installed for plant growth.
LED, Light Emitting Diode, lights have played a significant role in plant growth and in-house growth of plants. This technological advancement brought forth by Ishamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura, elucidated that some of the lights within the PAR range hindered plant growth while others promoted growth. It was discovered that some light wavelengths outside the PAR region that have essential physiological benefits to plants. What are LED lights?
What are LED Lights?
LED lights are artificial lights made up of a light-emitting diode, as the name suggests, cased in a heat sink and inbuilt fans. They are designed differently to suit different purposes. This means that one has to choose the best LED grow light that will serve his plants well! Factors to consider when choosing LED lights
- Cost, maintenance and affordability – the cost of acquiring and installing the LED views should not be beyond the purchasers’ financial capabilities. Despite the fact that they are more expensive than the old bulbs, they don’t consume much electricity as opposed to the former bulbs. The best-LED glow lights should cut down the farmer’s cost of running the farm considerably. LED lights last up to 50,000 hours of usage. This is approximately 30 times longer as compared to incandescent bulbs. The cost of maintaining the lighting system should be high as well.
- Environmental safety – the use of LED lights is environmentally friendly because there’s no probability of environmental pollution. First of all, LED light bulbs produce minimal heat. This means that less water will be evaporated to trigger frequent irrigation. Without severe watering, soil, nutrients and any other essential elements it carries aren’t eroded. Thus, the land remains fertile and conserved; water is also conserved in the process.
Secondly, light eliminates the use of chemical-based in promoting plant growth. As we all know, continuous usage of chemical-based hormones degenerates the soil beside killing the important micro-organisms required to aerate the soil. This is overly beneficial to the farmer as plants grow organically. Thanks to LED grow lights.
Lastly, LED lights don’t emit wastes such as harmful gases or light that can damage plants. The environment remains unpolluted! Who doesn’t want to maintain a clean environment?
- The healthy working environment for workers – when purchasing LED lights, the safety of individuals working in the farms should be of crucial interest. The best low lights don’t pose a health risk to workers. Severe cases of toxification of farm workers have been reported in farms that employ fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals. This should be a thing of the past at this juncture of the 21st Health is wealth!
The best-LED lights to shop for are those that reduce the amounts of carbon dioxide emitted into the environment. Industries emit tons and tons of carbon dioxide into the air every year. It is the mandate of technology to create an alternative way of doing this better and safer. LED lights are championing the achievement of an environment free from carbon dioxide.
It is also vital to consider LED grow lights that don’t emit harmful elements such as mercury. Some of the old bulbs contain mercury, which can potentially cause severe health effects.
- Durability – According to 11must, this is a key factor to be considered when purchasing anything. The best-LED lights should be durable. High-quality bulbs may be costly when buying but last longer. This cuts the cost of buying cheap bulbs now and then.
If they happen to fall, these bulbs don’t easily break their aluminum body covering that absorbs shock. They aren’t fragile because they are not made of filaments.
- Instant lighting – unlike incandescent counterparts, LED lights up instantly. This is an important feature when purchasing LED bulbs as it prompts immediate results.
- Dimming capability – this is the capability of an individual to lengthen the lifespan of LED bulbs. This attribute helps at cost-cutting when capital isn’t sufficient to purchase new bulbs and should be taken into account.
It is, therefore, essential to consider purchasing the best LED grow lights that are pocket-friendly as well as eco-friendly. This is to ensure that everything is taken care of. Make the right choice!
