Views: 38 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2022-06-16 Origin: Site
Indoor gardening is easier now than ever because of various technological advancements like grow lights. It's common knowledge that plants need light; however, this can be problematic when growing plants indoors.
The most common solution for this challenge is shopping for appropriate LED grow lights to help your indoor plants grow healthy. However, choosing the right LED lights is easier said than done.
The current market is full of LED products from various manufacturers claiming that they have the best lights for your plants. Additionally, there's a lot of misinformation regarding the best color-led grow lights for indoor plants.
We are here to help you out. To start, we have to begin by answering a simple question:
Naturally, plants grow using sunlight, often considered white or yellow-white light. Sunlight is a spectrum of colors. For instance, the color red has a wavelength that falls within 630 and 660 on the color spectrum. While grow lights using fluorescent bulbs have cool white and warm white colors, you can only describe LED lights in wavelengths since they display more of their actual colors.
Most people have the idea that plants only grow well in either red or blue lights. The truth is that plants use more colors, including green. Blue and red are important and are used more by plants; however, they also need other colors to perform various functions.
Extensive research done by NASA reveals that plants use:
Plants use red light for leaf expansion and stem growth. Red light also regulates dormancy periods, flowering, and seed germination.
Plants use blue light; however, it must be infused with other lights for optimal performance. Overexposure to blue light can cause some plant species to become stunted. Often, blue light affects leaf thickness and chlorophyll content.
Plants exposed to far-red light produce bigger leaves compared to those that aren't.
Plants use different colors in the spectrum when growing. For instance, seedlings need more red light than fully grown plants, and at some point, they may require some blue lights to increase leaf thickness.
The best color of the light depends on what type of plant you plan to grow. This can be complicated, but it's only important to commercial growers that want to maximize their results. The general rule of thumb is that plants need all types of colors to grow; however, they don't need equal amounts of each.
LED lights have a specific color wavelength; however, each emits a narrow spectrum. For instance, the blue light is 60nm wide and emits only blue light. Most LED bulbs produced for indoor plant growth often emit blue light since most people believe that plants only need red and blue light for optimal growth.
Plants that absorb light directly from sunlight get all the color they need for optimal growth. However, providing light for your indoor plants falls solely on you. Indoor plants don't get enough light for proper growth, and you may notice your plant losing its green color or getting leggy. This is a sign that your plants aren't getting enough blue light.
If your plant isn't blooming or flowering on time, it isn't getting enough red light. You can use a blue or red-light supplement with blue and red LED lights. You can use them separately or mix them depending on your intended results.
You can use small grow lights for indoor plants to help them grow optimally. LED grow lights are manufactured to help plants grow optimally without sunlight. They provide better results than regular LED lights since they provide a specific type of light for plants.
There isn't any single best color for optimal plant growth since plants need various colors for proper growth. However, you don't have to worry about matching sunlight. Red and blue lights are the most important, and your indoor plants will grow best if you expose them to a mixture of red and blue lights.