The Role of Light
While the concept of light might seem simple, it is a fundamental component of plant growth. It can be natural or artificial, and either option is fine; natural light is best, but you can grow plants indoors using only artificial light. You will get better growth in both cases if you provide some type of supplemental lighting.
The most basic function that light serves for plants is photosynthesis—the process by which they convert carbon dioxide and water into food (in the form of sugars). As a result, a lack of sufficient lighting will cause your seedling to stretch out toward the light source (known as etiolation) or die.
How Much Light Do Seeds Need?
As you now know, light is essential to the growth and development of your plants. This is true not only during the germination process, but also during transplanting, and once they are growing in their garden or hydroponic home.
Light is important to all plants from seedlings to full grown specimens (and everyone in between), so it’s important that you understand how much light your plants need for optimum results.
The Importance of Light
It is well known to most people that plants need sunlight in order to survive. The fact that they require “sunlight” is correct, but not the whole story. Plants actually use a very specific type of light during photosynthesis. The spectrum of visible light ranges from infra-red (or red) light at one end and ultra-violet (or violet) at the other. As humans, we are able to see only the part of this spectrum which is between red and violet: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. Our eyes are able to detect these colors because this part of the spectrum is reflected by objects around us and our eyes receive this reflected light as we observe them.
Plants can also “see” in a similar way, but their “eyes” are not made up of cells like ours; instead plants have chlorophyll molecules embedded in their cell membranes which absorb certain wavelengths of light much more efficiently than others. Chlorophylls A and B absorb both blue and red light strongly while very little green light is absorbed by these pigments; as a consequence, green light is reflected back from plants giving them their characteristic coloration.
When to Supplement with Artificial Light
Since there are so many variables involved when growing plants indoors, in order to make sure you know everything you need to make the right decision, we’ve created this article. The best way to grow plants indoors is by using artificial light. In order to enhance the growth of your plants and make sure they are healthy and happy, we recommend supplementing with additional light on a regular basis. There are a couple of ways you can do this. You can either put lights on timers or place them near your plants for extended periods of time throughout the day.
Those who have chosen the direct path will discover that keeping the lights off for more than an hour at a time may cause problems with night-time production growth. This means that if you have chosen not to use any artificial lights at all during nighttime hours, which is also known as natural daylight (daylight), you will want to add in some artificial lighting during those hours as well.
Using Artificial MH/HPS Lights
If you have the space, and a few dollars in your pocket, you can actually grow from seed all the way to harvest with HID lights. Many people do just that! This is especially useful if you are growing indoors or in a small space.
It’s possible to use HPS lights during the vegetative stage, but metal halide (MH) lights are usually preferred because they give plants more of the spectrum they need when they’re young. MH also produces less heat than HPS lamps, which is important if your plants are close to them. Metal halide light bulbs will eventually burn out so replace them every 18 months even if they seem to be working fine.
Try not to keep your plants under artificial light for more than 16 hours per day while they’re vegetating; otherwise they’ll get too leggy and weak. It’s OK to give them 18-20 hours of light a day while flowering though since it makes buds develop faster and bigger. If you’re growing from seed, use MH bulbs until the third set of true leaves develops then switch to HPS for flowering but don’t cut back on the hours of light each day; keep it at 18-20 hours per day throughout flowering.
Using LEDs for Growing
LED grow lights are more efficient, perform better and are a great value than other types of lighting. And no- they aren’t too expensive to purchase and set up. The switch to LED is not only good for your electric bill but it’s also good for the environment. They’re safe, they last longer, they’ll produce less heat, and they’re more effective at growing plants.
LEDs are already being used in most applications where light is required: street lamps, parking lots, stadiums (and ballparks), grocery stores and warehouse facilities.
The best part about LEDs? They use less energy than traditional lighting sources – making them much more efficient! In general terms we can see that LED grow lights will consume 20% or less energy while producing an equal amount of light as a comparable halogen lamp using 4 times its wattage. This means you can save money by not having to run air conditioning units just to cool down the room from all that heat produced by the traditional bulbs! Here’s some basic math for you: If your LED lamp uses 200 watts it would take a 400 watt HID bulb (high intensity discharge) using 75% less energy which equals $1 worth of electricity per month at current rates!
Tips on Indoor Gardening
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Growing seeds indoors can be very successful. Have a good plan before you start.
Whether you are starting your seedlings on a windowsill or under artificial lighting, the right setup is key to success. It’s wise to have an idea of the space and equipment you’ll need before purchasing seeds. You will want to make sure your seedlings get enough light, heat, and humidity.
If you have only a tiny windowsill available for growing seedlings, you may be better off buying small plants that are already started at a garden center come springtime. On the other hand, if you have some space indoors with good light and can provide supplemental lighting (or if it’s summer with long days), it’s easy to grow many types of vegetables as well as flowers from seeds — even those that require long periods of warm weather to produce full-sized plants.
Once you decide to start seeds indoors, whether in pots or flats placed under lights on a countertop or tabletop, check for these essentials: