Fluorescent lamps for plants: how to choose? Influence of fluorescent lamp on plant growth

To the plant abundantly blossom, it developed well, it needs a sufficient amount of sunlight. This is necessary for the natural process of photosynthesis - the plant produces a synthesis of carbohydrates, which participate in the process of their growth and development. In the summer period, when domestic plants receive the necessary amount of sunlight, the question of additional lighting does not arise. However, with the onset of winter, this problem becomes the most urgent.

Beginners florists, as a rule, highlight home plants with ordinary lamps. But this is completely useless. The leaves still remain pale, the plants are small and bloom poorly. After all, artificial lighting is not able to fully replace the sun's color. In addition, if you highlight the plants through a conventional lamp. In this case, special fluorescent lamps for plants are needed.

What kind of lighting to choose

In the period of early spring, late autumn and winter, when decorative plants do not have enough sunlight, electric lighting comes to the rescue. Under the influence of additional light their leaves become brighter and greener. A lush, profuse flowering lasts much longer.

There are different lamps for plants, how to choose the most suitable option?

For successful year-round cultivation, you need to purchase a lighting installation in a specialized store. Their choice is quite extensive. To date, manufacturers offer a variety of lamps-lamps: standing on tripods, wall, suspended, attached to the Velcro and clothes pegs.

Optimum for them are considered orange-red and blue-violet rays. The first contribute to development. The latter increase vegetative growth. When choosing fluorescent lamps for plants, it is important to take into account the fact that the energy of the blue emitted by the lamp should be a couple of times lower than the energy of red radiation.

It is important to remember that illumination should be done regularly, not from time to time. Since periodic lighting can only harm plants, thus, their biorhythms are knocked down.

Lamps for plants how to choose

When choosing the type of lighting for plants, it is important to remember that not only its intensity, but the radiation spectrum, is of great importance. In this case, the optimal option is the spectrum of daylight, extending from ultraviolet rays to infrared.

Light, similar to the daylight, gives artificial sources of illumination, but not in the entire spectrum. Everyone knows that chlorophyll is involved in the transformation of light energy into the energy of organic compounds, the red and blue parts of the spectrum are the best absorber of light. A lamp for the growth of plants with a red spectrum favors the acceleration of germination of seeds and the growth of shoots. The growth of green mass in the first stage of plant development is promoted by blue-violet light.

For plants, various kinds of lamps can be used as lighting sources: incandescent, gas-discharge, LEDs, and also fluorescent lamps for plants. Currently, the most popular is the last option.

The least suitable for these purposes are standard incandescent lamps, since they are characterized by low light intensity, their spectrum is dominated by orange, red and infrared rays, which accelerate vertical growth, under such illumination plants are stretched.

The fluorescent lamps for plants are closest to the spectrum of daylight, in addition, unlike incandescent lamps, they are much more economical. Most plants develop well under these lamps.

Fluorescent lamps

Their light as much as possible corresponds to natural light, in addition, they practically do not radiate heat. Most importantly, fluorescent lamps for indoor plants, in contrast to incandescent lamps, consume 4 times less energy.

For today in shops it is possible to see a huge choice of the given lighting devices - various capacity, the form, a kind of radiation of light waves, a kind of developed discharge, etc.

Also worth highlighting energy-saving fluorescent lamps - the most popular and economical.

Distance to plants

Fluorescent lamps should be placed from decorative deciduous plants at a distance of 30-60 cm, from decorative flowering - 20-30 cm. However, if you use this type of lighting as the main one - in chandeliers or sconces, then the main principle is not the distance Before the lamp, and the sufficiency of light. But if you have 1-2 devices per large area, plants should be placed as close to the lamps as possible, that is, at the distance indicated above.

When the plant is located by one side to the lamp, it is recommended to turn it periodically.

Characteristics

As a rule, luminescent lamps for growing plants of the day type LBT or LB are used for illumination, since they give cold light. Such brands as LDC and LD are unsuitable for such purposes, since their spectrum is only able to depress the plant.

Depending on the distance and area of the illuminated room, the lamp power for indoor plants is selected.

How to place a lamp for plant lighting

In the process of placement, it is important to remember that if you double the distance to the lamp, you need to reduce the intensity of lighting by four times.

If the leaves began to appear traces of burns, then the source of light is too low, pale leaves and elongated stems indicate that the plant growth lamp is too far away.

The lateral artificial lighting is able to bend the stems towards the light, so it is better to light it from above.

Duration of lighting

Since the primary goal is to increase the daylight of the plant, then it must be extended depending on the natural daylight - in the evening and in the morning for 3-4 hours. As a result, the time should be about 6-8 hours. For particularly cloudy days, the lamp should be turned on for 12 hours.

To increase the duration of flowering, it is recommended to increase the time of illumination. For example, a plant like senpolia needs to be illuminated every day for 12-14 hours - this is a prerequisite for its flowering.

It is also worth noting that plants require a period of rest, since forced long flowering during the winter period substantially depletes them. The exception is the plants blooming in winter.