DIY seedling lighting

During the autumn-winter season, a period of particular lack of sunlight and daylight, there is a need for home lighting. seedlingsThis article, quite appropriately, will discuss DIY lighting for seedlings at home. This immediately raises a huge number of questions: how to provide lighting, what lamps to use, etc. During growth, all plants direct their color toward the sun, often expending all their energy on this. The result is thin stems and leaves only at the tip of the stem, blackleg disease, and death.

The best time to plant seeds for seedlings is the last months of winter. Winter months don't offer much sunshine, so indoor lighting is essential. It's not difficult to set one up yourself, as it's easy and inexpensive. The results are guaranteed to be positive.

The first option that might immediately come to mind is a regular light bulb, but it's not suitable for illuminating seeds because the wattage of such bulbs is too high. The heat generated by an incandescent bulb is too intense and can cause burns. However, they also have minimal light output, which won't provide enough light for plants. The spectrum of such bulbs is blue-light-free; blue light is absent in such bulbs. Don't try to buy bulbs with a higher wattage—they're not suitable for illuminating seedlings. Certain species prefer diffused light, which is important, for example, when growing avocados.

So, how do you create lighting for seedlings at home (photo)? Several lamp options are available for illuminating plants during the germination stage. First, you need to understand how to choose lamps and what kind of lighting is needed. Naturally, it's quite difficult to replace regular daylight and sunlight. But both have physical characteristics—your task is to replicate them by choosing the right type of lighting, thereby "tricking" the plant.

Sunlight is a spectrum—wavelengths of hydrogen, helium, and ionized metals—comprising visible and invisible parts. Plants need the entire spectrum to thrive. Each wavelength brings its own benefits and is absorbed by the seedling in its own way.

The spectrum consists of seven colors—this is crucial for creating artificial lighting for seedlings at home. It's also worth noting that all seeds germinate in the dark, while those not covered by a layer of soil still germinate at night, in the dark.

We recommend reading:Tomatoes for a polycarbonate greenhouse.

So, what is the red part of the spectrum responsible for?

Red light (630-770 nm) is the longest wavelength in the spectrum. Chlorophyll, a pigment found in plants, is an active participant in photosynthesis. Chlorophyll feeds on the energy of the red part of the spectrum, reflecting green light. Before the development of chlorophyll pigments, the red part of the spectrum played an equally important role. Phytochrome is a pigment sensitive specifically to red light. Phytochrome is the part of the plant, the pigment that determines the time of day and is responsible for flowering, and it responds to red light. Phytochrome determines a plant's light-loving and, conversely, shade-loving properties. Red light acts as a kind of germination stimulant.

The second-longest wavelength, orange light (585-620 nm), also influences plant fertility. To summarize, red and orange light are the primary energy sources for metabolism and seed germination.

Yellow (575-585 nm) and green (510-575 nm) parts of the spectral composition.

Returning to the chlorophyll pigment, it should be noted that thanks to it, green and yellow dyes participate only in the green coloring of plants. Because chlorophyll, a green pigment, reflects this part of the spectral composition, the green pigment does not absorb, but reflects, green and yellow wavelengths. Despite this, its absence can still negatively affect plant growth or growing vegetables, since it is part of the natural spectral composition.

Blue (440-480 nm) and cyan (480-510 nm) light.

Blue and light-blue wavelengths interact with the pigment cryptochrome, which is responsible for phototropism. Phototropism is the bending of a plant's stem toward the light source. Blue wavelengths also inhibit cell elongation, although they stimulate cell division. They inhibit stem growth and are responsible for the size of leaf stomata. When blue and light-blue light levels are insufficient, the stem elongates.

Violet (390-440) and ultraviolet light.

Like blue light, it influences the transition of cells to differentiation rather than elongation. It actively influences photosynthesis and is an integral part of the spectral composition of natural light.

The invisible part of the spectrum.

The ultraviolet wave is an invisible part of the spectrum, but it plays an equally important role in the development of the cucumber.

Ultraviolet radiation kills pathogenic bacteria and has a disinfecting effect, but in large quantities it is dangerous for plants. In large quantities, ultraviolet radiation can be harmful to any plant variety. Its energy can also destroy biomolecules. It is recommended to use ultraviolet radiation in moderation.

Infrared radiation.

It doesn't have a significant effect on all plants. It's responsible for heat and has a thermal effect on the seedling.

Having understood the physical processes involved in illuminating seedlings, and having learned the importance of each element of the spectral composition and lighting as a whole, we can now move on to the question of how to create lighting for seedlings at home.

First, you need to prepare a growing area for the seedlings. You'll need shelving and a nearby power outlet or a generator if you decide to use grow lights.

LED lamps

How to provide lighting for seedlings at home using LED lamps?

Let's start with the favorite in this category. Its advantages include the ability to combine two wavelengths of light that are crucial for plants: red and blue. The lamp material and LEDs themselves are inexpensive. While plants receive about 6,000 lux under LED lighting, the closest approximation to natural light, this lamp consumes little electricity. It's easy to assemble and easy to use. All these qualities make this option practically ideal. To make such a lamp yourself, consider: at home You'll need LEDs in the required colors (red and blue), hot-melt adhesive, a material that can be used as a rigid base, electricity (a power supply), a cord, and a plug. You'll connect everything together using a soldering iron, screws, and double-sided tape. It's best to alternate the colors of the backlight.

 

Devices

Lighting for seedlings at home with commercially available fixtures isn't all that difficult. The advantages of phytolamps include the absence of infrared and ultraviolet rays and the presence of pink (most commonly) and blue light. The disadvantages include the impossibility of making such a lamp at home. Another downside is the price of this lighting option.

Fluorescent lamps

Let's talk about lighting seedlings with fluorescent lamps at home (photo).
In their operation and internal design, they resemble standard incandescent lamps. Their advantages include natural light, the availability of colors other than white, energy-saving properties, and high output.

The downside is that it's impossible to make one yourself, as a fluorescent lamp is a glass tube, hermetically sealed on both ends, filled with an inert gas (mercury column) and a phosphor. Another downside is the low light temperature of the lamp, resulting in a lack of red light.

We recommend to gardeners:Landscape design ideas for a 10-acre summer cottage.

Sodium lamps

And finally, how to illuminate seedlings with sodium lamps at home (photo)?

It's a lamp with a gas discharge in sodium vapor, which produces the glow. The advantage of sodium lamps is their warm light, but the disadvantages include complex installation and adjustment, and the high cost of the lamp.