Content
For backlight seedlings accommodate different types of lamps, but not all are equally useful. Plants thrive under the red and blue light spectrum. It is also important to consider the light temperature. LEDs help to create optimal lighting conditions. seedling lamps factory and homemade.
Spectra and color temperature
When choosing a suitable LED lamp for illuminating seedlings, you need to find out what spectra and color temperature it emits. Plants will benefit from:
- The blue glow has a positive effect on cell development. The optimum color temperature is 6400 K.
- The red glow stimulates seedling and root development. The optimum color temperature is 2700 K.
Plants are susceptible to light - 8 thousand lux. Such indicators are difficult to achieve with artificial light sources. If the seedlings are illuminated with LEDs, then an illumination of about 6 thousand lux is obtained.
The duration of additional lighting for each crop is different. Choosing LED lighting for seedlings, the operating mode can be set with the following time limit: after germination, seedlings of cabbage and tomatoes are illuminated for 16 hours, seedlings of adult tomatoes - 14 hours, cucumbers - 15 hours, peppers - 10 hours.
Novice vegetable growers are interested in the question of whether the illumination of seedlings with white LEDs is allowed if there are no specialized lamps. The fact is that the peak of the blue and red spectrum required for plant photosynthesis is 440 and 660 nm. White LEDs are characterized by a wide emission spectrum, but their peaks are abnormal. On the other hand, the planting material develops well under fluorescent fluorescent lamps. This means that white simple LED lamps for illuminating seedlings are also suitable.
The height of its location above the planting material depends on the power of the LED lamp. Some cultures like strong brightness, others moderate. It is optimal to maintain a gap between plants and the lamp - from 10 to 50 cm.
The video provides an overview of LED lamps for backlighting:
The advantage of LED light sources
In addition to saving energy, homemade lighting of seedlings with LED lamps has the following advantages:
- Long service life. LEDs are capable of shining up to 50 thousand hours, provided that the heat dissipation is properly arranged.
- A burnt out LED is easy to replace in a homemade lighting device yourself. Repair will cost much less from buying a new lamp.
- LEDs can be selected according to temperature and color of the glow, which allows you to create optimal lighting for each group of planting material.
- A smooth change in the brightness of the glow dimmer brings the artificial backlight closer to natural light.
- Low heat generation will allow you to bring the LED lamp as close as possible to the seedlings without the risk of getting burned.
- LEDs are free of mercury and other harmful substances.
- The lamp operates with a voltage of 12 or 24 volts, which creates the safety of a vegetable grower for planting material.
The disadvantage is still the high cost of high-quality LEDs, but in 2-3 years the backlight will pay off.
Varieties of lamps
LED lighting products are produced in various sizes and shapes. Depending on the amount of planting material, the lamps can be completed or independently assembled from LEDs according to individual parameters. When choosing devices in shape, they are guided by the following parameters:
- Tubular models are convenient for arranging lighting on long narrow shelves or window sills.
- Square-shaped tablets or panels cover a large area. The luminaire is suitable for lighting wide shelves.
- A single low-power lamp is used when growing a small number of seedlings.
- Searchlights illuminate a wide area with a large amount of planting material.
- Arrange the illumination with a free-form lamp allow led strip.
For LED lamps for seedlings, the price is formed according to the quality and characteristics of LEDs. Preference should be given not to cheap lamps, but to those that are more suitable for growing planting material.
Assembling a homemade lamp
Homemade LED lamps for illuminating seedlings can be soldered from individual bulbs. The presented circuit in the photo consists of LEDs and a rectifier power supply. The complexity of assembly lies in the large number of parts to be soldered.
It is easier to assemble a lamp from an LED strip and an old fluorescent lamp housing:
- First, all the filling is removed from the inside, and an aluminum plate is installed instead of it - a cooler.
- LED strips of blue and red glow are cut into pieces one module at a time. The cut points are marked with a scissor pattern.
- Each module is soldered with wires, alternating colors. There are usually 5-8 times more red light bulbs than blue light-emitting diodes.
- The cooler is degreased with alcohol. On the back side of the self-soldered LED strip, the protective film is removed and glued to the aluminum strip.
- The tape is connected to a 12 or 24 volt power supply, depending on the characteristics of the product. If the lamp glows normally, a native matte diffuser is placed on the body.
It will be even easier to assemble the lamp from the LED phyto tape. The bulbs are already selected on a tape of different glow colors, which will save you from the time-consuming process of separating and soldering modules.
The video shows an LED backlight lamp:
Tips for choosing LED light sources
To figure out which LED lamps for seedlings are better, useful tips will help.
The form
Long shelves or it is better to illuminate the window sill with a linear lamp. The round basement models are suitable for illuminating freestanding seedling boxes. Lamps create a limited projection of the light spot, and on long sections you will have to hang several pieces of them.
Spectrum of LEDs
The red and blue glow is useful for the development of seedlings, but if the wavelength does not match, there will be little benefit from the phytolamp. When buying a product, it is important to study the spectrogram on the package. The optimal blue wavelength is 450 nm and the red wavelength is 650 nm. If the parameters deviate or there is no spectrogram, it is better to refuse to buy a phytolamp.
Power
When calculating the power of LED lamps for seedlings, two important parameters must be distinguished:
- rated power indicates the limit parameter of the LED operation;
- real power is how much the LED will actually give out.
Light bulbs cannot be constantly operated at rated power, otherwise they will quickly fail. It is accepted to apply voltage by half. If we take a 3W LED, then its real power is 1.5W.
The total power of the luminaire is calculated by the number of LEDs.Moreover, it is the real, not the nominal, power that is summed up.
Radiator
LEDs emit little heat, but they get warm. Radiators are aluminum coolers that prevent the crystals from overheating above the permissible temperature of 75aboutC. In case of overheating, the LED changes its parameters or fails. A small radiator is unable to remove heat from a large number of bulbs.
The greater the distance between the LEDs, the better. The radiator copes with its functions faster.
The gap between the phytolamp and the tops of the plants
Phytolamp power | Distance to seedlings | Light spot projection (diameter) |
7-10 watts | 20-30 cm | 25-30 cm |
7-10 watts | 35-40 cm | 45-50 cm |
15-20 watts | 40-45 cm | 85-90 cm |
When additional illumination of seedlings with LED lamps is performed, it is important to correctly calculate the distance between the tops of the plants and the light source. The range of the gap is usually from 10 to 50 cm. Taking into account the power of the phytolamp, the diameter of the light spot and the characteristics of the grown vegetation, the optimal distance is calculated.
Phytolamp spectra
In order for the LED lighting of seedlings to be beneficial, you need to choose the right phytolamp. Depending on the composition of the spectrum, the light source is divided into three groups:
- bicolor lamps emit blue and red light. Phytolamp is suitable for illuminating seedlings in standard cultivation on shelves or windowsill.
- The full spectrum lamp displays its characteristics in the name. A product of universal purpose, the glow of which is close in parameters to the sun's rays.
- In the "multispectrum" lamp, a white glow and one more distant red color are added to the two primary colors. The light source is used for supplementary illumination of adult plants in a closed room.
When buying LED lamps, you should give preference to branded products with a guarantee. In case of failure, the seller is obliged to replace the goods.
Testimonials
Reviews of LED lamps for seedlings are of a different nature. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with a few of them.
