What is the difference between LED plant grow lights and regular lights? Today we are going to popularize it for you.
There are these types of lights: incandescent, tungsten-halogen, fluorescent, etc. Let’s look at the following types of lights.
01 Incandescent lamp
Incandescent lamp is the filament is heated to an incandescent state, the use of thermal radiation to emit visible light electric light source. The development trend of incandescent lamps is mainly the development of energy-saving bulbs, different uses and requirements of incandescent lamps, the structure and components are not the same. Incandescent light color and light collection performance is very good, but because of the low luminous efficiency, has been gradually withdrawn from production and sales, its advantages are simple structure, low cost, easy to use, good brightness. The disadvantages are: low luminous efficiency, short service life.
02 Tungsten halogen lamp
Tungsten halogen lamp, is a lamp filled with halogenated elements and halogenated elements in the interior of the lamp, under certain temperature conditions, after the appropriate temperature evaporation of tungsten and halogen substances react accordingly, and then form a kind of volatile Tungsten halogen compounds, this time the Tungsten halogen compounds for the gaseous state, when this gas encountered heat and volatilized into tungsten and halogen, so that the lamp can be recycled. The disadvantage is poor shock resistance.
03 Fluorescent lamps
Fluorescent lamps use mercury vapor in the role of the applied voltage to produce an electrical discharge, emitting a little visible light and a lot of ultraviolet light, ultraviolet stimulates the phosphor-coated on the inner wall of the lamp, so that it emits bright light. Life and brightness are better than incandescent lamps. Disadvantages of the long start-up time, there will be strobe, affecting the service life.
04 LED plant growth light
LED is a light-emitting diode. LED lights are used solid semiconductor chip crop light-emitting material, when the two ends plus forward voltage, the semiconductor carrier fluid compound, the release of excess energy and cause photon emission to produce visible light. Advantages: high efficiency, pure light color, low energy consumption; durable long life; safe and environmentally friendly, start instantly; anti-vibration, cold light source, long time lamp body surface heat low, good heat dissipation. Close to the object without making it scorched. Based on this feature, LED can be placed horizontally or vertically above the plant. Disadvantages Weak brightness, high cost.
Photosynthesis
The main reason why special lamps are used for plant growth lights is that the light needed for plant photosynthesis is different from the light we use for everyday lighting. Plants need to use the sun’s light energy to assimilate carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) to produce organic matter and release oxygen, a process called photosynthesis.
Here we look at the effects of different wavelengths on plants.
280 to 315 nm: minimal effect on morphological and physiological processes.
315~400nm: little chlorophyll absorption, affecting the photoperiodic effect and preventing stem elongation.
400~520nm (blue): the largest ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoid absorption and the greatest effect on photosynthesis.
520~610nm (green): little absorption of pigments.
610 ~ 720 nm (red): low absorption of chlorophyll, which has a significant effect on photosynthesis and photoperiodic effects.
720 ~ 1000nm: low absorption, stimulates cell lengthening and affects flowering and seed germination > 1000nm: converted to heat.
From the above data, the light needed by plants for photosynthesis is around 400 ~ 720nm. 400 ~ 520nm (blue) and 610 ~ 720nm (red) contribute the most to photosynthesis. 520 ~ 610nm (green) has a low rate of absorption by phytochrome.
As can be seen, plant lights are basically made in the form of a red-blue combination, all-blue and all-red to provide light of both red and blue wavelengths to cover the wavelength range required for photosynthesis. In terms of visual effect, the red and blue combination of plant lights appears pink.
LED plant light supply light to plants, the general power is lower than 50wLED plant light lamp, for different plants, the height from the plant main leaf surface is 0.2m to 0.8m; the power is higher than 50wLED plant light lamp, for different plants, the height from the plant main leaf surface is 0.5m to 1.5m; comprehensive above situation; LED lamp is the most suitable for plant light supplement lamps and lanterns.
