Lighting for seedlings

Extraction of seedlings is an unpleasant phenomenon. The reason for this is most often a lack of light. This problem can be avoided by organizing artificial lighting for seedlings.

What kind of lighting is better for seedlings?

In a short winter day, the intensity of sunlight is usually not enough for the normal growth of young plants. Organization of additional lighting for seedlings will help to solve this problem. As is known, plants are sensitive to various components of the spectrum, namely red, blue, violet, green and yellow. The length of the waves, which the seedlings easily absorb, is also important. Optimum these parameters are considered in the ranges of 655-660 nm and 450-455 nm.

As for lamps for lighting seedlings, today there are many options offered. Immediately it is worth pointing out that conventional incandescent lamps are completely inappropriate. Perfectly reacts seedlings to fluorescent lamps such as LBT or LB, which give cold light. For gardeners are offered special phytolamps. They disperse the red-violet glow, which is very useful for seedlings and, unfortunately, is harmful to the gardener's eyes. As additional illumination, sodium lamps with an orange-yellow glow are also suitable, which, unlike phytolamps, do not adversely affect human vision.

How to adjust lighting for seedlings?

There are two basic nuances that should be considered when organizing additional lighting. The first is the power of lighting for seedlings. Excessive indices of this parameter lead to over-drying and even burn of young plants. Conversely, an insufficient value of power will lead to a weakening of seedlings. An acceptable level of illumination for most plants is 6-8 thousand lux.

The mode of lighting the seedlings for each crop is different. So, for example, light-loving tomatoes and cucumbers require at least 12 hours of light day. It should be noted that on the south window sill on a sunny day only two morning and two evening hours are highlighted, on cloudy day - not less than 5 hours. On the northern window, the highlight is almost all day.

In addition, when preparing artificial lighting for growing seedlings, consider the distance to which the lamps should be placed. The normal height is 25-30 cm. It is not difficult to check: turn on the lamp and put a palm to the upper leaves of the seedling. If there is no sensation of heat there, then everything is in order.