How does a LED Grow Light helps plant growth biology?

The wavelengths of PAR – Photosynthetically Active Radiation region – are essential for plant growth and LED Grow Light plays a key role in this entire process.

The amazing and hard working day to day of a hobby grower isn’t just about the growers love you pour down into your indoor growing crops and then pray for amazing yields.

It begins with good and solid plant science that will help growers grow more efficiently.

We know that for an experienced grower, such information is considered the basics for a solid and productive.

But we must remember that we all start from scratch and that plant cultivation and plant growing is a labour of love, but also of acquired knowledge, research and experimentation.

In this article we address the issue of the importance of LED Grow Light in the plant growth process, but not only. What else can you read below;

  What is a Led Grow light and how is it used in plant growth?

  Advantages and Disadvantages of using a LED Grow Light.

  So can we say that LED Grow Light is the best choice for indoor cultivation?

  What is a full spectrum lighting?

  What I need to know about light spectra?

  Is green light good for plants?

  How does the light spectrum affect plant growth?

FAQS – Quick questions and answers about using LED growth lights in plant growth

What is a LED Grow Light and how is it used in plant growth?

An LED Grow Light is an energy efficient fixture, used as a single or as a supplemental light source for indoor growing or greenhouse, respectively. Its efficiency applies to their ability in converting electricity into useful photons that falls in the PAR region of the spectrum.

Afford LED Grow Light has a higher initial investment compared to the HPS fixtures but in the long term, by applying LED Grow Lights, will take advantage which makes them more appealing.

This allied to the fact that LED Grow Light uses full spectrum lighting, which benefits greatly in increasing plant growth efficiency.

It is clear that this mixture of qualities and attributes makes LED Grow Light a very popular lamp used by greenhouse farmers and cannabis growers.

LED lights are also highly appreciated for their long service life, the lower heat waste they cause and, as previously mentioned, their full light spectrum capacity.

Very important for a plant’s healthy growth cycle, LED Grow Light can play an equally fundamental role in promoting crop growth and increasing the efficiency of agricultural production.

Advantages and Disadvantages of using a LED Grow Light

But what are the pros and cons of using LED Grow Light in plant cultivation? Are there only advantages to using this product or are there also disadvantages?

Indeed, as stated in the lines above, there are many advantages in using LED Grow Lights for plant growth, but there are also some disadvantages.

Advantages of using LED Grow Light for plant growth

  Greater light spread and Uniformity ( a higher spread generated photons result in better uniformity over the canopies).

  Full spectrum lighting (LED Grow Lights can produce full spectrum, which benefits greatly in increasing plant growth efficiency).

  Customizable spectrum (the LED Grow Light spectrum can be manipulated regarding the crop you are growing).

  Long service life (while LED Grow Lights have an average lifetime of 50.000 hours or more, HID lamps have an estimated lifetime of between 10.000 and 18.000 hours).

  Low heat waste (LED lamps work at much cooler temperatures than HID lamps).

  Closer to canopy (Since LED work cooler than HID can be positioned more closer to canopies leading to less light loss).

  Efficiency (Less energy power needed to convert electricity into useful photons).

  Less power consumption (as they need less power to generate the almost same number of photons regarding HID, the electricity bill will be effectively lowered).

  Size(LEDs are extremely adaptable to various lighting applications as they can be of different sizes, some of them really small).

  Less carbon footprint (more energy savings means less electricity consumption).

  100% recyclable (Led grow lights don’t contain any toxic substances like mercury. This means all quality LEDs are certified by RoHS).

Disadvantages of using LED Grow Light for plant growth

But there are also some disadvantages of using LEDs Grow Lights in plant growth, namely:

  Higher initial investment (LED lights imply an initial investment of greater scale than, for example, HID lights. However, in the medium/long term this higher initial investment will be profitable and this will mean cost savings).

  Blue light exposure hazard (Prolonged exposure to shorter wavelengths and blue light can damage your eyes and skin). LED lights emit a blue coloured light that is dangerous to humans).

  Overheating (ineffective heat sinks will reduce the lamp life since the diodes are sensitive to high temperatures).

  Aging effect (cheaper chips can change colour over the lifetime, meaning that the light quality can be changed as well).

So can we say that LED Grow Light is the best choice for indoor cultivation?

Not necessarily. It depends on your goal in plant growth.

As we have already had occasion to write above, there are many advantages if you choose to use the LEDs Grow Lights in your indoor greenhouses.

With this LEDs system, your indoor crops will likely grow healthier and provide more profits.

This is due to the multiple advantages of LED Lights, namely: lifetime, low temperature, adjustable sizes, efficiency, full spectrum lighting, LED return of investment, between other factors that we´ve been talking.

However, if your goal is a short term project and the initial costs are your main concern, you might be better served with HID lights.

By providing more light intensity, HID lights are able to help with production in greater quantity.

But, if you choose HIDs, you are prepared to spend much more money and invest heavily in additional equipment, such as HVAC systems.

What is a full spectrum lighting?

Unlike ordinary indoor lighting, full spectrum lighting includes all colours in the electromagnetic wavelength, from infrared to ultraviolet, visible and non-visible.

A full spectrum light means that it includes all the colours in the electromagnetic wavelength that are indispensable for photosynthesis. This includes blue light, violet light, red light, yellow light, green light, visible and invisible light, going through infrared to ultraviolet, among others.

In common indoor lighting (that use lights other than LEDs), however, there is no full spectrum lighting.

What I need to know about light spectra?

So, to all you growers out there, if you want to maximize your growth and plant quality with the best energy versus expense relation, you certainly can begin with a good match on the emission spectrum from a light source to the PAR Action Spectra.

Due to all the research that has been done in horticulture grow lighting, led grow lights and – among other plant grow – cannabis indoor growing, it is understood that plants absorb light with chlorophyll and carotenoid photoreceptors.

These are really important because they absorb light energy by the chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids which utilizes it to trigger photosynthesis.

Related to this is the PAR Action Spectra, that graph displays the efficiency of photosynthesis as a function of wavelength.

Images A and B will help you to understand the Plant Absorption Spectra and the PAR Action Spectra

Image A)

Image B)

Is green light good for plants?

A first impression suggests that green light is nearly ineffective in contributing to photosynthesis when compared to red and blue light (which are very present in the LED Grow Light).

Although the PAR action spectra may be valid at low green light intensities. The newest research has shown that plants absorb green light at moderate/higher intensities (more than 200 µmols/m2/sec) and penetrates under the canopy leaves accomplished substantial growth benefit.

Therefore, green light has the least efficient wavelength in the visible spectrum for photosynthesis, but it is still very useful because it plays in chlorophyll production and through thick top canopies.

How does the light spectrum affect plant growth?

The influence of the light spectrum on plant development is defined as photomorphogenesis.

Plants (cannabis, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc..) have different needs, but the light spectrum tends to impact plants in the following ways:

  UV (280-400nm)– Develops plant defences and helps with disease resistance.

  Blue (400-500nm)– Stimulates leaf/root growth, inhibits stem elongation.

  Green (500-600nm)– Some Photosynthesis, can inhibit nutrients (for example anthocyanin).

  Red (600-700nm)– Stimulates flowering/fruiting, germination.

  Far Red (700-800nm)– Stimulates stem elongation.

In every grow light fixture, from reputable grow light manufacturers in the grow lighting market, comes along with detailed spec sheets that can help you learn more about an LED Grow light performance.

This is applicable for both already owning a Led Grow Light or setting out to buy the best grow light in the market.

At Photontek we provide both extensive and comprehensive spec sheets on each of our LED Grow Light Fixtures.

FAQS – Quick questions and answers about using LED growth lights in plant growth

1.Are LED Grow Lights more efficient than HID lights?

A. Yes, definitely. The efficiency of your plantation will be greater if you use LEDs

2.Is the LED growth lamp more expensive than the HPS lamp?

A. No, in most cases LED grow lamp is cheaper than HPS lamp

3.LED Grow Light helps plant growth biology?

A. Yes for sure. LED Grow Light is proven to have the ability to grow the plant faster and healthier than some traditional methods such as HPS lighting.

4.What colors of lights are most important for plant growth?

A. It is indisputable that the colors red and blue are the most used in plant growth and, therefore, the most important. But there are other colors of lights, such as green and even yellow, which also have a role to play in photosynthesis.

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