How To Create The Ideal Light Environment For Houseplants
Writer：Jane Time：2020-08-08 Browse：99
When designing the ideal light environment for houseplants, indoor growers should consider three characteristics: light quality, light quantity and light duration.
Once you understand how these features work together, you can optimize the lighting environment for indoor plant growing to grow healthy, uniform crops and benefit from year-round production, increasing yield per unit area and shortening harvest cycles.
Light Quality
Light quality is the wavelength of light reaching the plant. The light used for houseplant cultivation comes mainly from the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) band of the spectrum. The wavelength of a PAR is between 400 and 700 nanometers (nm). These wavelengths drive photosynthesis, the chemical process that drives plant growth. LED technology allows you to provide the most useful wavelengths of light for plants.
Although we are currently focusing on wavelengths in PAR(400-700 nm) for photocooperation, emerging evidence suggests that wavelengths outside this band can promote photosynthesis. As LED research continues to evolve, we may see changes in the boundaries of PAR areas in the future.
Light Quantity
The amount of light is the total amount of light received by the crop. The PPFD value is usually used to measure the amount of light in houseplant planting. PPFD is the number of micromoles of light hitting your crop per second for any given square meter.
Every crop has an ideal PPFD, which requires optimal growth. This light requirement reflects the plants' natural habitat. For example, plants that grow on the forest floor, such as orchids, require less PPFD than tomatoes that grow in open valleys.
The ideal light environment can achieve the target PPFD for the crop without exceeding the target, and can distribute the light evenly throughout the plant canopy. This will ensure that your crops grow equally evenly.
Excessive sunlight on crops can damage plants and waste energy. For example, lettuce that is too strong can cause cigarette burns, which makes the damaged plant more difficult to sell.
Light Duration
The light duration is the number of hours of light your crops receive. The duration of light is also called the photoperiod. Photoperiod controls flowering, dormancy, and other biological responses in many plants.
