How to Garden With LED Lights
When it comes to indoor gardening, the lighting system you choose could make or break your plants' growing successes. Grow lights mimic the sun and provide plants with a lot of what they need to be healthy. LED grow lights are one of the more popular types of grow lights and many gardeners prefer them over high-pressure sodium or metal halide systems. One reason is that the LED lights do not produce a lot of heat and thus will not burn plants. Before you install an LED grow light system, you should know to use them properly. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Hang the LED lighting system directly above your plants. How you hang the system depends on which you have. Some come with mounting devices and ballasts, whereas others allow you to make the decision on how to place them. The distance between the plants and the light depends on which lighting system you purchase. Some systems allow you to place the lights as close to the plants as possible without touching them, whereas others recommend 3 or 4 feet between the lights and the crop. Check with your lighting system's manufacturer for recommendations.
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Run your LED lighting system 24 hours a day, if your plants do not require dark periods, or time away from light. Check a gardening book or garden center to inquire about your plants' needs if you are not sure. If your plants do need dark periods, provide total darkness for one to eight hours in a 24-hour period.
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Maintain a temperature of 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit in the growing room. Low plant temperatures result in slow-growing plants. Since LED lights do not emit as much heat as other systems, you may need to place a heat mat under the plants or add heat to the room if you cannot keep the temperature within the recommended range.
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Water your plants only when they need it. Plants growing under LED lighting systems typically require much less water than those grown other under types of lights because they are exposed to less heat. Water your plants only when the soil appears dry. The amount of water to use depends on the types of plants you have and the size of the containers they are in.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are switching from another type of grow light to the LED variety, wean your plants off of your existing light source to avoid shock. For instance, start by adding just 30 minutes of LED light a day, increasing the amount daily, until your plants are exclusively on LED lights.
Some plants, such as tomatoes, benefit from having a 60-watt soft-light bulb placed in the room. The wavelengths from this type of bulb encourage fruiting.
References
- Photo Credit Geldbaum image by Angelika Bentin from Fotolia.com
