What light is best for plants flowering?
We all know that light is essential for plant growth, but many growers don’t know what kind of light to look for when choosing plant grow lights, or why their plants need specific types of light. Different spectrum colors have different uses in the growth and development of cannabis plants. Light is one of the most critical factors in cannabis cultivation.
Red light (630 – 660 nm) is essential for stem growth and leaf expansion. The wavelength also regulates flowering, dormancy and seed germination.
Blue light (400 – 520 nm) needs to be carefully mixed with light in other spectra, because overexposure to light at this wavelength may hinder the growth of some plant species. Light in the blue range will also affect the chlorophyll content and leaf thickness in plants.
Green light (500 – 600 nm) penetrates the thick top canopy to support the leaves in the lower canopy.
Far red light (720 – 740 nm) also passes through the dense upper canopy to support the growth of leaves located in the lower part of the plant. In addition, exposure to infrared light can reduce the time required for plants to bloom. Another benefit of far red light is that plants exposed to this wavelength tend to produce larger leaves than those not exposed to the spectrum.
Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert water and carbon dioxide into food (sugar) under the sun. Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air through openings in their leaves and convert it into sugar during photosynthesis. Chlorophyll is the green pigment in plants, which enables plants to create their own food and gives them green. Water is necessary for photosynthesis. Plants absorb water through their roots. Oxygen is released back into the atmosphere as a by-product of photosynthesis.
The duration of light or the time the plant is exposed to the sun is also important. The duration of light varies with season. This also affects the ambient temperature. Not all plants need the same amount of light. Different plants have different lighting time requirements.
The spectrum consists of visible spectrum (the type of light we can see) and infrared spectrum (the type we can’t see). The four seasons have different light duration, which will affect photosynthesis. Some colors of light are more important for photosynthesis than others. Plants are adapted to absorb and use an appropriate amount of light for growth.
Many studies have shown that red light plays a vital role in regulating the quantity and quality of flowers and the duration of flowering period. In other words, the spectrum of plant lamp should have the most abundant red light. The lamp is usually described as having a “warm” spectrum and has a “low” spectrum. The spectrum rich in red light (600 to 700 nm) can inhibit the flowering of short day plants. Far red (700 to 800 nm) containing red light can sometimes accelerate the flowering of long sunshine plants. Red light at 2000K to 3000K and 640-680 nm is the most important at flowering. This light range promotes the growth of the stem and the overall height of the plant, because the red light indicates that there are no other plants on it, so it can grow unimpeded
For the growth of leaves and stems, blue light is more beneficial to plants than red light. For this reason, during the plant growth phase, your plant needs a lot of blue light. Strong vegetative growth is a prerequisite for flowering. However, blue light is also important at flowering because it regulates an important process of photosynthesis. Studies have shown that plants grown under red light produce fewer flowers than plants grown under a combination of red and blue light.
In fact, in cannabis plants, UV and IR also have different effects. For example, UV will increase the yield of cannabinoid, including tetrahydrocannabinol. Although ultraviolet rays are harmful, growth lamps usually emit a small amount of ultraviolet rays, but if you spend a lot of time under ultraviolet lamps in the indoor garden, you can wear protective glasses and clothes. In addition, infrared (IR) light can also be used for your plants. Infrared light can promote plant development and accelerate flowering.
The commonly used HPS lamp has a relatively small amount of blue light about the spectrum of HPS. Not applicable to plant growth stage. And HPS also emits a lot of yellow light. But most of it is wasted light, because plants can’t use it effectively. In addition, the HPS spectrum with rich red light (from 620 nm to 700 nm). Therefore, HPS grow lamp is suitable for flowering. At the same time, a large amount of infrared light (700 nm and above) can heat the growth environment. So HPS has high heat.
The advantage of LED grow light to plants is that it provides full spectrum light, including blue light, and promotes the production of chlorophyll and leaves in leafy vegetables and herbs; Red light, which is conducive to the flowering of flowering or fruiting plants. These two types of LED grow lamps do the best: one is the lamp with main red and blue diodes, and the other is the full spectrum led grow light (such as COB,LED grow light bar or quantum board)