06 Nov
LED Grow Light

What’s The Difference Between LED Lights And LED Grow Lights-Part I

LED lights last for thousands of hours and have better energy efficiency compared to incandescent bulbs. That makes them a great choice for household and commercial use. With all the benefits of LEDs, you may have considered using LED grow lights for your indoor plants. Is there any difference between these and traditional LEDs? We did lots of research to bring you the answer.

What’s the difference between LED lights and LED grow lights? Standard LED lights only provide illumination while LED grow lights have a wider spectrum of both blue and red light that promote vegetative growth and flowering, respectively.

In this article, we’ll elaborate more on both LED lights and LED grow lights, expanding on the differences between them. We’ll also explain whether you should use LED grow lights for your indoor plant or another type of grow light entirely.

What Is an LED Light and an LED Grow Light? What’s the Difference?

To discuss the differences between LED lights and LED grow lights, we first have to explain both light sources in depth. Then we can compare them.

LED Lights

Short for light-emitting diode, an LED light has its own microchip inside. Electrical currents travel to that microchip, providing light to the LED. These bulbs also have a heat sink, where heat goes when the LED gets warm. That’s part of what keeps LED lights generally cool to the touch.

LEDs outperform incandescent lights in many ways, especially when it comes to energy efficiency. Your LEDs can save energy at a rate of 90 percent more than incandescent bulbs. The way LED lighting works is, when you turn your light source on, it’s directional. That means the LED light aims in a certain direction to provide illumination. Compare that to a compact fluorescent lamp or CFL as well as incandescent bulbs, where the light goes in every direction. That cuts down on energy efficiency since some light gets needlessly wasted.

Not only do LEDs make a smarter choice for the environment then, but for our wallets as well. Most LED lights will last about 50,000 hours. If you were to keep an LED light source on for 12 hours each day and it had a lifespan of 50,000 hours, you’d get over a decade of use out of it. That’s pretty good! Besides, LEDs last longer than CFLs (eight to 10x more), halogen bulbs (20 to 25x more), and incandescent lights (50x more).

We won’t say that LED lights are the most inexpensive lighting option the market, because that’s not true. However, since you don’t need to replace them nearly as often as other light sources, you quickly recoup that money back.

05 Nov
LED Grow Light

How Full Spectrum LED Grow Lights Work

Plants evolved in the outdoors thriving on nutrients, water, and sunlight. When we bring plants indoors, it becomes our responsibility to see that the plants get the same support indoors as is provided by nature outdoors. The biggest challenge – and the most misunderstood – is giving them the amount and quality of light they need.

Natural sunlight has wavelengths that range from gamma- and X-rays (both blocked by Earth’s atmosphere) and ultraviolet (UV) through the visible spectrum including infrared (IR) and low-frequency radio waves. While plants primarily use the visible part of the spectrum (with UV benefiting some aspects of plant growth such as active compounds, and some IR helping the plant to better use visible light), providing the right quality and quantity of the light a plant requires has been a problem when using artificial light.

Enter LED lighting.

Full Spectrum LED Lights have revolutionized indoor gardening.

High pressure sodium (HPS) and fluorescent grow lights, the type that have been around for a long time, can’t match sunlight’s spectral distribution. LED lights, on the other hand, are made with multiple diodes, each of which is tuned to a specific part of the spectrum. By combining diodes in the right ratio, full spectrum grow lights can be configured to provide the precise wavelengths plants need to thrive in all stages of their growing cycle.

Spectral distribution is important to optimal plant growth because different wavelengths affect different parts of the growing cycle. Blue light stimulates vegetative growth, resulting in leafy plants that can support plenty of budding and flowering. Red light promotes buds and flowers. But too much of a good thing can actually impede optimal growth. Too much blue can cause bushy plants with fewer buds, and too much red can inhibit vegetative growth and result in weak plants. Green light doesn’t have as much effect on plant growth, but it is still important for plants and completes the visible spectrum generating white light that replicates the natural light of the sun. Plus it makes inspecting your plants for diseases and other problems much easier.

Since each diode of an LED array gives off a narrow band of the spectrum, they can be designed to replicate the parts of natural sunlight used for plant growth nearly exactly – something that’s impossible with other forms of artificial lighting. Add to that the fact that LED grow lights consume much less power, last a lot longer, and give off much less heat and you have the ideal light source for indoor gardening.

Aokairuisi full spectrum grow lights have the most consistent coverage, largest footprints, and most reliable and highest quality lights available in the grow light industry. Our products pass both Europe and American standard, we can provide certificates and datasheets to our valued customers＆friends. Visit our store: https://ledgrowlight.co/product-category/led-growlights

04 Nov
LED Grow Light

Lumens: Why They’re Not That Important

Luminous flux is a measure of the amount of light that is visible to the human eye, and lumens are the unit used to describe this measurement. So, why don’t lumens matter when it comes to growing plants? Basically, lumens will show you how well a human eye will be able to see under a given light source… but plants don’t have human eyes.

Plants have a variety of pigments that use the energy in light to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugars (this process is known as photosynthesis). Different pigments use different wavelengths of light to accomplish this task: Chlorophyll a absorbs red and dark blue light; Chlorophyll b absorbs orange and light-blue light; Carotenoids absorb blue, purple, and ultraviolet (UV) light; and green/yellow light is essential for phytochrome response. While there is some overlap between the wavelengths of light useful to the human eye and those useful to plants for photosynthesis, different wavelengths are more important for each function. For example, the human eye is most sensitive to yellow light, so the measure of lumens is weighted with respect to that particular range of wavelengths, while photosynthetic plants make the most use of red and blue light. Another important consideration is that many plants utilize non-visible wavelengths of light. For example, UV light stimulates the production of defensive chemical compounds in many plants and specifically trichome and terpenoid production in cannabis. Lumens don’t provide any information about the UV or far red (FR / NIR) or infrared (IR) content of a light source.

So, what should you look for in a plant grow light, if not lumens? Lumens will give you some information about the power of a light source, but it is more important to pay attention to the combination of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) and Yield Photon Flux (YPF). Measured in micromoles per second and per square meter ( µmol s-1m-2), PAR shows how many photons in the 400 to 700 nanometer (nm) range of wavelengths are being emitted by a light source. The number of photons emitted is useful because photosynthesis takes place when a photon of light is absorbed by a reaction center located inside a photosynthetically active pigment. PAR still isn’t a perfect measure of how a grow light will perform. Contact our professional team and learn more: https://ledgrowlight.co/contact-us-5

YPF is a weighted measure of photon flux between 350 and 800 nm, meaning that it takes into account which exact wavelengths of light are most useful to plants and assigns those wavelengths a greater value of usefulness. YPF includes wavelengths outside of the visible range of light, which can cause the production of useful chemical compounds in some plants. While YPF is better than PAR and vastly better than lumens for evaluating grow lights, it still has shortcomings as well. A combination of wavelengths, including outside the visible range, is beneficial when growing plants under artificial light.

At Aokairuisi LED grow light, when we design plant growth lights, what we most value is how to maximize the advantages of lamps to plants rather than lumen. Our pursuit is to bring better and best products to customers who trust us!

03 Nov
LED Grow Light

Do LED Grow Lights Send Out Heat?

Yes, every light produces heat. It does not matter if the light comes from a bulb, diode, or a star like our sun; they all produce heat. LEDs provide a more efficient means for converting energy to light than other methods and therefore produce less heat, but they can not break the laws of physics. Physics dictates that anything that consumes electrical power will emit heat; claims that LED lights don’t produce heat are entirely false– just ask any physics teacher.

While LEDs generate heat, there are important differences between traditional lighting technology and LED lights:

HID lights (metal halide, high pressure sodium and ceramic metal halide / light emitting ceramic) require heat to produce light by arcing electricity through selected gasses, making them extremely hot, to the point the gasses glow. This means HID bulbs themselves are extremely hot– hot enough to start a fire, and many gardens have gone up in flames because of this danger. LEDs’ electroluminescence technology is entirely different and does not require heat to produce light; LEDs themselves will not get hot enough to start a fire.

Much of the energy used by HID lights is emitted as infrared light (above 800 nanometers). This “light” is not usable by plants and only works to warm up the leaves — and everything else under the light. This is why HID light feels warm on your skin, while LED light does not. Our LED grow lights don’t waste energy creating unusable and detrimental infrared light; all the energy goes toward growing your plants.

Because LEDs aren’t wasting energy producing light plants can’t use, we can use less energy overall to get the same (or better!) growth from plants. Less energy consumed means less heat; for a given growing area, LED lights will send out less heat than any equivalent artificial light.

Aokairuisi LED grow light will be your best partner when you choose to grow indoor. We offer full spectrum LED grow lights and the spectrum can be customized. Shop here: https://ledgrowlight.co/shop

01 Nov
LED Grow Light

What Do You Need to Know About Indoor Plant Diseases-Part IV

It’s always a pleasure to share these useful information about indoor plant diseases with you. In this blog, we’re going to introduce some more plant diseases, for instance, Sooty Mold (Ascomycetes) and Viral Diseases. Problems are not terrible. What matters is how to solve them. Let’s check them out!

Sooty Mold (Ascomycetes)

Members of genera Cladosporium and Alternaria are the main causal agents of sooty mold. These fungi usually invade after aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs or other honeydew-producing insects have already occupied the plant. The sticky, sugary substance these insects leave on foliage and leaf axils is very attractive to sooty molds. All that sugar is a very rich source of energy, and few can resist such a luxurious meal.

It is very easy to identify sooty molds, as they cause typical symptoms on leaves – black, powdery spots of mycelium that make the leaves look charred. These fungi are a nuisance if present sparsely, as they do little to no harm to plants. However, if the plants are heavily infested with honeydew-producing insects, sooty molds can cover the entire leaf surface and reduce its photosynthetic activity. Along with the sucking activity of the pests, it contributes to the further decline of plants.

Viral Diseases

Considering viruses are not active outside a living host, they are usually brought into the grow room with the contaminated planting material. Another way plants can get infected with viruses is with the help of their insect vectors. Some species of sucking insects help these simple organisms to reach their primary host by carrying them inside their mouth or saliva. When these insects suck the juices of an infected plant, they also consume the viral particles. When they move onto the next victim, they will release a bit of their saliva along with the viral particles before beginning to feast, thus infecting the plant.

Symptoms

Different plant viruses can cause different symptoms, but the most common ones include:

  • Leaf yellowing
  • Mosaic-like or stripey spotting on leaves or/and fruits
  • Leaf curling
  • Abnormal growth of leaves, flowers, and fruits
  • Stunted growth

How severe can the symptoms be? Well, it depends on multiple factors. These include the strain of the virus(es), environmental conditions, age, stage of development and specific species of the host plant. Symptomatic plants usually carry a couple of different viral strains, because these microscopic troublemakers often occur in mixed infections. The most tell-tale signs of a viral infection are mosaic-like spots on leaves and abnormal growth of buds and fruits.

Viral diseases cause very severe yield loss (up to 100%) when the infection occurs early, in young plants. Unfortunately, there are still no viable remedies for plant viruses. If you find any symptomatic plants in your garden, dispose of them and the substrate immediately.

31 Oct
LED Grow Light

What Do You Need to Know About Indoor Plant Diseases-Part III

We’ve talked about some of the indoor plant diseases in the last blogs, let’s learn about more of them in this blog.

Powdery Mildew (Erysiphales)

Powdery mildew is another cosmopolitan, common plant disease, and probably the most widely recognized one. As the name indicates, you can easily recognize this disease by its typical symptom – powdery, white mycelial growth on foliage. It all begins with small white or yellowish spots on the upper side of the leaves. In favorable conditions, the fungus spreads rapidly and occupies the entire leaf surface. Even though it first occurs on older foliage, powdery mildew can also successfully grow on buds, flowers, and young shoots. Spreading mycelium causes the photosynthetic surface to shrink, and the fungus also impairs the plant’s growth by stealing its nutrients.

Powdery mildew often occurs when the air humidity level is high, and the air circulation around the plants very poor. These fungi need moisture to initiate the infection, but once they make contact with the plant, they can thrive even in dry conditions. Although it rarely kills plants, powdery mildew can decrease the quality and quantity of yields. It can also progressively deteriorate the health of perennial species with repeated infections. As it gives plants a weakened, unsightly look, the presence of this disease is especially unfavorable in ornamental gardens and landscaping.

Symptoms

  • Pale yellowish spots and blotches on leaves
  • Powdery spots on the upper or both sides of the leaf
  • Premature fruit ripening
  • Leaves dry and start to curl towards the upper side

As the disease progresses, the whole surface of the leaf can be covered with powdery white mycelia. The affected foliage eventually turns from yellow to brown and dries completely. This decreases plant vigor and drains it of resources that would have otherwise gone to fruit or bud production.

Gray Mold (Botrytis cinerea)

Gray mold is among the most common diseases in plant production, affecting more than 200 plant species. It is caused by a very persistent and widespread fungus called Botrytis cinerea. The name of this fungus directly translates to “grapes like ashes” which describes the shape of its reproductive organs and the gray color of the spore masses. Besides directly affecting growing plants, this pathogen can remain latent until after the harvest. Seemingly healthy stored fruits infected with B. cinerea will develop brown blotches that soon become covered in the grayish mycelium. The tight packing of the fruits enables the fungus to easily spread from infected fruits to healthy ones. This can result in severe losses of stored goods, so it is not a surprise that gray mold is considered one of the most important diseases in agriculture.

Gray mold usually develops on older growth first, causing little to no damage to the plant. However, if the conditions become favorable for its development (high air humidity, moisture, temperature between 65-75℉) the fungus will grow rapidly. It can spread onto younger growth and ripe fruits, deteriorating the plant’s health and causing yield loss. Botrytis cinerea is perhaps most famous for its detrimental effect on wine grape production, but it is also “popular” in fruit, vegetable, and cannabis production.

Symptoms

  • Elliptical, watery lesions on stems
  • V-shaped or circular yellow to brown spots on leaves
  • Dry, curled leaves
  • Tan or brown soft blotches on fruits that quickly become covered in gray mycelium

Gray mold spores are everywhere, and they move around easily with the help of air currents, water and insects. High levels of moisture, warm temperatures, and poor air circulation stimulate their germination and mycelial growth. The first symptoms usually appear on older growth in the form of large brown lesions on leaves and stems. If there was a lot of moisture during budding and fruit production, grey mold can develop in the crevices of buds and fruits, and decimate the yields early. On fleshy fruits, it forms dark blotches of softened tissue that is soon covered by a layer of grayish mycelium. In humid conditions, ashy mycelial growth can cover the fruits and buds entirely.

Leaf Spot (various fungi and bacteria)

Leaf spot is quite a wide term, and it encompasses many different plant diseases that share a common symptom. As the name indicates, the typical symptom includes spotting on leaves. The spots are small, initially yellow, but soon they turn yellowish-brown and have clear edges with a yellow halo. It is usually very hard to know which species of fungi or bacteria caused the disease, but you can at least differentiate between the two. If the spots are watery, the disease is probably a result of a bacterial infection. In both cases, the spots will increase their numbers as the disease progresses, grow larger and turn necrotic.

Leaf spot is mostly caused by fungal and bacterial pathogens that enter the plant through stomata and hydathodes on its foliage. This is why it manifests itself in such a way – each spot is a place where the pathogen has entered the plant and established itself. This is also the reason why it appears on older leaves first. Older foliage has stomata big enough for the pathogen to get in.

Causative agents of leaf spot only feed locally, and rarely affect other plant organs. Even though leaf spot is usually not lethal, it can reduce the photosynthetic surface of the plant and spoil the looks of ornamental species. By reducing its vigor and photosynthetic activity, it also makes the plant more susceptible to other diseases.

29 Oct
LED Grow Light

What Do You Need To Know About Indoor Plant Diseases-Part II

In the last blog, we introduced the reasons why indoor plant diseases occur, in order to come up with a proper prevention strategy, we need to know how our enemy behaves. So, let’s meet the most common diseases in indoor plant cultivation.

Root Rot (Phytophthora, Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Fusarium)

Root rot is the most common outcome of overwatering and poor soil drainage. When the soil is waterlogged, the plant’s roots suffocate due to the lack of oxygen and start to rot. Heavy, rich, densely packed garden soil with poor drainage is especially prone to this issue. However, root rot can also be a result of a fungal infection. More often than not, this disease is caused by the combined effects of both waterlogging and pathogenic fungi. The four main fungal genera that cause root rot are Phytophthora, Pythium, Rhizoctonia, and Fusarium. All of them cause similar symptoms and are difficult to differentiate solely based on a visual inspection.

The main problem with root rot is that it is very hard to notice on time. The first visible symptoms usually appear when the root is already well damaged. This disease is hard to treat and can have a fatal outcome, which is why proper prevention should be the first line of defense. Fungal spores that cause root rot easily spread by water, so hydroponic systems are especially vulnerable.

Symptoms

  • Stunted growth for no apparent reason
  • Leaves and stems turning yellow or brown
  • Wilting
  • Discoloration of the stem
  • Branch dieback

Typically, older growth displays symptoms first. However, as the disease progresses the whole plant becomes wilted and dry. The biggest problem with root rot is that it’s very unpredictable. Sometimes a single overwatering can trigger the infection, while sometimes it takes prolonged waterlogging for spores to germinate and attack. The easiest way to know whether your plants are suffering from root rot is to take a spade and remove a portion of the soil to expose the roots. If they have turned brown or black and became soft and squishy, your plant is probably suffering from root rot.

Stem Rot (Sclerotinia)

Stem rot is caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a pathogenic fungus that can infect many annual species of vegetables, field crops, succulents, and ornamental plants. Sometimes it can even infect young woody plants. S. sclerotiorum is a problem in both outdoor and indoor growing environments. It can infect the plant in any phase of growth, and cause the rotting of stored crops. Considering its wide array of hosts, high pathogenicity, destructiveness, and persistence, it is safe to say that S. sclerotiorum is among the most economically damaging pathogenic fungi in agriculture.

Sometimes S. sclerotiorum is referred to as white mold due to its white, cottony mycelium that is usually seen at the base of the stem in humid conditions. If you take an infected stem and cut it open, you will notice that the insides have become pithy, spongy and dry. You may also find tiny black specks in the white mycelium. These are called sclerotia, and they are compact masses of hardened mycelium that are packed with nutrients, ready to withstand harsh conditions. Sclerotia can lay dormant in the soil for years, and start to germinate once the conditions are favorable – increased humidity and cool temperatures.

Sclerotinia root rot (SSR) is often very hard to detect early, as the symptoms can take a while to manifest. When you see visible signs of SSR, it is highly likely that the plant has been battling with the infection for some time already.

Symptoms

  • Watery lesions on leaves and stem base
  • Leaf discoloration
  • Bleached stems
  • White mycelia on the base of the stem
  • Wilted, curled leaves

As mentioned earlier, this pathogenic fungus can also attack stored crops, especially fleshy ones like cucumbers, carrots, leafy greens, eggplants, and squash. The initial sign of infection are watery lesions on fruits. They become larger and darker as the disease progresses, and the entire fruit can become mushy and rotten. White, cottony mycelium covers the spots, and if the conditions were suitable for their production, you may also notice tiny black sclerotia.

The rest diseases will be introduced in the next blog, you’re always welcome to contact our Aokairuisi team for any question!

28 Oct
LED Grow Light

What Do You Need To Know About Indoor Plant Diseases-Part I

Compared to growing plants outdoors, indoor plant cultivation circumvents many dangers that can occur under the open sky. Aside from being sheltered from the elements, indoor plants are also less exposed to pests and diseases. However, this doesn’t mean that indoor plant cultivation is impervious to these problems. Although the enemies are less numerous, some of them are very persistent and resilient creatures that can create serious problems.

Why Do Indoor Plant Diseases Occur?

The main source of disease in indoor cultivation systems is either the contaminated substrate or infected planting material. There are some reported cases of infections caused by contaminated irrigation water, but these are rather rare occurrences. Anyway, if you find plant pathogens in your indoor garden, you probably brought them along with the cuttings, seeds, or/and the substrate. Considering that the majority of common indoor diseases are caused by soil pathogens, it is easy to conclude that contaminated soil is the predominant source of pathogenic microorganisms. For this reason, it is very important to get your soil mixes from a trusted producer, as well as cuttings, seeds, and other planting materials. If you mix your own substrates, make sure to get clean, quality ingredients. Also, if you take the seeds and cuttings yourself, it is crucial to use healthy, vigorous plants and sterilized tools.

Hygiene is extremely important in indoor plant cultivation. When a plant disease occurs in a small area packed with plants, it is bound to spread quickly. This is especially true for hydroponic systems, as the pathogens easily spread from plant to plant with the help of water.

Many cultivated plants thrive in microbiologically active substrates, and it is hard to completely eliminate pathogenic species without affecting the beneficial ones. Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad. There is always going to be some level of contamination in any microbiologically active soil. However, this doesn’t mean that the infection is bound to occur. Pathogens need favorable conditions for growth, so depriving them of these conditions is an effective way to control their spread. Monitoring humidity levels, optimizing the watering regime and proper plant nutrition play a very important role in disease prevention. This especially applies to densely cultivated, sensitive plants like vegetables and herbs.

Who Attacks Indoor Plants?

There are many fungal spores and bacteria lying dormant in the soil, waiting for the right conditions to activate and reproduce. Some of these species are regular citizens of the soil micro-community, completely harmless or even beneficial, while others are notorious plant pathogens. You can even find some opportunistic species that can be good guys or bad guys depending on environmental conditions and the state of the plant’s health. Like all living beings, when plants are stressed out their immunity drops, making them more susceptible to disease. Opportunistic fungal and bacterial microorganisms use this chance cunningly. They sense the weakened plants and instead of feeding on the decaying organic matter in the soil, they opt for a juicier meal. This is another reason why proper nutrition and optimized environmental conditions are so important for a successful harvest.

Luckily, indoor plants are sheltered from the most harmful organisms that attack plants. However, lower variety doesn’t mean lower occurrence. Some species of pathogenic fungi and bacteria are very persistent, adaptable, and so widespread that it is almost impossible to avoid them. Even the most experienced growers battle with these notorious microscopic creatures from time to time.

In order to come up with a proper prevention strategy, we need to know how our enemy behaves. So, let’s meet the most common diseases in indoor plant cultivation in the next blog.

27 Oct
LED Grow Light

5 Common Mistakes Of Beginning Indoor Growers

Growing herbs, vegetables, or other forms of produce from seed indoors is a great way to have fresh ingredients at your fingertips year-round and save money in the process. But it only works if your plants live long enough to harvest. Legions of indoor gardeners start enthusiastically, only to give up when their seedlings fail to make it past infancy or produce plants that are less than ideal for consumption. Chances are that their lack of success results from a lack of understanding of what’s involved in growing healthy plants indoors.

Here a few of the most common mistakes beginners make when trying to grow plants indoors. By planning ahead to avoid these pitfalls, you can look forward to success in your indoor gardening.

Be Realistic

Growing plants in containers takes some assessment of how your lifestyle fits with your ambitions. You need room for the containers and the plants when they reach maturity. You need to provide light, water and nutrients throughout the life cycle of the plants. That may mean automating water and light or enlisting the help of others while you’re away on travel. You need to consider those around you, both humans and pets. Some people prefer neat, organized plantings while others are comfortable with less formal arrangements, and some plants can be toxic to pets and curious children. Planning your indoor garden ahead of time can make your experience pleasant and productive.

Give Seeds a Chance

Different seeds have different needs. Some like to be planted well below the soil line and others prefer to sit on top. Some need darkness to germinate while others crave light. Most seed packets give specific instructions for planting, but if yours doesn’t, a basic rule of thumb is to plant the seeds about 2-3 times as deep as the seed is wide. If the seeds want to be planted on the surface, tamp down the soil gently and then press the seed lightly onto the soil, making sure there’s good contact with the surface.

Water Wisely

Seedlings are delicate and very fussy about water. Too little and they wither away; too much and they drown. The challenge lies in finding the right balance. Generally speaking, you want the soil to be damp but not wet. Dampen the soil gently before sowing the seeds and cover the container with clear plastic until they germinate. You can avoid overwatering by watering your plants from the bottom and letting the water wick up through the drain holes in the pot. Check the plants daily to be sure they aren’t drying out or staying too wet.

Let There Be Light

Light gives seedlings the energy they need to grow, and just like teenagers, seedlings need a lot of nourishment. Even in south-facing windows, chances are your plants won’t get enough light, especially in the winter when days are shorter. The answer is providing grow lights that give the proper spectral distribution throughout the plants’ growing cycle. The best lights for serious indoor gardening are LED grow lights that are compact, use much less electricity than other sources, and are less likely to burn your plants than other lighting sources. Mount the lights on chains or adjustable rope ratchets so you can keep them close to the seedling and raise them as the plants grow. Your plants will want 12-16 hours of light each day, and the simplest way to give it is to put your grow lights on a timer. Check some excellent LED grow lights here: https://ledgrowlight.co/shop

Be Aware of the Environment

Most seeds need their soil to be at least 65 °F in order to germinate and sprout. Put your starter pots in a consistently warm place or provide heat with a seedling mat or small heater in a safe location. Once the seedlings have established themselves, they are more tolerant to temperature fluctuations, but they generally don’t like being cold. Proper temperature, humidity and air circulation are essential to growing healthy plants, so plan your garden for an area where these variables can be controlled. Optimal results are often best achieved in a dedicated space such as a grow tent where these elements can be regulated precisely.

Growing crops indoors can be fun and rewarding, but like any other hobby, indoor gardening takes some skills to meet the challenge of successfully nourishing plants in a foreign environment. Take some time to learn the tips and tricks and you’ll be well on your way to earning your green thumb.

26 Oct
LED Grow Light

What Is Photosynthesis

PHOTOSYNTHESIS EXPLAINED FOR THE INDOOR GROWERS

Although there is more than one type of photosynthesis, oxygen is released during the photosynthesis process in plants, so plants employ oxygenic photosynthesis. Oxygenic photosynthesis is the manner through which plants utilize light energy to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) into glucose and oxygen. The chemical formula for this process is:

6 CO2 + 12 H2O → C6H12O6 + 6 O2 + 6 H2O

(Carbon dioxide + water + light energy → carbohydrate + oxygen).

In photosynthesis, plants use their leaves to capture carbon dioxide from the air and their roots to gather water. In order to gather light energy, plants use organelles (units within cells) that are called chloroplasts and can be found in large quantities in their leaves. Chloroplasts contain chlorophyll, the pigment that makes plants green and one pigment used to absorb energy. Carotenoids, anthocyanins, and xanthophylls are also pigments used by plants to obtain light energy. During photosynthesis, the light energy gathered by these pigments reacts with the CO2 and H20 molecules yielding glucose, the carbohydrate that plants use for food, and oxygen, which is released into the air.

Why is it important to understand photosynthesis?

The obvious answer is that plants will die without oxygenic photosynthesis because they are unable to feed themselves. However, it is also important to understand photosynthesis in order to provide plants with what they need to grow strong and healthy. For plants to function efficiently, factors such as levels of CO2, the intensity and frequency of light, temperature, and humidity must be monitored. For example, if temperatures are too high or if plants do not have access to enough CO2, they will undergo photorespiration, slowing down the process of photosynthesis and growth. As CO2 is increased, plants will produce more glucose. But, this rate of return is a diminishing one, and too much CO2 will ultimately slow down photosynthesis and damage plants.

Also, it is important to know that plants are able to absorb many different wavelengths of light during photosynthesis. Their primary pigments—chlorophyll and carotenoids—mainly absorb red, blue, violet, and blue-green light. In order to maintain efficient photosynthesis, healthy plants require a complete spectrum light source, just like what Aokairuisi LED grow light offers, our lights focus on wavelengths in the Yield Photon Flux (YPF) range, while also incorporating light conditions found in nature, such as ultraviolet and infrared light for increased turpinoid/flavinoid production and faster flowering.