If there is not enough daylight when growing, plants need additional light. LED plant light has proven particularly effective.
If you want to grow your own vegetable and ornamental plants for next summer, you should think about the right location. Because it's not just the right temperature, but also sufficient light that decides whether the young plants will sprout at all and subsequently grow and thrive.
The light requirement of the plants does not stop after growth. Every plant needs light in order to bloom lavishly or bear a lot of fruit, but not all plants get the blazing sun. The intense sunlight in spring, in particular, can burn the tender shoots quickly. A window sill spot may be the right temperature for germination, but the lack of sunlight in January and February often leads to disappointing seed results.
What do plants need light for?
Actually, hardly any living being can exist without light. Light is also an important source of energy for plants so that they can grow and thrive. In order to be able to convert the nutrients from the water and the soil and the carbon dioxide from the air into sugar and oxygen, every plant needs light. Because only through photosynthesis does the plant have the food it needs.
But not all plants need the same amount of light. While Mediterranean plants are mostly sun-worshippers, ferns, found in dense undergrowth, do well in cool, shady spots.
There are also major differences in germination. While light germs absolutely need sufficient sunlight to germinate, it is impossible for dark germs to form seedlings when they come into contact with light. But as soon as the seedlings can be seen, they need the light to grow just as much as light germinators.
Examples for light germinators and dark germinators
Light germinator
Carrots
Thyme
Lettuce
Tomato
Raspberry
Cress
Lavender
Lemon balmMarjoram
Pampas Grass
Marigold
Rosemary
Lemongrass
Dark germ
corn salad
cucumber
corn
pumpkin
lovage
parsley
tulips
chivesNasturtium
Larkspur
To protect dark germs from light, the location should not be chosen in direct sunlight and the seed should be planted a few centimeters deep in the ground. The necessary information can be found in the planting instructions. However, if the first spikes appear, the seedlings must be brought to a bright location.
Plant light for growing in greenhouses
In order to be able to successfully grow ornamental and useful plants in the greenhouse, the location and orientation are of no small importance. An east-west orientation is optimal for sufficient solar radiation. Since the sun is still very low in the winter months of January and February and in early spring, house walls, fences or trees should not cast any shadows on the greenhouse. If the optimal location cannot be guaranteed due to the spatial conditions, artificial plant light can be used to help.
You don't necessarily need special plant lights for this. Modern LED lights or fluorescent tubes also do a good job. In any case, the illuminance should be 1000 - 1500 lux. The cycle of day and night can be easily simulated using a digital timer or timer.
Plant Light Possibilities
» LED Lamps
They have an optimal light spectrum because they produce many red and blue tones, but are a bit more expensive to buy.
» Sodium Vapor Lamps
Their color spectrum is in the yellow-red range, which also results in greater heat development. They are good for the flowering phase.
» Daylight Lamps
They are only conditionally suitable for growing plants, as they were designed to illuminate living spaces with natural light.
» energy saving lamps
They also serve more to illuminate rooms and do not bring very convincing results when lighting plants.
» Fluorescent Tubes
In cool white, they are very similar to natural sunlight and are therefore not only suitable for overwintering plants, but also for cultivation. Very good when a larger area needs to be illuminated.
Plant light for growing on the windowsill
If you can't set up a greenhouse or cold frame, but want to start growing early, use the warmer conditions on the windowsill to bring your plants forward. The bestThe location for this is in a south-west orientation. However, since the daylight in January and February is not yet sufficient for he althy growth, the conditions on the windowsill should also be optimized with artificial light. Here, too, modern LED lights are suitable as light sources, which are adjusted to the day-night rhythm by means of a timer.
» Tip: So that the plants don't "shoot" but become nice and strong, they should be moved to an equally bright but slightly cooler place after the 3rd or 4th leaf be provided.