Considering that we most often start planting sprouts in January, when daylight hours are especially short, additional lighting is rule No. 1. It is necessary in the morning and evening hours. Pay especially attention to this issue if your windows face north or you live on the ground floor. But modern phyto-lamps are so expensive that, combined with the costs of a greenhouse, such vegetables then turn out to be “golden”. Haven’t you really been able to cope without modern technical innovations before? And what can you build in your home workshop? In fact - a lot, but it’s important to first understand such concepts as “spectrum”, “cone” and “LEDs”. So, let’s make lighting for seedlings with our own hands!

Why do seedlings need special lighting?

In low light, plant photosynthesis is sluggish, biomass grows extremely slowly, and seedlings get sick. Moreover, each plant has its own requirements for the lighting spectrum, but, in general, white daylight has all the components. AND modern technologies still allow you to get as close as possible to the desired parameters.

About the “necessary” and “unnecessary” spectrum

As for the “usefulness” of the spectrum, the biggest misconception is that seedlings do not need green light at all - after all, they reflect it. In fact, it is needed in another way - for many important processes. Don't experiment with it!

The fullest spectrum is that of sunlight. These are full of different colors and different lengths. So,

Blue and purple are designed to regulate cell growth so that the shoots are short and strong.
Red influences seed germination and stimulates flowering.
Yellow and green - reflected from sheet plate, but necessary.

Of course, artificial light sources with all the achievements modern science are still far from the sun - they still have shifts in one direction or another of some colors. Therefore, it is better to use a matte screen as a reflector - it not only increases the efficiency of the backlight, but also makes the light “diffuse” - scattered. This is much better absorbed by plants than straight and hot.

What type of lamps should you prefer?

Optimum illumination is 8000 lux, and with the help of additional lamps alone you can easily achieve illuminance of 6000 lux. To provide high-quality lighting, you can use the following lamps:

Phytolamps are the most popular for illuminating seedlings. They are particularly efficient, compact, environmentally friendly, safe, economical and durable. The best of them are so far recognized as phytolamps from Paulmann - they do not heat up the sprouts and last a long time. Disadvantages: They emit a lilac-pink glow that causes headaches in people. To avoid this, use external mirror reflectors.
Mercury lamps have the largest “section” in the daylight region - that’s why they are called that. For humans, this white light is what is most important, but for plants it is no longer so. They need the red and purple part more. And only phyto lamps have a maximum radiation in the extreme parts of the spectrum.
Sodium metal halide lamps- effective and economical, easy to use, but they lack the blue spectrum.
Domestic sodium lamps"Reflex" high pressure. It is advisable to install several varieties: DNaZ with a built-in mirror reflector, DNaTT without such a reflector, DRiZ with a stable luminous flux. They all work best in combination, and they all emit an orange-yellow glow that is not irritating to the eyes. They are only expensive, and it is necessary to additionally install a control device.
Conventional incandescent lamps Not only are they ineffective, but they are also wasteful. They convert only 5% of the energy into light, and the remaining 95% into thermal radiation. This only causes the seedlings to stretch out, dry out and get burned. Yes, there is probably nothing easier than hanging an ordinary lamp. But, unfortunately, this is an extremely ineffective method. As we have already noted, it gives out little light, but it warms up too much and throws a lot of light.
Fluorescent lamps type LBT or LB are fluorescent lamps that provide cold light. Because They are low-power, you will need to install several of them at once, but keep in mind that the proportion of red light in them is low. Leave at least 15-35 cm to the container with plants.
Especially good LED bulbs : economical, durable, easy to select the desired intensity and spectrum.

It’s up to you to decide which lamps to choose.

Step 1. Purchase inexpensive lamps (for example, LPO-01-2x36) and two additional OSRAM L36W/765 daylight lamps for each lamp.
Step 2. Hang a curtain of white fabric or foil reflectors behind the plants so that the seedlings have enough light from all sides.
Step 3. Attach the lamps to wire loops - this allows you to quickly dismantle them if necessary.
Step 4. Hang the shelves - the best option, when four of them are up to 36 cm high and three are exactly 22 cm each. Low ones are good for strawberries, petunias and lobelia.

With this “system” the sprouts are quite comfortable: during the day the temperature reaches 26°C, and at night it drops to 20°C. Place barely hatched seedlings on the lowest shelf, where it is coolest; it is recommended to lower the temperature for two to three days. The only negative: LED lamps are expensive - when growing, they will pay for themselves only after two years.
Video comparison of fluorescent and LED lamps:

We design LED lighting ourselves

LEDs are convenient because they can be positioned at your own discretion. It is better, of course, to make them in two lines - for the sake of uniform illumination of the entire area. Also remember that each LED has a light cone with an angle of 70-120°C, and therefore they need to be positioned so that the projections of the cones overlap each other.

LED lamps are already used by those who have a good understanding of what plants actually need and have tried all other types. This is a conscious choice in favor of low power consumption and the ability to create your own personal spectrum. Even by combining the most different spectra through LEDs, varieties that have never been seen before are being grown today! And for good strong seedlings it is also useful to combine different terms different spectra:

Before the dive. Here it is better to use blue and red LEDs in a two to one ratio. Blue stimulates root growth well, but slightly slows down the development of the stem - so that it grows wider rather than upward. The stem turns out to be thick, and there is a small distance between the leaves.
After the pick. But here it is better to reduce the lighting intensity for a couple of days. After all, at this time the plants experience stress, and they need a period of rest for some time. Therefore, light the sprouts in a 1:1 ratio for about a month - blue and red.

So, here's how to make your own backlight. The first step is to purchase several LEDs from a specialized store:

Red 3GR-R in the amount of 30 pieces, with a wavelength of 650-660 Nm.
White 3HP2C 3800-4300K in the amount of 10 pcs, and pure white 4800-5300K - also 10 pcs. The former in their parameters correspond to the midday sun, and the latter to the morning sun.
Blue 3GR-B 445-452Nm, 20 pcs.

And drivers for them: HG2217 and RLD10 PWM. All this can also be purchased in online stores.

We implement the scheme in such a way that we can include the most different colors and their combinations. For example, 20 blue and 20 white. The lamp body should be an industrial lamp with 2 lamps. Simply remove the inner filling from it.

We attach the LEDs with hot glue - directly to the aluminum plastic. By the way, it can be purchased at a regular hardware store. Then we attach the fans - even those left over from old power supplies will do.

Here's an even easier way to build an LED light for seedlings. What you will need for this:

Power supply 24 V and 2 A DC.
12V power supply for cooler.
Computer cooler for cooling.
A strip of anodized aluminum - to remove heat from the diodes.
Blue LED Matrix 10W Integrated High power LED.
Two red LED matrices 10W Integrated High power LED.
Wires, hot melt glue and epoxy glue.

Step 1. Strip the ends of the wire sections and coat them with molten tin.
Step 2. We solder diode matrices to the ends so that the “+” and “-” from adjacent diodes are connected.
Step 3. We solder the wires to the outermost remaining ends, which we then connect to the output of the power supply. It is important that the number of diodes be selected so that their operating voltage is in total equal to the parameters of the unit - if it is 24V, then the same amount is needed.
Step 4. Take a strip of aluminum and make two “ears” in it for attaching the cooler using hot glue.
Step 5. Glue the chain of diodes to the aluminum using epoxy glue.
Step 6. Bend the edges of the aluminum strip so that it becomes a reflector.
Step 7. Plug in - everything works!

Believe me, you can do it!

How to check if the light is correct?

It is easy to understand whether seedlings have enough light: if the stems stretch, it means there is not enough light. And if the plants are straight and have wide, bright green leaves, the sprouts are healthy. But how can you determine whether the lamp is too hot? Just place your hand right in front of the leaves - do you feel the warmth? If yes, then it’s still fried.

By the way, the plants themselves will tell you when you need to turn off the additional lighting in the evening - their leaves will begin to close, as it were, and take a vertical position. And each variety needs its own dose of light - usually about 13 hours, although there are also crops that need all 17.

Remember: plants need to be illuminated even on cloudy days. Determining whether backlighting is needed is simple: turn on the lamp; if you notice that the illumination has increased, it means additional light is needed. If there is no difference, just turn it off.

Yes, in theory all this seems complicated - but in practice everything is much simpler, try it!

Lamps for growing seedlings. Which phytolamps are best for seedlings? Testing LED and fluorescent lighting for seedlings. Height of lighting for seedlings.

If you decide that you will grow seedlings yourself, then you cannot do without good lighting. Lamps for illuminating seedlings do not need to be purchased every year, so it is advisable buy once, but good lamps. Which lighting is best for seedlings? Most accurately, only the seedlings themselves can answer this question!

Previously, I always grew seedlings in Moscow under Flora lamps, and since April I have taken the seedlings out onto the glassed-in balcony. This year, for the first time, I stayed at the dacha for the winter, but the dacha does not have a glass balcony. But there is space in the house for shelving, and I decided to buy more lamps for the seedlings and compare their growth under different lamps.

Lamps for growing seedlings.

Without thinking twice, I purchased the most affordable phytolamps. I bought Sylvania lamps in a supermarket, and my good friend advised me to buy Fitochrome-1 lamps in an online store. So what we have: complete absence natural light, a rack with two shelves measuring 30 cm by 60 cm and a rack with one shelf measuring 60 cm by 90 cm. As well as various phytolamps:

LED phytolamps for seedlings.

"Fitochrome-1" - 3 pcs. Each lamp has a power of 10 w, a total of 30 w - shelf number one, its size 60cm by 90cm.

Fluorescent phytolamps for seedlings.

"Fluora" 2 pcs 30cm by 60cm.

"Sylvania" - 2 pcs. Each lamp has a power of 18w, a total of 36 w - shelf number two, its size 30cm by 60cm.

In the diagram, for ease of understanding, I made all the shelves the same size (30cm by 60cm)

The seedlings were sown with dry seeds on February 26, 2 weeks passed.

What lamps are best for illuminating seedlings?

I forgot to take pictures, because... I filmed a video, you can watch it at the end of the article. Already in the first week of the experiment, the tomatoes showed which lamps they liked best. The tomato, which stood under the Phytochrome-1 lamp, had the beginnings of stepsons, the color of the leaves and the thickness of the trunk also differed from the other two.

Tomato seedlings. 3 weeks have passed since sowing tomatoes with dry seeds. The experiment has been going on for a week.

During the first week of the experiment, peppers and eggplants, one might say, almost did not react to different lamp lights.

Peppers and eggplants. 3 weeks have passed since sowing with dry seeds and a week since the start of the experiment.

In the second week of the experiment, tomatoes growing under the Phytochrome-1 lamp began to grow uncontrollably, and a cluster of flowers appeared. The tomatoes grew not only stems, but also root system instantly filled the provided volume of the pot, and for some tomatoes it was 3 liters in volume, all other tomatoes grew in liter pots. Eggplants and peppers also figured it out and began to grow. Answer to the question:

Which phytolamps are best for seedlings?

It was received at the end of the second week of the experiment.

Seedlings of peppers and eggplants. 28 days from the moment of sowing with dry seeds and 14 days the experiment continues.

After the third week of the experiment, it became clear that it was no longer possible to keep the tomatoes on the shelves; there was nowhere to lift the lamps! The seedlings became simply huge, the stepsons were growing uncontrollably, and the flowers were about to open, and yet only 35 days had passed since sowing with dry seeds!

35 days from the date of sowing with dry seeds. Seedlings under the Phytochrome-1 lamp

Tomato seedlings 35 days from the moment of sowing with dry seeds.

Plants behaved differently under fluorescent lamps. Pale leaves, thin stems, lack of stepsons, the root system was in no hurry to fill the provided volume.

Eggplants and peppers also went wild under the Phytochrome lamp, especially the “Valentina” variety.

On the left is an eggplant that grew under a Phytochrome-1 lamp.

Despite the cold outside, we had to move all the seedlings to unheated greenhouse, I hope that it will not freeze, and I will show you the harvest. And I sowed the second batch of seedlings.

Conditions for seedling growth under phytolamps.

Here I want to dwell on one point. When seedlings grow on shelves, they can and should be covered on all sides with white, or even better, reflective material. In this case, the light will not be scattered throughout the room.

In addition, the seedlings have their own microclimate; it is possible to constantly maintain the same temperature, which is difficult to achieve when growing seedlings on a windowsill with additional lighting. After all, even if the temperature in the room is 22 degrees, then on the windowsill the temperature will be completely different, even if there is no blowing from the frames, the cold still comes from the glass.

I maintained the temperature on the shelves in the range of 20-22 degrees, humidity 45-50 percent. The light for seedlings was turned on for 17 hours a day.

You also need to think about the growth of the root system and remember that growing in a small volume good seedlings impossible. Something, of course, will grow, but everything is learned in comparison.

Height of lighting for seedlings.

The height of the backlight is also of great importance. On all shelves, the lamps were placed at a distance of 14 to 5 cm from the tops of the plants. You need to know in advance how you will regulate this process. After all, the seedlings grow very quickly, and the lamps had to be raised every other day.

In my opinion, growing seedlings on racks makes it much easier to get them strong and healthy, and the main thing is that this can be done in a very short time! I can imagine what kind of seedlings I would have if I grew them from the first day under the “Fitochrome-1” lamp!!! And what kind of seedlings I had before can be seen in the article “Early harvest of tomatoes” -

Buy lamps for seedlings Fitochrome-1, delivery throughout Russia - see in the comments.

Natalya Smorchkova (2017) –

I will answer your questions in the comments.

LED lamps that are commercially available are all different!!! I present the following photo after the publication of the article for those who are able to understand such technical specifications. Read the comments.

The fundamental difference between illuminating adult plants and young seedlings is that the light is captured not only by chlorophyll, which supports photosynthesis, but also by other pigments, such as phytochrome and cryptochrome, which affect cell division and elongation, as well as their specialization. Therefore, for developing seedlings, the quality and regularity of lighting is much more important than for adult plants.

And now more about the quality of light.

Light from most sources is characterized by the so-called spectral composition, that is, the proportion of light of each color of the rainbow. So, each type of light affects plants in its own way. For example, red light stimulates seed germination processes, and far (or distant) red light suppresses them.

Red light also promotes seedling development: in its absence, the seedling is in an etiolated state, in which it has a pale appearance and a hooked shape. As soon as (10 minutes is enough) red light begins to fall on it, the growth rate of the stem decreases, the hook straightens, chlorophyll synthesis begins, so the cotyledons begin to turn green.

Orange, yellow and green lights do not affect these pigments.

And here Blue colour by inhibiting cell elongation, it inhibits the growth of the stem, especially its subcotyledonous part, and therefore reduces the “stretching” of seedlings. At the same time, it stimulates cell division, allowing the stem to thicken. In addition, blue light causes phototropism reactions, better known as seedling bending: on the side of the blue light source, cell growth is inhibited, so the stem bends towards the blue light source.

Absorption spectrum of chlorophyll (horizontal - wavelength in nm).

The difference between luminous flux or (“luminous power”) and illuminance.

Lumens and luxes are often confused. These quantities are units of measurement luminous flux and illumination that need to be distinguished.

The electrical power of a lamp is measured in watts, and the luminous flux (“luminous power”) is measured in lumens (Lm). The more lumens, the more light the lamp produces.

Luminous flux characterizes the light source, and illuminance characterizes the surface on which the light falls.

Illumination is measured in lux (Lx). A light source with a luminous flux of 1 Lm, uniformly illuminating a surface of 1 square meter, creates an illumination of 1 Lux on it.

Dependence of illumination on the distance between the source and the illuminated surface.

Illumination on a surface is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the lamp to the surface. If you move a lamp hanging above the plants at a height of half a meter to a height of one meter from the plants, thus doubling the distance between them, then the illumination of the plants will decrease by four times. This is something to keep in mind when you are designing a plant lighting system.

If the illumination at a distance of 1 m from a light source is 1000 lux, then at a distance of 2 m it is already 250 lux, see table

The illumination on a surface depends on the angle at which this surface is illuminated. For example: the sun on a summer afternoon, being high in the sky, creates illumination on the surface of the earth several times greater than the sun hanging low above the horizon on a winter day. If you use a floodlight type lamp to illuminate plants, try to ensure that the light is directed perpendicular to the plants.

Required illumination for seedlings and calculation of the light power of lamps.

Required lighting for most of the plants we grow seedling method, must be above 8000lux. And where to get these luxes and how to calculate them on the packaging of the lamps in the store they don’t write. Moreover, most advisers who talk about the advantages of this or that lamp do not write about this. So it turns out that the lamp seems to be “correct”, but the plants feel bad. They stretch out, outgrow...

This happens especially often when a novice gardener, having read about the advantages of special “phytolamps,” decides to give his seedlings a holiday and installs 1 lamp over five rows of cups with seedlings! This can be compared to trying to feed one sandwich with caviar to all invited guests... After all, for plants, light is life! And good light means a luxurious life!

We now know that lux describes how “light” the plants are, and lumens characterize the lamps you use to illuminate those plants. And it is the number of lumens that is indicated on the lamp labeling.

Let's calculate how many lumens are needed for plants to receive illumination of 8000 lux or higher on YOUR windowsill or seedling table.

1. First, we calculate the area that the seedlings will occupy: For example, this is a table 1.5 m long and 1 m wide S = 1.5 * 1 = 1.5 m2

2. Now let’s determine the luminous flux in lumens that we need to create. To do this, we multiply the illumination we need by the area of the illuminated surface:
8000lx*1.5m2=12000lm is the minimum we need to illuminate our table.

3. Let's take into account the losses, when suspended at a height of about 30 cm they are about 30%, which means the luminous flux should be approximately 1.5 times greater than 12000 * 1.5 = 18000 lm.

So, we have calculated the minimum luminous flux that should be created by lamps designed to illuminate seedlings placed on a table 1.5 m long and 1 m wide.

What area can each lamp illuminate?

For approximate orientation, which lamp and for what area is best to use, you can see the table below. The table is given for HPS lamps.

Illuminated area depending on power.

150 60 cm x 60 cm

250 90 cm x 90 cm

400 1.2 m x 1.2 m

600 2 m x 2 m

1000 2.5 m x 2.5 m

How and what lamps or lamps should be chosen to illuminate seedlings.

When choosing lamps, you should, first of all, pay attention to the power of the luminous flux, the color spectrum of the radiation they create, the coefficient of performance (efficiency) of the optical system, as well as the stability of the light characteristics throughout the entire period of operation. It is better, of course, to buy mirror lamps with an efficiency of 95% or more. Since the light reflector in them is located inside the lamp, it is not susceptible to exposure to steam, water, salts, and does not become cloudy over time. So, optical effect of a lamp with a mirror lamp remains virtually unchanged throughout its entire service life.

Let's try to take fluorescent lamps as an example and look at the markings:

Power, W: 36

Chuck: G13

Service life: 20000

Purpose: The lamps have excellent luminous flux characteristics and greater environmental safety

Color: Cool White

Color Rendering Index (Ra) : 89

Lamp luminous flux (Lm): 3350 These are the lumens we need!

Lamp length, mm: 1200

That. to illuminate a table with an area of 1.5 m2 when hanging the lighting system at a height of 30 cm from the plants we will need as many as 6 lamps(18000lm:3350=5.37 but rounded to 6x).

Now we take a high-pressure mirror lamp DNaZ/Reflux 250

Power, W: 250

Lamp luminous flux (Lm) : 26000

As we can see from the characteristics, the luminous flux of one lamp will be enough for us to required illumination our table with seedlings.

Power, W: 70

Lamp luminous flux (Lm) : 5600

Requires 3 lamps.

Advantage of lamps DNaZ/Reflux is present, however, one must take into account their high cost, for example a ready-made lamp for seedlings 250 W with DNAZ and electronic ballasts costs about 4600-5000 rubles.

Many fluorescent lamp manufacturers offer lamps with a spectrum optimized for plants. It makes sense to purchase such a lamp if you need to replace an old lamp: with the same power, a special lamp provides more “useful” light for plants. But if you're installing a new plant lighting system, don't bother with these specialized lamps, which are much more expensive than regular ones. Install a more powerful lamp with a high color rendering index (lamp marking - /9...). Its spectrum will contain all the necessary components, and it will provide much more light than a special lamp.

Comparative light output of different types of lamps.

The light emission of such a lamp is extremely low - approximately 17 lumens/watt

A halogen lamp is fundamentally different from the lamp described above, it has a different shape and inside its bulb there is a halogen (usually iodine) in the form of a gas. As a result of the operation of the lamp and iodine gas in the flask, everything that escaped from the spiral tungsten filament comes back. Due to this, the life of the lamp increases, and its light output also increases ( about 25 lumens/watt) and color temperature.

The color temperature of this lamp is within 4300 degrees Kelvin, while the halogen lamp has - 2800 degrees Kelvin. The sun has light temperature equal to 6000 degrees Kelvin. Color temperature is a unit of brightness. Therefore, the higher this value is, the closer the spectrum of the lamp will be to natural sunlight. Now it becomes clear why xenon lamps have a blue tint, while halogen lamps have a yellow tint.
Luminous output up to 100 lumens per watt (average 70)

The luminous efficiency of such lamps depends on its type and is 70-100 lumens/watt.

Special - Linear lamps

With tube diameters of 16mm, 26mm and sockets G5 and G13, respectively, these lamps have specific parameters and characteristics and are most often used for aquariums and pets. They are also very often used to illuminate plants that are deprived or deprived of natural light. Such lamps have high level radiation in both the blue and red parts of the spectrum, which contributes to a good photosynthesis process. Due to this, plant growth is accelerated. Luminous output 47-93 lumens per watt (average 60)

This type of lamp is very popular among people who grow plants, since the light they emit almost completely meets the needs of the plant, since these lamps emit a sufficient amount of the red part of the spectrum. I think that almost everyone knows that the plant has several pigments that perceive the blue and red parts of the spectrum. For the significance of these parts of the spectrum, it is worth remembering that, for example, the red part of the spectrum promotes the growth of the root system, flowering and ripening of the crop. So, in turn, plant pigments that are susceptible to the blue part of the spectrum are responsible for the growth of leaves and the plant as a whole. Therefore, plants that have not received the required amount of the required spectrum grow elongated and with a weak root system. Luminous output up to 200 lumens per watt(average 100)

HPS (high pressure sodium arc mirror lamp) is the same HPS, to which a mirror coating has been added for convenience and greater performance.

A special feature of this lamp is the reflective layer that is applied inside the bulb. The bulb and mirror layer are made in such a way that during operation the reflected light does not hit the gas-discharge tube, thereby increasing the service life of the lamp. Thanks to this reflective layer, a high reflection efficiency is also achieved, which is about 95%.

These lamps are very similar in design to mercury lamps. Inside the flask, in addition to mercury, there are added metal iodides. Therefore, these lamps are rightfully considered the most effective light sources at the moment. These lamps have an increased light transmission coefficient; even mercury lamps are inferior to them. Be careful not to confuse these lamps with halogen lamps, which are not discharge lamps. Luminous output up to 100 lumens per watt (average 75)

This method of lighting plants is now gaining popularity because... The efficiency ratio is high and the power consumption is low. These indicators of an LED lamp are many times higher than those of other lamps, such as HPS and fluorescent lamps.

An LED light bulb at an inexpensive price and with good performance can be

Conclusion

Based on the main indicators - color spectrum, efficiency and price per unit of illuminated area, you can make a choice in favor of LED lamps.

Useful additions when organizing illumination of seedlings near the window.

Regardless of the lighting you choose, try to place the seedlings near a south-facing window; you can save money by using the sun and get better results.

Add additional reflective screens to the back and sides of the seedlings.

Follow the supplementary lighting schedule; changing the time either up or down can have a negative impact on the seedlings.

Remember that nothing can replace sunshine on sunny days.

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122 comments to the entry: “Illumination of seedlings. All about lighting, the influence of light and the choice of lamps and lamps”

Alexander:
November 13th, 2012 at 9:10 pm
Thank you for the Article: concise, scientific, intelligible. The only thing that upset me was the price information. A little expensive for a retired hobbyist.
Sashka:
March 3rd, 2013 at 8:40 pm
The price indicated on Dnaz is not correct, I took Dnaz from the EPR a year ago, it turned out to be 2500 rubles.
Valery Medvedev:
March 4th, 2013 at 9:38 am
Tell me where you got the Dnaz lamp at this price, I found the cheapest one for 3.5 thousand rubles. not including delivery.
Svetisad:
March 17th, 2013 at 11:40 pm
Great article! Everything is very clear and detailed. Here are the phytolamps and phyto-lamps for supplementary illumination of seedlings, which are discussed in the article: svetisad.ru/svetisad.ru/folder/2976806
SVictor:
January 20th, 2014 at 9:33 pm
It is extremely DANGEROUS to use a high-pressure mirror lamp DNaZ/Reflux - it heats up to 300-400 degrees, and explodes from any drop of water.
Budget lamp forumhouse.ru/entries/4843/
Continuation of forumhouse.ru/entries/4924/
Price: white tape 5630 reel 5m (20W/m) - 1200 rubles;
driver (power supply) 12V 100W — 1100 rub.
allisa:
February 23rd, 2014 at 4:47 pm
Valery, thank you. The information is very useful, but due to the female mindset, I can’t calculate my coverage. I have a rack on my window, 3 shelves: size 1.2m x 35cm, shelf height (bottom to top) 40cm, 45cm, 55cm, each with 2 fluorescent lamps of 28W. Not enough? And one more question: the light is on from 10 am to 8 pm, and in any weather (cloudy or sunny), I do not have the opportunity to change the interval, guided by the weather outside the window, because... I already leave for work at 7 am. Tell me if this lighting mode benefits my plants.
Valery Medvedev:
February 23rd, 2014 at 10:52 pm
Alice, you can increase the daylight hours, if you leave at 7 am, then turn it on at 7 o’clock, and you can turn it off at 20:00. And there should be enough lamps, but still, fluorescent ones are also better suited, but only phyto with a reddish spectrum .
allisa:
February 24th, 2014 at 12:50 pm
Thanks, I'll look for those...
Julia:
February 27th, 2014 at 12:43 pm
Is it possible to use an energy-saving cold-glow lamp (more powerful), but shine it through red-blue glass? Or is this already a perversion?
Valery Medvedev:
February 27th, 2014 at 12:54 pm
You are right, there is no need for perversions, the Chinese have excellent LED lamps for $23, which is 830 rubles, I have already checked, the result on tomato seedlings is better than any praise, within 35 days from the moment of sowing it began to form buds, which means it is ready for planting. I plant in a greenhouse on May 5-15, which means I will sow in early April, I save exactly a month of time and the seedlings are super, I will soon post photos, etc.
SVictor:
February 28th, 2014 at 11:02 am
Julia. As a technician, I can explain. Colored glass allows certain colors to pass through and retains others. Plants from all over the world will, in any case, take the color that they need and as much as they need, but the plants are indifferent to the rest of the color and excess lighting. The main thing is not to overheat with infrared and not to burn with ultraviolet. Red color promotes the growth of tops, and blue will make plants stockier. The ratio for tomato, pepper, and eggplant seedlings is blue:red = 4:1. So fluorescent lamps or LED strips need COLD WHITES
SVictor:
February 28th, 2014 at 11:14 am
Don’t spend money on fluorescent phytolamps from China - the price is high, but there is little benefit. European prices are exorbitant. But the Chinese lie and save a lot: the power is 2-3 times lower than what is written on the lamp, the service life is no more than 6 months, and then they dim by another 2-3. Especially with the ECO badge. For the Chinese, this means super savings - there is very little luminescence, the filament is not tungsten, no mercury is added to the flask, etc.
Yuri:
March 11th, 2014 at 5:27 am
I hung a DRL on the seedlings, large as a man’s head, Soviet-era, made in Poland, power 400 W. Previously used in lamp posts and street lighting. Even though it was hanging at a distance of 1 meter, the seedlings received an ultraviolet burn.
Valery Medvedev:
March 11th, 2014 at 11:06 am
Such lamps must be hung at a height of at least 3 meters and a heat sink must be installed, otherwise you will create a fire hazard at home.
Stepan:
March 17th, 2014 at 10:20 pm
Valery, at what distance should you hang DNAT-250 in a mirror lamp? A lamp at a distance of 30 cm - tomato seedlings fall, some wither, others die from the black leg.
Valery Medvedev:
March 18th, 2014 at 8:51 am
DNAT-250 is suspended at a height of at least 2 meters from plants; they are dangerous for seedlings at home. It is better to use LED lamps or lamps
Stepan:
March 19th, 2014 at 11:00 pm
Valery, tell me at what height should the DNAT-250 lamp be hung? When suspended 60 cm under the lamp, a pronounced yellow spot with a diameter of about 20 cm. Will there be enough illumination if raised higher?
Stepan:
March 19th, 2014 at 11:10 pm
What is the danger to seedlings? What is the best way to use this lamp for illumination? you have to make do with what is available.
Valery Medvedev:
March 20th, 2014 at 5:07 am
Stepan, DNAT-250 must be hung even higher, otherwise you will get burns on the seedlings, but there is enough light, it’s worth looking at its characteristics Lamp luminous flux (Lm): 26000, this is more than enough for 1 sq. m.
Christina:
March 21st, 2014 at 6:15 pm
Valery, hello! can you give a link where you ordered the lamps...I find some expensive ones, for 3.5 thousand rubles. I can't get it (((
Valery Medvedev:
March 22nd, 2014 at 6:55 am
Christina:
April 2nd, 2014 at 5:59 pm
Thank you, Valery! You are my savior, there’s no way my tomatoes will be able to bud without lighting by May))) I urgently need to buy a lamp.
Julia:
April 3rd, 2014 at 1:49 pm
Valery, hello. How many lamps should I buy for a window sill 1m 20cm long?
Valery Medvedev:
April 3rd, 2014 at 2:40 pm
3 lamps is enough
Julia:
April 3rd, 2014 at 6:52 pm
Vyacheslav:
April 23rd, 2014 at 4:30 pm
I bought a 70 eur 50W LED lamp from China (it says it is designed for 12 m2). I made a table from OSB sheet 2500*1250 (3.125 m2) and placed it by the window. When the lamp is on during the day and it’s cloudy or sunny outside - tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, in short, all the greenery leans towards the window. They react to the lamp when the sun goes down. I mean, any lamp is worse than the sun.
Tomatoes, whether with or without a lamp, are dull green and elongated (I can assume that due to the temperature of 20 degrees) they darken when I take them out into the greenhouse.
Peppers, especially if you lower the lamp 60 cm above the peppers, the purple-green ones become stronger and the root permeates the entire glass (without a lamp I have not observed this for such a period), but because there is only one lamp for the entire area of 3 m2 hanging about 1.2 m from the table surface so that it captures all the seedlings.
All kinds of orchids feel very good under this radiation. Even during the winter, withered ones come to life and straighten their leaves.
I can’t stay in this world for a long time - my head starts to hurt and I feel nauseous. I had to build curtains from foil film.
My conclusions are as follows - for the peppers perfect solution, for the rest of the seedlings I did not find much difference.
Maybe the intensity is low or other factors, but I got these results.
Valery Medvedev:
April 25th, 2014 at 7:46 am
A Chinese 50 W lamp cannot adequately illuminate such an area and it must be hung no higher than 50 cm from the plants, then the tomatoes will stop leaning towards the window and will become dark green.
Ma Sha:
December 24th, 2014 at 1:18 pm
Valery, in many of your videos there are homemade lamps in the background. Everything is clear with the lamps, but how and what is the housing made of? Would it be difficult for you to create a separate video tutorial on making a lamp with LED lamps with your own hands? My husband and I thought of something like this, but we don’t have a machine that bends sheets of metal, and we planned to mount lamps on a long board, but we have little idea how to install socket sockets in drilled holes, whether to put it on heat-insulating glue or in another way, how to combine the wires into one single wire, etc. Do I understand correctly that the starter is already hidden in the lamp body and a wire with a simple plug that is inserted into the socket is enough?
Valery Medvedev:
December 24th, 2014 at 2:36 pm
Masha, look at this video of mine, it shows how easy it is to make a lamp using lamps.
Ma Sha:
December 24th, 2014 at 6:24 pm
Valery, thank you, I already watched this video and realized that the sockets used were wall sockets (I didn’t think of that initially). Do I understand correctly that in your 10-lamp lamp the sockets are connected by wires in series and thanks to this all the lamps turn on at the same time? I don’t want to pile up a bundle of 10 wires.
Valery Medvedev:
December 25th, 2014 at 10:13 am
Masha, the lamps are connected in parallel, but there is no need to fence any bundle, the two-core wire goes in sections from lamp to lamp. You are just slightly confusing the serial and parallel connections, the lamps will turn on at the same time in any case, unless you put a switch in the middle of the circuit, for example, and then you can turn off some of the lamps, this is what I did on the first lamp for energy-saving lamps, now I have replaced them with LEDs
And the Christmas tree garlands are connected in series.
Victor:
December 30th, 2014 at 11:39 am
Hello Valery Sergeevich. I would like to briefly comment on your energy-saving lamps - what kind of lamps they are (how many degrees Kelvin there are) and LED ones: what colors and how many colors (red-blue), and what happened in terms of harvest, I’m also doing the same here what kind of experiments, in terms of quantity and crops, I would like to optimize all this and somehow automate it, so that it would turn on and switch itself, closer to the conditions of nature, in the morning it would be red, but at noon - blue, and in the evening add some red stuff again. Maybe make two parallel branches of LEDs and set two timers? One turned off after working in its mode, and the other turned on in a different mode. I have to think, so I’m collecting information.
Valery Medvedev:
December 30th, 2014 at 4:55 pm
Victor, I use ready-made lamps, today only LED ones, and turn on the socket using a timer. For seedlings of any crop, I really like the effect, but for a full cycle, of course, you need to get closer to the sun, I’m not strong in electrical engineering, so I haven’t tried homemade solutions.
Victor:
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:44 pm
Valery. I asked for a reason, I also use ready-made ones for now, but these ready-made ones have different LEDs, these are only in diamond: 9-red, one blue, and if you look at the energy saving one, 6400 kelvin, it is close to daylight, and blue light , 450 nanometers, about the same, look here (copy the link and paste it into a search engine), but the point is that, having such an assortment of light bulbs, you can turn them on one by one, in the morning a few red ones, by noon we add blue ones, and by the evening red ones again, these bulbs already have them, albeit in different quantities, which is very important. that’s where my question comes from, how many LEDs are there in your lamps.
Victor:
January 3rd, 2015 at 5:10 pm
This year I want to highlight only blue until the first real leaves, and then, if the weather is cloudy, then red-blue 3:2, but when there are sunny days, then maybe I’ll add blue, and choose whether it’s red or just blue, since red goes through the window, naturally with a screen on the side of the room, and if they stretch out, then of course blue, in general, experiments again.
Victor:
January 4th, 2015 at 1:11 pm
Good afternoon I'll try to insert my 5 kopecks. I live in St. Petersburg, where the sun is almost invisible, the sky is almost cloudy all year round, and based on this, I came to the conclusion (for myself) two timer sockets, and two chains of lamps, one red-blue 3:2, the other two lamps of 4 blue and one white (LEDs) or two energy-saving lamps (daylight from color temperature 6400 Kelvin, lamps with a light temperature of 2700 K are ineffective), first the red chain turns on from seven in the morning to 11 pm, and the second chain with blue light turns on at 10 a.m. until 6 pm, and from 6 pm to 9 pm the red and blue light turns on, that’s it for the night turns off. In this spectrum, the seedlings feel good, and other colors, green, yellow, are needed for microorganisms living in the ground, but we are growing seedlings that will move to a more illuminated place. I calculate all this for a box measuring 50x30 cm.
Valery Medvedev:
January 9th, 2015 at 11:05 am
Mine have two blue and three red.
Victor:
January 12th, 2015 at 1:23 pm
Thank you, Valery Sergeevich, this is important to me. According to my observations, it works out better when at the beginning there are more blue ones, 4 blue, 1 white, or a savings account to help the red-blue ones (6400 Kelvin), but this is in my region, it may come in handy.
Lydia:
January 13th, 2015 at 9:55 am
Good afternoon. Valery, please tell me if there are any more detailed characteristics of the LED lamps that you write about above, because according to the link provided these lamps are not available. I tried to search on the Internet, there are a lot of 15W LED lamps and everyone has different characteristics - white light, cold light, maybe there is a specific manufacturer. Mostly I see 5W lamps - will this power not be enough or will several be needed? I have never seen a species like the one in your picture. Will a lamp like the one in the picture fit?
Valery Medvedev:
January 13th, 2015 at 11:20 am
Look for LED grow lights, they all mostly consist of red and blue diodes.
Victor:
January 13th, 2015 at 1:37 pm
For Lydia. To illuminate plants, lamps with a certain emission spectrum are required, 660 nanometers - red and blue 450 nm, plants simply do not recognize another spectrum, and the power is at the rate of 5o watts per square meter, this means if the lamps are 10 watts, then 5-6 pieces are enough. I have 2 lamps of 10 watts for a box measuring 60cm x 20cm.
Boris:
January 22nd, 2015 at 9:03 pm
Good evening, Valery! I bought 2 Fluor lamps to illuminate seedlings on the windowsill, their spectrum is normal, but the luminous flux is not enough. I want to add 2 fluorescent lamps (4000K, 3300Lm each). I think that there is never too much light. What do you think?
Valery Medvedev:
January 24th, 2015 at 2:41 pm
You definitely won’t have too much of it; you can overdo it with dnuts.
Sergey:
January 28th, 2015 at 4:25 am
Hello, Valery!
What area with seedlings do you illuminate with your lamp?
of 10 lamps of 15 watts? At what height above the seedlings? With or without lenses?
I bought 4 pieces. such lamps to try - what area do you think can be illuminated?
Valery Medvedev:
January 28th, 2015 at 9:02 am
My lamp illuminates 0.75 square meters, I illuminate without lenses at a height of 30 cm from the plants, so you can roughly estimate that you will illuminate 0.3 square meters.
Victor:
February 8th, 2015 at 12:49 pm
Hello Valery! I watched your video, super-determinant tomatoes on the windowsill, under the LED lamps that you wanted to put on the New Year's table, my mouth started watering, but the question is, what variety do you have??
Valery Medvedev:
February 8th, 2015 at 9:04 am
Victor, look at this article, I wrote a variety there.
Victor:
February 8th, 2015 at 1:24 pm
thank you Valery.
Maksim:
March 12th, 2015 at 6:24 pm
Hello! Please tell me what is the optimal power of an LED lamp for a box 60x15cm (as I understand it, 0.09 m2). Will 15w be enough? Thank you for your answer!
Valery Medvedev:
March 13th, 2015 at 9:54 am
Maxim, you will have to hang two of these, since the box is stretched out.
Vladimir:
March 24th, 2015 at 2:05 pm
Good day!!! Please tell me about the LED lamps that I ordered from China, 15 watts each. Information: I purchased 4 pieces for 35 green. The lamp has 5 LEDs, 4 red and one blue. I took 4 pieces for one window sill measuring 1.5×0.3. The specification states red 660 nm, blue 460 nm, the question is, is one blue LED enough and at what distance should the light be placed from the plants? Thank you very much and good luck in your work!!!
P.S. Off-topic question: tell us how you prepare the soil for a greenhouse from the moment you purchase it until the moment you add mulch, etc. How do you determine its parameters to obtain good harvest, what kind of water do you irrigate, for example, in our Moscow region the soil is very acidic and the water for irrigation has a high iron content
Valery Medvedev:
March 24th, 2015 at 5:35 pm
I place the lamps 20 cm from the plants; for seedlings, one blue one should be enough. I prepare the soil for the greenhouse in the same way as for warm beds, the parameters are looseness, the presence of humus, I water warm water
Victor:
March 25th, 2015 at 1:06 am
I'll intervene on the LEDs: a 15-watt Chinese lamp has half the power, 8 watts, they write 5 pieces of 3-watt ones, let's say, then 3.5v X 0.7a = 2.45w is a blue LED, and a red one , 2.4 x 0.7 = 1.68 (we multiply volts by current and get power) and for an area of 1 sq. m you need 50 - 60 watts of LED power, and if more it won’t hurt, and spectrum: as soon as the first loops appear , immediately remove the LED backlight and two to three days without a break, then connect red light (660 nm) at a ratio of 1:1, 3 red and 2 blue, from 12 to 14 hours (if seedlings are grown in urban conditions and on a windowsill, then at night it should be fenced off from the light of street lamps, otherwise the bugs will be drawn to the light of the lamp) for a box of 30X50 cm, 3 lamps are enough (blue light slows down the aboveground part, and the root system continues to grow and strengthen, the seedlings do not stretch, and red promotes foliage growth.
Anya:
March 30th, 2015 at 9:19 pm
Thank you for your efforts to educate beginners!
Alexei:
March 31st, 2015 at 1:21 am
Valery, hello. Yesterday we picked tomatoes and peppers. Then we thought about additional lighting: I bought one strip of blue-red lights (72 diodes), in a ratio of 3:1 (red:blue); and one ribbon of white glow 5700 Kelvin, in which, judging by the graphs on the Internet, the blue spectrum at 440 nm is twice as high as the red one at 650 nm, that is, roughly speaking, red predominates in one ribbon, and blue in the other (even though the ribbon is white). What do you think, now, for the first time after picking, which light is better to use, with more red or blue? Or turn on both without bothering? It’s just that the table area is about a meter, but I can’t find out what the power of the tapes in watts is, maybe even two tapes are not enough. And the second question is off topic, if I may: is it necessary to spray or water the seedlings with baikal? Or is it later? Thank you.
Valery Medvedev:
March 31st, 2015 at 3:47 pm
You need to use all the light, it certainly won’t be superfluous, I wouldn’t spray the seedlings.
biktor57:
April 2nd, 2015 at 6:40 pm
Valera: Will energy-saving lamps be used to illuminate seedlings or not?
Nikolay:
April 2nd, 2015 at 9:56 pm
Valery, please tell me. What luminous flux (lm) does a 15 W diode lamp give like in your backlight?
Valery Medvedev:
April 3rd, 2015 at 11:04 am
In LED lamps for plants, the luminous flux is not indicated; it is important to hit the wavelengths 660 and 445, and the total power; the more powerful the lamps, the easier it is to hang them higher, and therefore illuminate a larger area.
Valery Medvedev:
April 3rd, 2015 at 11:09 am
They will do, but for a good effect you need to gain more power and make reflectors, because for plants most of the spectrum emitted by them is useless. Therefore, now there is a choice between dnata and LEDs, as you like.
Victor:
April 3rd, 2015 at 2:42 pm
Victor:
April 3rd, 2015 at 3:12 pm
in a diode (white) with a light temperature of 6500K blue photons - 30%, green - 50%, red - 20%. Just a purely seedling spectrum. but they need to be taken three times more
Nikolay:
April 6th, 2015 at 10:44 pm
How long a day should the seedlings be illuminated? I am from 6.00 to 21.00.
Enough? Or is it still necessary?
Valery Medvedev:
April 7th, 2015 at 9:04 am
So normal.
Alyona:
May 7th, 2015 at 8:05 am
Good afternoon. I really need your advice.
I want to choose LED lamps for illuminating cucumber and tomato seedlings. Which ones are best for this?
Victor:
October 23rd, 2015 at 10:04 pm
Hello!
I bought an LED phytolamp with a power of 54 W.
On the website where I bought it, it is indicated that the lamp is intended for additional illumination of an area of 1.25 sq.m.
Luminous flux 3500 lm,
LED (4 blue, 14 red), ultra-bright.
Please tell me at what height should such a lamp be placed?
And yet, I have doubts, will the lamp cover such an area?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Valery Medvedev:
October 24th, 2015 at 10:10 am
Such a lamp will definitely not handle 1.25 kW, maximum 0.5. Such lamps usually have a focusing lens, so you can hang from 30 cm to 1 meter; the younger the seedlings, the lower the suspension.
Ivan:
December 23rd, 2015 at 9:41 pm
Hello! Please tell me, can a housekeeper lamp 85W 6375 Lm 6400K, suspended at a height of 1 m from tomato seedlings, cause them burns or not?
Valery Medvedev:
December 24th, 2015 at 9:45 am
Such a lamp at such a height will not cause burns.
Sergey:
January 9th, 2016 at 2:42 pm
Please tell me. My box is 0.6 sq.m. There is a 50W LED lamp hanging on top, and a 125W ESL lamp hanging on the side below, the shoots are leaning towards the ESL, what should I do?
Valery Medvedev:
January 10th, 2016 at 11:53 am
Hang these lamps from above on the sides of the ice.
Juliana:
January 15th, 2016 at 9:59 pm
Good afternoon
Someone already wrote here that it is impossible to stay near an LED lamp for a long time - it gives you a headache and nausea. We have the same.
We ordered one phyto lamp for an experiment in China. We received it and hung it over the windowsill. It is impossible to sit next to him for more than 20 minutes, even with his back turned. Why is that? And how does it affect a person? Is it even possible to be around when she is working?
And one more question after that. Is it possible to illuminate plants in an aquarium with an LED lamp and how will the fish react to it? Maybe someone has encountered this.
Olga:
January 20th, 2016 at 4:01 pm
Valery, I really need your qualified recommendation on the timing of growing seedlings under 36 W phytolamps (bicolor, 660:450nm diodes, ratio 9:3). I am planting a plot in the Moscow region under Lukrasil No. 60, with heat accumulators on May 9-15. I plan to use ACH (by the way , is it possible to use purchased vermicompost for it?) I plan to grow seedlings: 1) large-fruited strawberries from my own seeds; 2) early ripe peppers, eggplants, medium-sized and standard tomatoes. I want to use your experience in organizing a place for seedlings - light reflectors made of penofol, watering with melt water (if you prepare snow water in advance, do you need to disinfect it somehow - warm it to a boil or add Phytosporin?) Sorry for the large number of questions, but if not you, then who. Sincerely your grateful follower
Valery Medvedev:
January 22nd, 2016 at 7:46 pm
Under the lamps, you need to move the crops for 15-20 days. There is no need to boil the water, but of course the snow must be clean.
Zhanna:
January 24th, 2016 at 1:06 am
Hello, please tell me what area the phytolamp will illuminate Voltage: 85-265V 10W E27 (blue-red spectrum) and at what height to hang it? Thank you in advance.
Valery Medvedev:
January 24th, 2016 at 10:20 am
Such a lamp will illuminate a radius of no more than 30 cm, the height of the suspension is from 20 to 40 cm above the plants, depending on the growth phase and the plants themselves.
Alexander:
January 28th, 2016 at 10:38 pm
I have one like this homemade lamp. Radiator - a piece of aluminum cornice, LED - 1 watt, driver - 6-10 watts, ordered through Ali-express. Last season I raised wonderful seedlings.
Alexander:
January 28th, 2016 at 10:41 pm
Such a driver. From 6 to 10 one-watt LEDs.
Taisa:
February 9th, 2016 at 6:06 pm
Valera, hello. I have an insulated veranda. 5 windows on all sides. Seedlings of vegetables and flowers are supposed to be on a window sill 3m x 0.3m. I settled on the Sidor phytolamp. Options:
1. -2 linear lamps 1 m long (1.5 m possible) 40w each.
2. -2 linear lamps 1m long, 30w each.
3. -3 lin. lamps 1m long, 30w.
Please help me decide. I’ve been struggling with the choice for six months now. My character is so bad. Finally decided on a lamp. Now I can’t choose the power and quantity. I have doubts: isn’t 40w too much? And one more thing: distance to plants, please. Thank you.
Valery Medvedev:
February 10th, 2016 at 1:04 pm
The distance to plants is 30-40 cm, the amount depends on the area.
Victor:
February 24th, 2016 at 5:08 pm
Hello!!! HPS 400 lamp FOR what area?
Valery Medvedev:
February 26th, 2016 at 11:38 am
I haven't tested them.
igor_m:
February 26th, 2016 at 9:23 pm
April 3rd, 2015 at 2:42 pm
You need to know that the main quantity in photometry is the luminous intensity of the radiation source, measured in candelas (cd). Lux (lx), ..... Therefore, illumination of one lux corresponds to a luminous flux of one lumen falling on one square meter of area. And is approximately equal to one watt (LED)
Victor, have you mixed up anything? Illumination of one lux corresponds...and is approximately equal to one watt (LED)? Based on the fact that plants need 4000-8000 lux, then in terms of diodes, 4000-8000 W are needed?
Victor:
February 29th, 2016 at 12:51 pm
To what height should DNAT-400 be raised from seedlings?
Valery Medvedev:
March 1st, 2016 at 10:11 am
At least a meter.
pomadkacool:
March 1st, 2016 at 2:53 pm
Valery Medvedev:
March 2nd, 2016 at 8:32 am
I see these 9 cotton lamps with a large number of small LEDs, I don’t think they are able to illuminate the table well, they don’t have focusing lenses, so it seems to you that they illuminate a large area, the third one is definitely not superfluous, hang it 20 cm from the plants.
pomadkacool:
March 2nd, 2016 at 12:08 pm
Thank you, Valery, we conducted an experiment with these lamps in one store, the results were excellent!
And another question, how many hours a day do you need to shine on the seedlings? Our plants constantly don’t have enough light; last year all the seedlings stretched out!
Valery Medvedev:
March 3rd, 2016 at 4:12 pm
I light up for 12 hours.
pomadkacool:
March 5th, 2016 at 8:14 am
Tatiana:
March 10th, 2016 at 11:09 pm
Last year I ordered lamps for plants from China. This year I made 2 lamps, for myself and my mother. Each lamp has 3 lamps. The inside is covered with a mirror film to reflect light. I hung it above the windowsill at a distance of 25 cm from the seedlings. I'll keep an eye on the results.
Tatiana:
March 10th, 2016 at 11:18 pm
Last year I ordered plant lamps from China. In January I made 2 lamps myself, for my mother and for myself. Each lamp has 3 lamps. I hung it above the windowsill at a distance of 25 cm above the seedlings. I'll keep an eye on the results.
Ruslan:
March 19th, 2016 at 6:17 pm
Dnat 150 W living corner 60*60*120cm
in the spring we replant them in long pots on the balcony
Small peppers and tomatoes are a month old,
those that are larger are one and a half.
Homemade electronic ballast, with a circuit similar to this one
Natalia:
May 1st, 2016 at 6:31 am
I bought a Reflex DNAZ lamp 70 W. I have few seedlings. According to the characteristics, it should be enough for an area of 1 * 1.5, even a little more. I thought that this year my seedlings would be just a sight for sore eyes, but alas. The tomato seedlings grew in just 3 days. I had to put her out on the cold balcony. Now she stands there, blue from the cold. I thought the reason was high temperature air (in the apartment + 21, plus the lamp heats up to +60). After the tomatoes I planted cucumbers, watermelons and melons. Reduced the temperature by opening the window. The result is the same. The cucumbers still sit there more or less, and the watermelons and melons - you can’t look at them without tears. In general, one disappointment. Only the peppers liked this lamp; they are bright green and about to bloom, although I planted them, as always, at the same time. Can anyone tell me what I’m doing wrong? According to the advertisement of this lamp on all websites, the seedlings should simply smell fragrant, but alas, for me. The light from this lamp is quite normal for the eyes. At first it was not usual, the objects had some unnatural pale color, but then I got used to it.
Ainur:
August 17th, 2016 at 7:30 am
Good afternoon
Do you make red-blue phytolamps? Area 3 hectares, Beds: 9.5 m x 1.20 m, distance between beds 1.5 meters.
characteristics
object: greenhouse
area: 3 hectares
Lighting: Led/DNAT
degree of protection: ip 65/ip 67
quantity unknown
Valery Medvedev:
August 22nd, 2016 at 9:04 am
I do not do.
Gulnaz:
August 29th, 2016 at 11:08 am
I bought a phytolamp E27 36 watt, 660 nm - 9 pcs red, 450 nm - 3 pcs blue, for illuminating plants, north side of the window, no sun at all. How many lumens will the lamp emit, is it enough?
Valery Medvedev:
August 30th, 2016 at 11:59 am
It will be enough for a circle with a radius of 40 cm.
Semenoa:
October 2nd, 2016 at 8:22 pm
Valery, how many W/m2 is needed? for illumination with LED lamps?
Valery Medvedev:
October 3rd, 2016 at 11:34 am
It all depends on the quality of the LEDs, but approximately 100 watts or more.
Andrey:
October 6th, 2016 at 3:43 pm
Valery, help me choose lamps. Doubts arose with 28 W lamps, diodes smaller than 500 lux. But the price is reasonable. And 30 W diode is more but the amount of lux. unknown.
Valery Medvedev:
October 10th, 2016 at 5:14 pm
Andrey, these lamps use outdated low-power LEDs, the efficiency may not be great.
Natalia:
January 29th, 2017 at 11:09 am
March 1st, 2016 at 2:53 pm
Hello everyone, everyone! Valery, I purchased factory-made LED plant lamps, tell me how high should I hang them above the plants when the seedlings are small and when they are already large? How long will it take to finish lighting the peppers and tomatoes?
P.S. The lamps are chic, ECO marked, which is very important, they shine over a large area, I bought 3 pieces for an old book table, but realized that two would be enough.
How did these bulbs perform?
Natalia:
January 31st, 2017 at 8:10 am
Hello! Maybe I’m contacting the wrong address, but suddenly I’ll get an answer. I would like to know at what height above the seedlings should I hang 2 phyto rulers PHITO-90 cm-15W64SMO-P40LNE for a lighting area of 1.2 x 0.75 sq.m?
Valery Medvedev:
January 31st, 2017 at 9:39 am
20 cm above the seedlings and 30-40 above the peaked one.
Valery Medvedev:
January 31st, 2017 at 9:43 am
20 cm above the seedlings and 30-40 above the peaked one. 12-14 hours.
Shavkat Latipov:
February 27th, 2017 at 12:43 pm
Hello. I want to assemble a phytolamp myself. I read that vegetable crops they love white light. I ordered red and blue LEDs of the required spectrum + full-spectrum. I decided to combine everything. And is it still necessary to include white?
Valery Medvedev:
March 4th, 2017 at 7:23 pm
I won't say for sure. I use additional light only for seedlings; two spectra are enough.
Alexander:
February 26th, 2018 at 11:28 am
Good afternoon.
Last year (17) I bought 6 pieces. 10 W LED lamps and hung them above the table at a height of half a meter. Table 120×70 (cm)
In addition, another 36 W fluorescent lamp hung above it. LED dumps were on the sides of the fluorescent one. Seedlings - tomatoes and peppers. At first, all this grew under a fluorescent lamp, but my wife, as usual, was unhappy with the amount of light, so I hung up phytolamps. After that, the tomatoes felt worse. They became thin and crooked. Only after being transplanted into a greenhouse did they recover. But the peppers survived fine. So the conclusion is this. You can overdo it with the amount of lighting.
Or did I do something wrong?
Valery Medvedev:
February 28th, 2018 at 8:11 am
With such lighting you definitely didn’t have an excess of light, 50 cm is too high for such lamps, 20-30 maximum and shine for 12 hours.
Larisa:
March 3rd, 2018 at 9:21 pm
Hello. I bought two OSRAM FLUORA L 36W/77 lamps (luminous flux 1400 lm, lamp length 1200). One lamp is above the window sill measuring 1.4 by 0.37 and I plan the second above a table near the wall measuring 1.40 by 0.50. Grow rooted petunia cuttings. Please tell me if I can get by with this backlight, do I need to make additional reflectors, at what height should the lamp be? And I still doubt whether or not it is necessary to partially close the window from daylight; it seems to me that a lot of light from the lamp is scattered onto the street.
Anton:
March 6th, 2018 at 4:15 pm
Good afternoon, Valery
We are going to try growing lettuce for ourselves.
We came up against the issue of supplementary lighting when growing seedlings.
The area that the cassettes with lettuce seedlings will occupy is approximately 20 m2
A room without windows (no daylight at all)
Other sources include only incandescent lamps (ordinary ones), but they can only shine to enter and exit the room.
We would like to ask some advice: how much light do our seedlings need? Please explain. What kind of lamps, what kind of glow are needed and at what distance should they be broadcast?
Thank in advance!
Valery Medvedev:
March 7th, 2018 at 12:37 pm
If the height allows, then it is better to add additional illumination with Reflex at the rate of 100-150 W per square meter
Valery Medvedev:
March 7th, 2018 at 12:44 pm
It should be enough, the height of the suspension is 20-30 cm to the plants.
Alexander:
April 1st, 2018 at 10:34 pm
Hello Valery! Tell me, I hung dnat-400 and two dnat-250 over 2 sq.m of seedlings at a height of 40 cm from the seedlings there is weak airflow from computer coolers temperature during the day 30 at night 25 without sunlight mode 14 light 10 at night. Is it scary what I'm doing? I have constant fears of lack of lighting and light.
Valery Medvedev:
April 2nd, 2018 at 9:14 am
Alexander, a Dnatov suspension above the seedlings is needed from at least 1 meter, preferably 1.5-2 m can be easily burned, especially since the temperature for seedlings is too high 20-25 is what is needed, such power is more than enough, and in terms of additional lighting time it usually shines 12 hours and 12 night
Fedor:
April 2nd, 2018 at 8:08 pm
Hello Valery, judge my calculation, how correctly I chose the illumination for tobacco seedlings. Thank you
Valery Medvedev:
April 4th, 2018 at 8:17 am
The calculation is of course correct, but in reality a lot will depend on the lamp itself, or rather on its spectral characteristics, namely in what ranges it has maximum radiation and whether it matches the needs of plants.
Fedor:
April 4th, 2018 at 12:24 pm
Hello! That’s why I indicated in which places how many Lx at such a height, according to data from the same Internet, nightshade lighting consumption should be enough, if they consume from 2500 to Lx 4000Lx, then my average is 2960Lx. But I still reduced the distance to the lamps and made it 24 cm. Lx has increased, but I am afraid of burning the plants with the light flux, is this possible? And I can’t get something out of the cotton wool.
Valery Medvedev:
April 8th, 2018 at 8:43 am
You won’t burn LEDs with such a flow; LEDs can be suspended from 10 cm.
Maksim:
May 28th, 2018 at 3:13 pm
Hello, I have a 70×100 box, an Apollo 6 180 W full spectrum lamp, the germinated sprouts were planted immediately in large pots, they grow 5-7 cm and the leaves begin to turn yellow, what’s wrong?
Valery Medvedev:
May 31st, 2018 at 10:42 am
There can be many reasons and they are not necessarily in the lamp, but try raising it higher, perhaps the radiation is excessive.

Properly organized lighting in compliance with the required intensity indicators is one of the most important keys to obtaining healthy and strong seedlings. In some cases, simple daylight is sufficient, but in most situations it is necessary to organize additional artificial lighting using lamps. Today, manufacturers offer a fairly wide range of such devices.

For the most part, flower and vegetable crops are heat-loving plants, the growth efficiency and development characteristics of which are largely determined by the duration daylight hours. A lack of light leads to a slowdown in photosynthesis processes and the occurrence of various diseases in seedlings. To avoid these and related problems, organize additional lighting.

Sunlight consists of several waves of different lengths and colors. In order for plant photosynthesis to occur in accordance with established standards, it is necessary to organize their illumination with full-spectrum light. Along with this, each spectrum performs its own important functions.

About them in the table.

Table. The role of light spectra in the development of seedlings

List of spectra	Role and tasks
Red	Helps normalize the processes of seed development and vegetation. Under its influence, the quality of flowering increases.
Blue	Takes an important part in the processes of regulating plant cell growth. Ensures the development of strong shoots.
Violet	Same as blue.
Green	Plants almost do not absorb this spectrum of light, reflecting it on the surface of the leaves.
Yellow	Same as green.

Basic lighting requirements

The key characteristics of lighting are its duration and intensity level. The intensity is determined by the power of the lighting fixture used and the distance between it and the plants. The optimal distance is determined as follows: you turn on the lamp and place your hand under the light. If you feel warm, the lighting fixture should be moved away a little.

The normal level of illumination for plants is considered to be 8000 lux. The lamps for home seedlings presented in today’s publication will do an excellent job of providing this, but additional lighting will have to be turned on not only in the mornings and evenings, but also during the day, especially if the weather is cloudy outside.

To check whether the lamp is needed, simply turn it on. Have you noticed a significant change in light levels? There is a need for additional lighting. Don't see much difference? The backlight may not be used.

Illuminating seedlings - photo

Assortment of lamps for seedlings and their main features

There are many types of lighting available on the market that can be used when growing seedlings at home. Let's look at the most popular of them.

Sodium lamps

Among domestic gardeners, the most popular are lamps produced by Reflax.

The key positive qualities of sodium lamps include the following points:

high lighting efficiency;
ensuring a stable flow of light;
impressive service life;
creation in general favorable conditions for the normal course of photosynthesis processes.

The main disadvantage is the relatively high cost.

The table provides information about the main representatives of the range.

Table. Popular sodium lamp models

List of models	Basic information
	Equipped with a built-in mirror reflector. Outperforms competitors in all main characteristics. By means of the mentioned mirror reflector, the intensity of the light flux is increased and its focus on the grown plants. To illuminate seedlings on a 1.5-meter windowsill, one 70-watt lamp is enough. Select the required number of lighting fixtures, guided by this pattern.
	They do not have a pre-installed reflector. A 70 W lamp is enough to illuminate plants on no more than a 1-meter window sill, i.e. these devices are less powerful compared to representatives of the group described above. If necessary, sodium lamps can be used in residential premises - the light emitted by these devices does not irritate the eyes.

Fluorescent lamps

They emit cool lighting similar to natural daylight. They are characterized by low power, which forces them to be installed in increased quantities. In addition, one of the disadvantages of fluorescent lamps is the low content of red light in the spectrum.

When calculating the required number of lamps, we use the following relationship: every 1 m of length of a window sill with seedlings is served by a lamp with an 80-watt lamp or two 40-65-watt lamps.

Important! Do not use LDC and LD fluorescent lamps to illuminate seedlings - plants react poorly to the light emitted by such devices.

Phytolamps

The most popular among gardeners are several brands of phytolamps.

Fluora from Osram. Lamps with a power of 18 W are suitable. To illuminate 1 m of window sill, one or two such lamps are enough.
LFU-30. Characterized by a power of 30 W. One lamp is enough to serve a 40x70 cm area.
Enrich. They are relatively mildly irritating to the eye, but have a short (on average up to 6 months) service life. In addition, such lamps heat up the leaves of the seedlings very much, which does not have the best effect on its condition.
Paulmann. May have different power. They differ from their closest analogues by practically zero heating, which eliminates the risk of overheating of seedlings, as well as by an impressive service life.
Fitosvet-D. Category LED devices. Suitable for both home use and greenhouse use.

The key advantages of all phytolamps are as follows:

high efficiency;
compactness;
impressive indicators of environmental friendliness, efficiency, durability and safety in general.

The disadvantage comes down to a lilac-pink color of the glow, which does not have the best effect on the condition of a person’s eyes and his well-being. In residential premises, such lamps are permitted for use only in combination with an external mirror reflector.

Can ordinary light bulbs be used?

As it becomes clear from the above information, you can use many different types of lamps for seedlings. different types, however, each option has its own weaknesses.

The question arises: is it necessary to buy additional lighting fixtures? Can't we get by with regular household incandescent light bulbs?

It is forbidden. Such lighting will be ineffective and simply useless. According to average data, incandescent lamps with traditional tungsten filament transform no more than 5 percent of the energy into light. Everything else is just warm. In addition, the light spectrum of such lamps is not suitable for plants: they will dry out, get burned, stretch out and generally not form as they should.

Now you know which lamps you can use when growing seedlings yourself. Have a rich harvest!

Video - What lamps are needed for seedlings

Many indoor plants can be called martyrs, because they have to exist not only in a limited space, but also with a constant lack of light. This is especially true for seedlings, the growth of which occurs at that time of year when the length of daylight hours is practically minimal and is just beginning to increase.

Plants need sunlight for the vital process of photosynthesis, which results in the production of starch, sugars and other substances necessary for development. If there is little light, then the plant develops sluggishly, and also becomes noticeably susceptible to diseases and pest damage. This cannot suit the gardener, whose goal is to obtain strong and viable seedlings capable of producing a good harvest.

In order not to end up with elongated pale sprouts at planting time, it is important to think about organizing a lighting system even before sowing the seeds. Fortunately, today's technologies and a variety of lamps for illuminating seedlings make it possible to implement this idea in several ways.

Features of seedling lighting

Solar natural light, the most familiar to all life on the planet, combines light waves of different lengths. Some of the spectrum is visible to the human eye, some is not, but all this diversity is important for plants, and waves of different lengths play different roles in different periods of the life of seedlings.

The blue and red parts of the spectrum help the active production of chlorophyll, and the plant, receiving such light, develops faster, which is important for seedlings.
The orange part of the spectrum is also necessary for growth in room conditions, and also promotes fruiting.
Green, like yellow light, is reflected from foliage and cannot greatly affect its growth, but, as part of natural light, and it is necessary.
Ultraviolet radiation, which is part of the invisible part of the spectrum, helps fight pathogenic bacteria, fungi and other plant diseases, but large quantities Ultraviolet light can do more harm than good.
Infrared radiation is well received by seedlings, helps their growth and formation lush greenery, but it gives more heat rather than light, so it is not always beneficial.

Which lamps are best for seedlings?

Artificial lighting provided by lamps cannot exactly copy sunlight, but it is quite capable of providing the proper conditions for rapid growth any type of seedlings.

Moreover, thanks to lamps for illuminating seedlings, it became possible to make the growing season of many plants year-round, obtain multiple harvests and grow plants where previously this was simply impossible, for example, in polar night conditions or in rooms without windows.

However, not all sources of artificial light can provide such an effect.

For example, the most common incandescent lamps so far are unsuitable for the reason that only 5% of the energy consumed becomes light in such lamps, while the rest is converted into heat. Plants under such a lamp are not illuminated, but are heated, which leads to thin, elongated sprouts that run the risk of getting burned.

Specialized lamps for illuminating seedlings must provide their wards with a certain spectrum of radiation, allowing the plants to quickly begin to grow and not in the most comfortable conditions reach a size sufficient for planting in the ground. In addition, these light sources are more economical and produce less heat.

Sodium lamps for illuminating seedlings

There are several varieties of such lamps. The most popular ones are those produced by the Russian company Reflax.

These gas-discharge lamps produce warm orange light that is not irritating to the human eye, so they can be used not only in greenhouses, but also in residential premises. In addition to Reflux, there are other reliable manufacturers, for example, General Electric, the equally famous OSRAM or Philips. The main consumer of these agricultural lamps for seedlings is large and small greenhouse farms. But for home use there are samples with a power of up to 100 W.

Reflax lamps of the DNaZ brand are equipped with a factory mirror reflector and can be considered the best option among analogues. The reflector enhances the light output and directs all the light to the plants. And for high-quality illumination of one and a half meters of window sill, one gas-discharge light source with a power of 70 W is enough.

Sodium agrolamps for seedlings DNaT do not have a mirror reflector, so 70 W lamps will have to be placed one per meter.

But it is better to combine DRiZ brand sources with DnaZ and DnaT lamps. This will make it possible to obtain the most natural spectrum of lighting.

Advantages of domestic sodium lamps Reflux:

Highest efficiency lighting system;
Long service life;
Economical.

Flaws:

High price of light sources;
Large sizes of the lamps themselves;
Lack of waves in the blue part of the spectrum;
The need to equip the system with a control device.

Today you can find quite a few varieties of special fluorescent lamps for illuminating seedlings:

The most famous are the “Fluora” phytolamps produced by Osram. To illuminate a meter shelf with seedlings, one or two 18 W lamps are enough.
Russian phytolamps labeled LFU-30 have a power of 30 W and can be used one per meter.
Enrich phytolamps with a mirror reflector and a power of 60 W almost do not irritate the eyes, but they emit a lot of heat and are short-lived.
Phytolamps for supplementary illumination of seedlings from Paulmann of various powers, from 40 to 100 W, almost do not heat up and have a long service life.

Advantages of phytolamps:

Cost-effective;
Small sizes;
Durability;
Safety.

The disadvantage of the Flora lamp for seedlings from Osram and other representatives of similar light sources is that they all have lilac-pink radiation that is unnatural for the human eye. Therefore, it is better to use them only if there is a screen or reflector separating the room from the location of the seedlings.

Household white fluorescent lamps can also be used for illumination, however:

They are not overly powerful;
In lighting there are not enough waves of the red part of the spectrum.

To get a sufficient flow of light, the distance from the lamp to the tray with seedlings should be from 15 to 35 cm, and two lamps with a power of at least 40 W will have to be placed per meter of the window sill.

LED lamps for growing seedlings

For plants, this option is probably one of the best. Using a combination of LEDs that produce white, red or blue light, you can achieve maximum efficiency backlighting.

At the same time, LED lamps for growing seedlings have high efficiency, are durable, and the spectrum of the entire system can be quite easily adjusted, taking into account that the needs of seedlings change significantly as they grow.

Before picking seedlings, the light emitted by blue and red LEDs installed in a ratio of two to one is better perceived. Abundant blue here activates the growth of the root system, but slightly slows down the elongation of the above-ground part. The stem is strong with frequent internodes.
After picking, it is better to reduce the light intensity for several days to ensure a rest period after a stressful transplant. Next, you need to illuminate the seedlings with blue and red LED lamps in a ratio of 1 to 1.

The only disadvantage of LED lamps is the high cost ready-made systems, which, when growing seedlings for personal needs, will pay off in no earlier than a couple of seasons.

Induction technology

When wondering which lamps are best for seedlings, you can consider an option that has appeared quite recently - induction lamps.

Lamp Features:

High efficiency and cost-effectiveness;
Universal spectrum;
The lamp temperature does not exceed 75 degrees.

Unfortunately, none of the sources artificial lighting It cannot completely replace the sun, but phytolamps for supplementary illumination of seedlings actually shorten the growth period of plants for planting in the ground. Their quality improves, and the proportion of rejected sprouts decreases sharply.

Placing lamps for plants

To increase the efficiency of lighting, it is important to take into account the placement of lamps:

The higher the temperature of the operating lamp, the higher it should be placed above the trays.
At different stages of growth, plants require different light levels. For example, after sowing, the trays should be illuminated around the clock; in some cases, the color of the LEDs also changes.
For the greatest effect, you should combine lamps with different characteristics.

Reflectors, reflectors and light screens, which you can make yourself, will allow you to save energy.

How to choose the right lamp for seedlings - video tutorial

Video: how to choose a lamp for plants - part 2

Construction and finishing. Equipment. Wallpaper. Coloring. Facade

How to choose or make LED lamps for seedlings. Phytolamps: lamps for indoor plants and illumination of seedlings

Why do seedlings need special lighting?

About the “necessary” and “unnecessary” spectrum

What type of lamps should you prefer?

We design LED lighting ourselves

How to check if the light is correct?

Lamps for growing seedlings.

LED phytolamps for seedlings.

Fluorescent phytolamps for seedlings.

What lamps are best for illuminating seedlings?

Which phytolamps are best for seedlings?

Conditions for seedling growth under phytolamps.

Height of lighting for seedlings.

Dependence of illumination on the distance between the source and the illuminated surface.

Required illumination for seedlings and calculation of the light power of lamps.

What area can each lamp illuminate?

How and what lamps or lamps should be chosen to illuminate seedlings.

Comparative light output of different types of lamps.

Conclusion

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then fill out this form

122 comments to the entry: “Illumination of seedlings. All about lighting, the influence of light and the choice of lamps and lamps”

Basic lighting requirements

Assortment of lamps for seedlings and their main features

Sodium lamps

Fluorescent lamps

Phytolamps

Can ordinary light bulbs be used?

Video - What lamps are needed for seedlings

Features of seedling lighting

Which lamps are best for seedlings?

Sodium lamps for illuminating seedlings

LED lamps for growing seedlings

Induction technology

Placing lamps for plants

How to choose the right lamp for seedlings - video tutorial

Why do seedlings need special lighting?

About the “necessary” and “unnecessary” spectrum

What type of lamps should you prefer?

We design LED lighting ourselves

How to check if the light is correct?

Lamps for growing seedlings.

LED phytolamps for seedlings.

Fluorescent phytolamps for seedlings.

What lamps are best for illuminating seedlings?

Which phytolamps are best for seedlings?

Conditions for seedling growth under phytolamps.

Height of lighting for seedlings.

Dependence of illumination on the distance between the source and the illuminated surface.

Required illumination for seedlings and calculation of the light power of lamps.

What area can each lamp illuminate?

How and what lamps or lamps should be chosen to illuminate seedlings.

Comparative light output of different types of lamps.

Conclusion

If you want to be aware of the release of new articles and videos on the site, then fill out this form

122 comments to the entry: “Illumination of seedlings. All about lighting, the influence of light and the choice of lamps and lamps”

Basic lighting requirements

Assortment of lamps for seedlings and their main features

Sodium lamps

Fluorescent lamps

Phytolamps

Can ordinary light bulbs be used?

Video - What lamps are needed for seedlings

Features of seedling lighting

Which lamps are best for seedlings?

Sodium lamps for illuminating seedlings

LED lamps for growing seedlings

Induction technology

Placing lamps for plants

How to choose the right lamp for seedlings - video tutorial

Related materials:

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then fill out this form