Tips for Choosing the Best Greenhouse Lighting

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Tips for Choosing the Best Greenhouse Lighting

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed

When you’re setting up your new greenhouse, don’t forget to pay attention to the kind of light you’ll be using. Lighting is a critical factor in a plant’s development. Choosing the right kind of light will ensure that your plants grow quickly and remain healthy. Here are a few things you should be aware of in order to get the best greenhouse lighting system for your needs.

1. The first thing you need to do is figure out the amount of light you will require. The factors you need to consider are the type of plants you’re going to raise, and the size of your greenhouse. Some plants such as flowers and fruit, as well as those that are taller, require more light than others. Outdoor greenhouses generally require 25 watts for each square foot. But an indoor greenhouse will need twice as much light or more.

2. The kind of light you use should be suitable for the plants you’re growing. The type of light waves produced has a significant effect on plant growth. High pressure sodium lights, for example, are the best if you’re growing flowers and fruit. These give off red light waves which are beneficial for encouraging growth hormones in plants. If you’re growing leafy plants, they’ll thrive under the blue spectrum, which metal halide lighting is best at providing.

3. The lighting system shouldn’t be too hot for your plants to handle. They can die from becoming overheated. Some kinds of lighting give off a considerable amount of heat. Incandescent lights, for example, produce large quantities of heat. Since the light they provide isn’t considered to be sufficient for most plants, they’re really not a good choice. However, fluorescent grow lights give off a lot less heat. Before you buy, take some time to figure out the amount of heat that each style of lighting will give off.

4. Choose lighting products that will give you the results you need without using a lot of energy to power them. The most energy efficient greenhouse lights you can buy are known as high intensity discharge. Unfortunately, they’re also the most expensive to purchase. Another option is LCD grow lamps, which are a popular choice due to their high energy efficiency. They also produce lower levels of heat.

Regardless of the type of greenhouse lighting you choose, it’s important that it not be left on all the time. Lighting should only be used where and when it is needed. For optimal growth, plants need a certain amount of darkness. Depending on the type of plants you’re growing, you should have the lights turned off in your garden greenhouse for anywhere from six to twelve hours daily.

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