The effect of different LED light wavelengths on the growth of succulents
Application of invisible light
Desert and plateau plants. These plants are relatively small, and because of the harsh environment, they pay more attention to accumulation rather than growth. With these various phenomena, we must create a similar growth environment. In these environments, strong ultraviolet rays are indispensable. Although ultraviolet rays have an inhibitory effect on plants, they increase the thickness of plant cell walls, reduce stems and elongation, and reduce plant evaporation. For plateau plants, stronger long-wave ultraviolet rays enhance In addition to the synthesis of anthocyanins, the relatively thin air environment also inhibits the synthesis of chlorophyll. Therefore, many plateau plants we see have brighter colors. However, there is still a slight difference between the two different environments, because the penetration of medium-wave ultraviolet rays is weak, and there is a big difference between high-altitude areas and low-altitude areas.
But the long-wave ultraviolet (part of the visible light) penetration ability is strong, and there is little difference between plateaus and flat areas. Therefore, strong ultraviolet rays are important for plateau plants, but for desert plants, long-term exposure is more important due to drought and less rainfall. In practical applications, use UVB10.0 and UVB HO (or medical ultraviolet, but this requires careful calculation of the intensity). In survival, ultraviolet light is not essential, but it is essential if you want to grow plant forms.
For desert plants, long-term irradiation with 10.0 is better, but for plateau plants, UVB 10.0 is not enough, unless the intensity is increased, but a lot of energy is wasted. You can use medical UVB, or the newly launched UVB HO. At the same time, the UVB lamps on the market are designed for reptiles, and the UVA content is low. If the sunburn is excessive, the color is insufficient.
Recently, I started experimenting with a UVA 340 tube, which is actually used to imitate sunlight aging and the price is relatively expensive. It belongs to narrow-band UV. Its UVA and UVB output ratio is almost the same as that of sunlight, because the narrow-band intensity is quite strong. Most of the energy is concentrated on UV. The 36-watt standard T8+ reflector can approach the sunlight level within 60 cm. However, this kind of light is too strong and should be used with caution. If there is a long-term lack of light, the distance will gradually approach, and the distance will be gradually increased from 80 kilometers away.
Supplementing UV is only needed for morphology and cannot promote photosynthesis. However, as a household farming, the overall light intensity is not enough. Only supplementing UV can only play a role in preventing people from coloring. We need to pursue a reasonable growth rate while seeking the most morphology. Then the general full-spectrum plant lights can be satisfied. As long as the intensity is high enough.
Infrared part: Infrared and low-wavelength red light are good for promoting flowering and fruiting. In the past, some fruiting plants were grown with incandescent lamps for a long time (such as strawberries). This is the result of using the infrared light emitted by the incandescent lamp to stimulate the sub-sprouting. But just as not all plants are sensitive to ultraviolet light, the CAM plants we grow seem to be insensitive to infrared light, and a single plant of agave, pineapple and many sedum plants only bloom once in a lifetime. Large-scale agave has only bloomed for decades, so infrared is optional for planting perennial ornamental plants. Moreover, infrared penetrating power is very strong, as long as the heat-dissipating things emit infrared light. We plant ornamental plants do not require a lot of fruit, this thing is optional.
Succulent fill light effect
3: Application of visible light to succulents
There are several kinds of lamps on the market that can be used to supplement light for plants, 1. LED, (red and blue, or full visible spectrum) 2. Three primary colors, 3. Little Sun (this one also carries ultraviolet and infrared) 4. Rare earth lamp ( Pink or blue)
1.LED
This is relatively power-efficient, emits little waste heat, and has a long lifespan. LED planting is absolutely possible, but I do not recommend using LEDs for family raising. Although LEDs can be full-spectrum, the distribution of full-spectrum lamp beads is not uniform. If a small area is irradiated at a close distance, the spectral distribution is not balanced enough for small plants. And now I haven't found a LED with medium-wave ultraviolet. LEDs are relatively power-saving, and uneven distribution of lamp beads can be solved by large-scale and long-distance, but in general, full-spectrum LEDs are more suitable for greenhouse and factory planting. At the same time, the lack of UVB is also more suitable for growing C3 C4 plants. If you increase the UVB lamp beads alone, large area and high intensity, it is possible. However, in general, the efficiency is not high if the amount is small. If annual plants do not consider root development and morphology, red and blue are enough. If you consider root development, you need to add orange light, which also has a certain underground accumulation effect.
2. Three primary colors
The heat is not too much, it is cheap, the spectral distribution is not very reasonable, the energy consumption is relatively large, and the utilization rate of the light emitted by the plant is below 70%. The disadvantage of using three primary colors is that the energy consumption is still a bit large, and no light intensity of 10000LX can be said to be ineffective for desert plants. But the energy required for 10000LX is quite scary. I calculated that it is more than 500 watts per square meter (50CM distance), which is not economical for long-term use.
3. Little Sun
, as the name suggests, is a small sun, which fully mimics the sun's light, and even generates heat. If enough, bright enough, the same effect as sunlight. But if the condition is "sufficient", the energy consumption is terrible, and the South African plants we like don't like to be too hot. This is absolutely useless. It has a good effect on growing tropical aquatic plants, or if you plan to plant lotus flowers off-season, it’s okay, but the energy consumption is too alarming.
4. Rare earth lamp
succulent plants
The main active ingredient is copper-selenium powder, which creates a specific spectrum. There are two kinds of blue and pink. The same is true for aquarium lights, which are fluorescent lights like the three primary colors. The spectral accuracy is higher than that of the three primary colors and less than that of the LED, which means that the energy consumption is higher than that of the LED to achieve the same effect, and the life span is shorter than that of the LED. But his advantage lies in the uniformity of light emission and strong spectral continuity. This kind of uniform light is more suitable if we don't need too much irradiated area. I mainly use this type now. The blue one has a certain amount of UVA and negligible UVB, which is more suitable for UVB lamps. Germany and the United States started producing this kind of light for aquatic plants a few years ago. It is also produced domestically. 200W per square meter is basically enough for desert plants, if it is for plateau plants, it can be increased appropriately. Don’t be too much, it will be tragedy~! Nowadays, meat lovers use blue lights. I must say that using blue lights alone is a bit abnormal. If it is used as a half-day light supplement, it will be no problem. If it is less than 2000LX during the day, it must be Add red light.
