How to illuminate seedlings at home. Do-it-yourself lighting for seedlings at home: work progress. Options for artificial plant lighting

Little sprouts always reach for the sun. With a lack of lighting, metabolic processes are disturbed in them, the stems grow long and thin, and the leaves become whitish. Such seedlings are sick for a long time, do not take root in the beds and wither. At the end of winter, are you already putting pots of seeds on the windowsills? it the right decision. But in February and March, the daylight hours are short, the sun's rays shine dimly, and it blows cold from the windows.

Therefore, it is necessary to make additional lighting for seedlings at home. Solve the main question. Do I need to look for expensive equipment in stores or can I save money by using various lamps with improvised means?

Lighting seedlings in an apartment

In this article:

Types and properties of various backlights

Find out first about the beneficial properties of lamps so that energy costs pay off with healthy seedlings.

1. Fluorescent lamps are economical and have a long service life. They are placed on top of the pots with seedlings, and as the stems grow, the height is adjusted. You need to buy several pieces, as they have low power. They are economical to use a full day.
2. Incandescent lamps heat more than they shine. They can be used, but you have to make sure that the leaves do not dry out. They have a budget cost, but consume a lot of electricity.
3. LED strips are in great demand among experienced vegetable growers for the red spectrum of radiation. They have all the necessary properties for the successful cultivation of plants: they are economical, do not heat up, shine well, and work for a long time. LEDs have a palm in hydroponics. They create ideal conditions for sprouts, durable, compact, economical in energy consumption and able to beautifully complement the interior.
4. Mercury-fluorescent lamps also have all the advantageous characteristics: efficiency and durability, they perfectly replace the solar spectrum. However, they will have to be handled with care so as not to accidentally break. They contain mercury vapor harmful to living organisms. In working order, they emit white light that does not irritate the eyes. For successful cultivation, plantings are not a priority.
5. Sodium lamps are used temporarily or in industrial premises. Their bright yellow light is annoying to the eye and does not particularly stimulate the growth of plantings, but they have a high light output.
6. Phytolamps help grow healthy seedlings, as they emit a blue and red spectrum. We'll have to make a fence, as the rays are dangerous to human health. They are more expensive than LED ones, but they give an ideal result. In the lighting system, it is advantageous to combine them with other types of lamps.

We conclude that the main criterion for choosing lamps is their ability to emit rays of a certain spectrum.

The color spectrum and its effect on seedlings

Basic rules for a good lighting system

You can choose one type or combine different lamps. The artificial lighting system for seedlings will be as effective as possible if you follow the simple rules:

1. Hang lights directly above the seedlings.
2. The distance from the lamp to the upper leaves is not more than 60 centimeters and not less than 10 cm.
3. Consider height-adjustable fixtures for the lamp.
4. Test for comfort with your palm. If the skin on the hand does not bake, then the sprouts are good.
5. Concentrate light output with reflectors.
6. The system should work no more than 15 hours a day.
7. Turn off the lights at night.
8. Check the quality of the lighting.
9. Follow the lighting schedule.

Studies have shown that the blue and red rays are the most important. Blue-violet illumination improves the synthesis of chlorophyll, and red increases photosynthesis and photomorphogenosis.

Violet light to improve chlorophyll synthesis

Chlorophyll is a green pigment that absorbs mostly blue light. With its participation, the process of formation of organic (nutrient) substances from water and carbon dioxide is carried out. Photomorphogenesis is a set of processes that occur in plants during their growth and development. Regular illumination, simulating the full spectrum of sunlight, will have a good effect on sprouts.

Simplified formula for photosynthesis:

Think over the scheme of additional lighting so that the plants receive a diverse spectrum of rays, similar to natural. At home, it is difficult to provide ideal conditions, so we advise you to use a matte screen, which scatters the rays a little and does not injure the sprouts.

If the room is brightly lit by the first rays of spring, then move the shelves with seedlings to the windowsill. So you save on electricity, and the seedlings will absorb natural light.

Intelligently combine different lighting:

• Natural.
• Artificial.

Arranging early natural lighting is elementary. You will need foil, scissors, glue, a ruler (meter) and a cardboard box. Measure the perimeter of the container with seedlings and pick up a box, it should be larger. Cut off the top and sides so that the sides remain at least one cm. Cover the inner surface with foil.

Using foil to enhance natural light

Place the seedlings in the improved box on a windowsill or shelf in direct sunlight. As a result, seedlings will develop under the influence of direct and reflected light flux.

In early spring, not all days are sunny, it often rains, and only dark clouds. Light a part of the seedling on the windowsill and compare. If the difference is noticeable, then immediately start organizing artificial lighting.

Suitable places for seedlings and lamps:

• Table.
• Windowsill.
• Special rack.
• Open cabinet.
• Flower stands.
• Hanging shelves.

Shelf with lighting for seedlings

Use reflectors (mirror, foil, white paper) even under artificial light. They will protect you from unwanted rays by directing them only to plants.

Convenient designs

We have proven tips so you can comfortably equip your space for seedlings. To do this, you need to free the table or window sill, place racks there, fix the lamps and stretch the wire from the mains. Then arrange the seedlings, water them and enjoy the seedlings. But first prepare the constituent elements:

1. Three tier rack saves space. It is made from a corner or wooden slats. The shelves are stained and secured with bolts. Sizes are selected individually. A lamp is attached to the bottom of each tier, which illuminates the lower shelf. The height cannot be adjusted, but the structure is easy to move to a more convenient place in the apartment.
2. The lamp holder is convenient to install, move and change the lighting height. You will need bars about a meter long, a lamp, 4 screws and a wire with a switch. The execution steps are simple. Fasten the lamp to the board, and attach U-shaped short supports to the sides. Attach two more bars in the shape of the letters L or X to each, movable legs will allow you to adjust the height.
3. The pendant lamp is easy to attach without damaging the surface of furniture and slopes. Prepare a lamp, two chains and threaded hooks. Insert two dowels on the sides of the phytolamp and tighten the threaded hooks. Hang chains on each ring, which can be fixed on any ledge (window handle, nail, hinges), and then adjust the length depending on the growth of seedlings.
4. Homemade LED lamp creates excellent illumination for seedlings. Buy a wire with a plug, a base (a wide range, a plastic plinth, a furniture profile), adhesive tape, thermal paste, hot melt adhesive and colored diodes. Fasten the emitters on the base in this order: two red ones, then one blue row. Connect the elements by soldering and lead to the breaker and power supply.
5. A gazebo for relaxing on a personal plot will temporarily replace a separate room for growing large volume seedlings. Fix and hang shelves with reflectors there, and seal the openings with foil. It is convenient to go inside to take care of the plantings. Get a temporary greenhouse or makeshift greenhouse.
6. A portable bookcase up to 1.5 meters high is convenient for organizing any kind of lighting. You will need wooden beams or light metal profiles. At lunch, put it in the garden or on an open balcony, and bring it into the house in the evening.

The industry has not yet provided vegetable growers and summer residents with ready-made structures. You'll have to with my own hands prepare custom fixtures that you will be proud of, and then share the experience.

Optimal Performance

Illuminance (E) is measured in lux or lumens ∕ sq. meter. This is a luminous quantity that depends on the luminous intensity of the source and obeys the inverse square law. If you double the distance between the lamp and the seedlings, then the indicator will decrease four times. E is inversely proportional to the square of the distance.

Task 1

Distance (h) from the lamp to seedlings 50 cm, E= 1000 Lx. You raised the lamp and increased the height to 100 cm. What will be the illumination now?

• 100 ∕ 50 = 2 times.
• 1000 ∕ 2 2 = 250 Lx.

The illumination from oblique rays also depends on the cosine of the angle with respect to the illuminated surface. Few people want to accurately calculate these numbers, but keep in mind that tomatoes and peppers sprout well at 6-8 lux light, and exotic vegetables need 10-12 lux.

At the beginning of spring, the illumination approximately has the following indicators:

• Dining Sundial ─ 2,000 Lux.
• Cloudy days 500 ─ Lk.

Task 2

You have a table for seedlings, its dimensions are 0.7 m by 2 m. The illumination on the package is 3000 Lm. Approximate loss of scattered rays is 30 percent. Required illumination 8 000 Lx. How many lamps do you need?

• 0.7 × 2 \u003d 1.4 m 2 (Illuminated surface area.)
• 8,000 × 1.4 = 11,200 lm (Required E.)
• 11,200 × 1.3 = 14,560 lm (including losses)
• 14 560 ∕ 3000 = 4.85 and round up to 5 pieces.

You can substitute your indicators into the formulas and create an exclusive highlight.

Characteristics of various lamps that are useful for circuit calculations

Let us clarify that the abbreviation PAR efficiency is deciphered as follows: the efficiency of the photosynthetic active reaction, shows the possibilities for absorbing light energy. Each crop needs specific conditions and lighting schemes.

Outcome

Make calculations, select and install lamps. If the stems are straight and grow quickly, and the leaves do not wither, do not turn yellow, have a dark green color, then you have correctly applied our advice. You are an excellent grower! Healthy seedlings grown with the right lighting will give you a good harvest.

The fundamental difference between the illumination of 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 emerging seedlings, the quality and regularity of illumination 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 the light of each type has its own effect on plants. For example, red light stimulates seed germination, and far (or distant) red light suppresses them.

Red light also promotes the development of the seedling: 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) it begins to get red light, the growth rate of the stem decreases, the hook straightens, chlorophyll synthesis begins, so the cotyledons begin to turn green.

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

But the blue color, due to inhibition of cell elongation, 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 reactions of phototropism, better known as seedling bending: cell growth is inhibited from the side of the blue light source, so the stem bends towards the blue light source.

Absorption spectrum of chlorophyll (horizontally, wavelength in nm).

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

Lumens and lux are often confused. These values ​​are units of measurement of luminous flux and illumination, which must 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 gives.

The luminous flux characterizes the light source, and the illumination 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 sq.m, creates an illumination of 1 Lx on it.

The 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 moved the lamp, which hung above the plants at a height of half a meter, to a height of one meter from the plants, thus increasing the distance between them twice, then the illumination of the plants will decrease 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 the light source is 1000 lux, then at a distance of 2 m it is already 250 lux, see table

Illumination on a surface depends on the magnitude of 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 projector-type lamp to illuminate plants, then try to keep the light directed perpendicular to the plants.

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

The required light for most plants that we grow in seedlings should be above 8000lux. And where to get these suites and how to calculate them on the packaging of the lamps in the store do not write. Moreover, most of the advisers who talk about the advantages of a particular lamp do not write about this either. 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 merits of special “fitolamps”, decides to arrange a holiday for seedlings and installs 1 lamp over five rows of cups with seedlings! This can be compared with an attempt to feed all invited guests with one sandwich with caviar ... After all, for plants, light is life! A good light - a luxurious life!

Now we know that lux characterizes how "light" the plants are, and lumens characterize the lamps with which you illuminate these plants. And it is the number of lumens that is indicated on the marking of the lamps.

Calculate how many lumens you need for plants to get 8000lx or higher light on YOUR windowsill or seedling table.

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

2. Now let's define 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 at least we need to illuminate our table.

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

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

What area will be able to illuminate this or that lamp?

For an approximate orientation, which lamp and for which area it is better 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 that they create, the coefficient of performance (COP) 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 affected by steam, water, salts, and does not become cloudy over time. So, the optical effect of a luminaire with a mirror lamp remains practically unchanged during the entire period of its operation.

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

Power, W: 36

Cartridge: G13

Service life: 20000

Purpose: The lamps are characterized by excellent luminous flux characteristics and greater environmental safety.

Colour: 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 ​​​​1.5m2 when hanging the lighting system at a height of 30cm from the plants, we need as many as 6 lamps(18000lm:3350=5.37 but round up to 6x).

Now take a mirror lamp high pressure 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, for the necessary illumination of our table with seedlings.

Power, W: 70

Lamp luminous flux (Lm) : 5600

Requires 3 lamps.

The advantage of lamps DNA/Reflux is present, however, their high cost must be taken into account, for example, a ready-made lamp for seedlings 250 W with DNaZ and electronic ballast 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: at the same power, a special lamp gives more light that is “useful” for plants. But if you set new system for lighting plants, then do not chase after these specialized lamps, which are much more expensive than ordinary ones. Install a more powerful lamp with a high color rendering index (lamp marking - /9...). It will have all the necessary components in its spectrum, and it will give 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 - about 17 lumens/watt

A halogen lamp is radically different from the lamp described above, it has a different shape and inside its bulb is a halogen (usually iodine) in the form of a gas. As a result of the operation of the lamp and gaseous iodine in the flask, all those who have flown away from the spiral tungsten filament return back. Due to this, the lamp life is increased, as well as its light output ( about 25 lumens/watt) and color temperature.

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

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

Special - Linear Lamps

With a tube diameter of 16mm, 26mm and G5 and G13 sockets respectively, these lamps have specific parameters and characteristics and are most often used for aquariums, 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. As a result, plant growth is accelerated. Light output 47-93 lumens per watt (average 60)

This type of lamp is very popular among people involved in growing plants, as the light emitted by them almost completely replenishes 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 contributes to the growth of the root system, flowering and ripening of the crop. So, in turn, plant pigments susceptible to the blue part of the spectrum are responsible for the growth of leaves and the plant as a whole. Therefore, plants that did not receive required quantity of the desired spectrum grow elongated and with a weak root system. Light output up to 200 lumens per watt(average 100)

DNaZ (High Pressure Sodium Arc Lamp) is the same DNaT, in which a mirror coating was added for convenience and greater performance.

A feature of this lamp is the reflective layer that is applied inside the bulb. The bulb and the mirror layer are made in such a way that during operation the reflected light does not fall on the gas discharge tube, thereby increasing the service life of the lamp. Thanks to such a 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 efficient, on this moment, light sources. 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 gas discharge. Light output up to 100 lumens per watt (average 75)

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

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

Conclusion

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

Useful additions when organizing the illumination of seedlings by the window.

Regardless of the chosen backlight, try to place the seedlings near the south window, due to the sun you can save money and get the best result.

Make additional reflective screens on the back and sides of the seedlings.

Follow the schedule for additional lighting, changing the time both up and down can adversely affect seedlings.

Remember that nothing can replace sunshine, sunny days.

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122 comments on the entry: “Illumination of seedlings. All about backlighting, the effect of light and the choice of fixtures and lamps”

1. Alexander:
   November 13th, 2012 at 9:10 pm

   Thanks for the article: concise, scientific, intelligible. Upset only information about the price. A bit pricey for an amateur retiree.

2. Sasha:
   March 3rd, 2013 at 8:40 pm

   The price is not correct for the Dnaz indicated, I took the DNA from the EPR a year ago, it turned out 2500r.

3. Valery Medvedev:
   March 4th, 2013 at 9:38 am

   Tell me where they got the Dnaz lamp at that price, I found the cheapest one for 3.5t.r. not including shipping.

4. Svetisad:
   March 17th, 2013 at 11:40 pm

   Great article! Everything is very clear and detailed. Here are phytolamps and phyto-lamps for seedling illumination, which are discussed in the article: svetisad.ru/svetisad.ru/folder/2976806

   

5. SVictor:
   January 20th, 2014 at 9:33 pm

   It is extremely DANGEROUS to use a DNaZ / Reflux high-pressure mirror lamp - it heats up to 300-400 degrees, it explodes from any drop of water.

   Budget lamp forumhouse.ru/entries/4843/

   Continued forumhouse.ru/entries/4924/

   Price: white ribbon 5630 reel 5m (20W/m) - 1200 rubles;

   driver (power supply) 12V 100W - 1100 rubles

6. allisa:
   February 23rd, 2014 at 4:47 pm

   Valery, thanks. The information is very useful, but due to the female mindset, I can’t count my coverage. I have a rack on the window, 3 shelves: size 1.2m x 35cm height of the shelves (from bottom to top) 40cm, 45cm, 55cm, each with 2 fluorescent lamps of 28W. Not enough? And another question: the light is on from 10 am to 20 pm, and in any weather (cloudy or sunny), I don’t have the opportunity to change the interval, guided by the weather outside the window, because I leave for work at 7 am. Tell me if this lighting mode benefits my plants.

7. Valery Medvedev:
   February 23rd, 2014 at 10:52 pm

   Alice, the daylight hours can be increased, 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 luminescent ones are also better, but only phyto with a reddish spectrum .

8. allisa:
   February 24th, 2014 at 12:50 am

   Thanks, I'll look for those...

9. Julia:
   February 27th, 2014 at 12:43 pm

   Is it possible to use an energy-saving cold glow lamp (more powerful), but shine through the red-blue glass? Or is it a perversion?

10. 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 that the result on tomato seedlings is better than any praise, in 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, saving time for exactly a month and the seedlings are super, I will post photos soon, etc.

11. SVictor:
    February 28th, 2014 at 11:02 am

    Julia. As a techie, I can explain. Colored glass is transparent specific color and delay the rest. Plants from all over the world will take whatever color they need and as much as they need, and plants are indifferent to the rest of the color and extra lighting. The main thing is not to overheat with infrared and not burn with ultraviolet. Red color promotes the growth of tops, and blue plants will be more stocky. The ratio for seedlings of tomato, pepper, eggplant is blue: red = 4: 1. So fluorescent lamps or led strip need COOL WHITE

12. SVictor:
    February 28th, 2014 at 11:14 am

    Do not spend money on fluorescent phytolamps from China - the price is high, but there is little sense. European prices are exorbitant. And the Chinese lie and save a lot: the power is 2-3 times lower than that written on the lamp, the service life is no more than 6 months, and then they dim another 2-3. Especially with the ECO icon. For the Chinese, this means super savings - there is very little luminescent, the filament is not tungsten, mercury is not added to the flask, etc.

13. Yuri:
    March 11th, 2014 at 5:27 am

    I hung on seedlings DRL, big as a man's head, Soviet years production Poland, power 400 W. Previously used in lampposts, in street lighting. Although hung at a distance of 1 meter, the seedlings received an ultraviolet burn.

14. 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 made, otherwise you create a fire hazard at home.

15. Stepan:
    March 17th, 2014 at 10:20 pm

    Valery, at what distance should DNAT-250 be hung in a mirrored ceiling? Lamp at a distance of 30 cm - tomato seedlings fall, some wither, others die from a black leg.

16. 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 fixtures

17. Stepan:
    March 19th, 2014 at 11:00 pm

    Valery, could you tell me at what height it is necessary to hang the DNAT-250 lamp? When suspended by 60 cm, a pronounced yellow spot with a diameter of about 20 cm. Is there enough illumination if you raise it higher?

18. Stepan:
    March 19th, 2014 at 11:10 pm

    What is the danger for seedlings? How best to use this lamp for backlighting, because. have to be content with what is available.

19. Valery Medvedev:
    March 20th, 2014 at 5:07 am

    Stepan, DNAT-250 must be hung even higher, otherwise you will get burns at the seedlings, and there will be enough light, you should look at its characteristics Luminous flux of the lamp (Lm): 26000, this is more than enough for 1 sq.m.

20. Kristina:
    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 tr. I don't get it (((

21. Valery Medvedev:
    March 22nd, 2014 at 6:55 am
22. Kristina:
    April 2nd, 2014 at 5:59 pm

    Thanks, Valery! You are my savior, my tomatoes will not have time to bud without illumination by May))) I urgently need to buy a lamp.

23. Julia:
    April 3rd, 2014 at 1:49 pm

    Valery, hello. And how many lamps do you need to buy for a window sill 1m 20cm long?

24. Valery Medvedev:
    April 3rd, 2014 at 2:40 pm

    3 lamps is enough

25. Julia:
    April 3rd, 2014 at 6:52 pm
26. Vyacheslav:
    April 23rd, 2014 at 4:30 pm

    I bought a LED lamp 70 eur 50W China (it is written that 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 is cloudy or sunny outside - tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, in short, all the greens lean towards the window. They react to the lamp when the sun sets. I mean that any lamp is worse than the sun.

    Tomatoes, regardless of whether with or without a lamp, are dull green and elongated (I can assume that due to a temperature of 20 degrees) they darken when I put them in a greenhouse.

    Peppers, especially if you lower the lamp 60 cm above the peppers - the purple-green ones grow stronger and the spine pierces the entire glass (I haven’t observed this without a lamp for such a period), but because the lamp alone hangs about 1.2 m from the table surface for the entire area of ​​​​3m2 to capture all the seedlings.

    All kinds of orchids feel very well under this radiation. Even during the winter, the withered come to life, straighten the leaves.

    I can’t stay in this world for a long time - my head starts to hurt and I feel sick. I had to build curtains from foil film.

    My conclusions are - for the peppers perfect solution, for the rest of the seedlings, I did not find a big difference.

    Maybe the intensity is small or other factors, but I got such results.

27. Valery Medvedev:
    April 25th, 2014 at 7:46 am

    A Chinese lamp of 50 W cannot illuminate such an area with high quality and it must be hung no higher than 50 cm from the plants, then the tomatoes will stop leaning towards the window and become dark green.

28. 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 case made of? Wouldn't 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 conceived this one, but we don’t have a machine that bends sheets of metal, and we planned to fix the lamps on a long board, but we have little idea how to mount socket holders in drilled holes, whether to put them on heat-insulating glue or otherwise, how to combine wires in one single, etc. Do I understand correctly that the starter is already hidden in the lamp housing and there is enough wire with a simple plug that is inserted into the socket?

29. Valery Medvedev:
    December 24th, 2014 at 2:36 pm

    Masha, look at this video of mine in it, it is clear how easy it is to make a lamp using lamps.

30. Ma Sha:
    December 24th, 2014 at 6:24 pm

    Valery, thanks, I already watched this video and realized that wall-mounted cartridges were used (initially I didn’t think of it before). Do I understand correctly that in your lamp for 10 lamps, the cartridges are connected by wires in series and all the lamps turn on at the same time due to this? I do not want to pile up a bundle of 10 wires.

31. Valery Medvedev:
    December 25th, 2014 at 10:13 am

    Masha, the lamps are connected in parallel, but there is no need to block any beam, the two-wire wire goes in segments from lamp to lamp. You just confuse serial and parallel connections a little, the lamps will turn on at the same time in any case, if you don’t put a switch in the middle of the circuit, for example, and then you can turn off some of the lamps, as I did on the first lamp for energy-saving lamps, now I replaced them with LEDs

    And Christmas garlands are connected in series.

32. Victor:
    December 30th, 2014 at 11:39 am

    Hello Valery Sergeevich. I would like to briefly comment on your lamps, on energy savings - what are they (how many degrees in Kelvin are there) and LED: what and how many colors (red-blue), and what happened in terms of harvest, I also spend here what kind of experiments, in terms of quantity, and in terms of agricultural crops, do you want 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 necessary to be red, but at noon - blue, and in the evening add a little red again. Can I make two parallel branches of LEDs, and put two timers? One turned off, having worked out its mode, and the other turned on, already in a different mode.

33. Valery Medvedev:
    December 30th, 2014 at 4:55 pm

    Victor, I use ready-made lamps, for today only LED ones, I turn on the socket through the timer. For seedlings of any crops, I really like the effect, but for full cycle Of course, you need to get closer to the sun, I’m not strong in electrical engineering, so I haven’t tried home-made solutions.

34. Victor:
    January 3rd, 2015 at 4:44 pm

    Valery. I didn’t just ask, I also use ready-made ones for now, but these ready-made ones have different LEDs, it’s only in diamond: 9-red one is blue, and if you look at the energy saving, 6400 kelvin, it is close to daylight, and blue light ,450 nanometers, about the same thing, look here (copy the link and paste it into a search engine), and the point is that, having such an assortment of light bulbs, you can turn them on in turn, a little red in the morning, add blue ones by noon, and by evening red ones again, they are already in these bulbs, though in different quantities, which is very important. that's where my question comes from, how many of which LEDs are in your fixtures.

35. 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 it's sunny, I can add blue, and pick up red or only blue, since red passes through the window, naturally with a screen from the side of the room, and if they stretch out, then of course blue, in general, experiments again.

36. Victor:
    January 4th, 2015 at 1:11 pm

    Good afternoon! I'll try to insert my 5 cents. I live in St. Petersburg where the sun is almost invisible, the cloudy sky is almost all year round, and based on this, I came to the conclusion (for myself) two timer sockets, and two chains of lamps, in one - red-blue 3: 2, in the other two lamps of 4 blue and one white (LEDs) or two energy-saving lamps (daylight with a color temperature of 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 in the afternoon, and the second chain with blue light turns on at 10 in the morning and until 18, and from 18 to 21 turns on red-blue, everything turns off at night. In this spectrum, the seedlings feel good, and other colors, green, yellow, are needed for microorganisms living in the ground, but we grow seedlings that will move to a more lit place. All this I count on a box measuring 50 × 30 cm.

37. Valery Medvedev:
    January 9th, 2015 at 11:05 am

    Mine has two blues and three reds.

38. Victor:
    January 12th, 2015 at 1:23 pm

    thanks, Valery Sergeevich, this is important to me. According to my observations, it turns out better when at the beginning there are more blue, 4 blue, 1 white, or a saver to help red blue (6400 Kelvin), but this is in my region, it may come in handy.

39. Lydia:
    January 13th, 2015 at 9:55 am

    Good afternoon. Valery, please tell me if there are any more detailed specifications LED lamps, which you write about above, because the link indicated by these lamps is not available. I tried to search on the Internet, there are a lot of 15W LED lamps and the characteristics are different for everyone - white light, cold light, maybe there is a specific manufacturer. I mainly see 5W lamps - will this power be small or will I need several? I've never seen one like the one in your picture. Will the lamp in the picture fit?

    

40. Valery Medvedev:
    January 13th, 2015 at 11:20 am

    Look for LED grow lights, they are all mostly red and blue diodes.

41. Victor:
    January 13th, 2015 at 1:37 pm

    For Lydia. To illuminate plants, lamps with a certain radiation spectrum are required, 660 nanometers are red and blue 450 nm, plants simply do not recognize another spectrum, and power is based on 5 watts per square meter, which means if the lamps are 10 watts, then 5 -6 pieces, I have 2 lamps of 10 watts per box measuring 60cm x 20cm.

42. 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 no excess light. What do you think?

43. Valery Medvedev:
    January 24th, 2015 at 2:41 pm

    You definitely won’t have too much of it, it can be overdone with dnats.

44. Sergey:
    January 28th, 2015 at 4:25 am

    Hello Valery!

    What area with seedlings do you illuminate with your lamp

    from 10 lamps of 15 watts? At what height above the seedlings? With lenses or without?

    Bought 4 pcs. such lamps for testing - what area, in your opinion, can be illuminated?

45. 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.

46. Victor:
    February 8th, 2015 at 12:49 am

    Hello Valery! I watched your video, super determinant tomatoes on the windowsill, under the LED lights that you wanted to put on New Year's table, already salivating, but the question is, what variety do you have ??

47. Valery Medvedev:
    February 8th, 2015 at 9:04 am

    Victor, look at this article, I wrote a variety there.

48. Victor:
    February 8th, 2015 at 1:24 pm

    thanks Valery.

49. Maksim:
    March 12th, 2015 at 6:24 pm

    Hello! Tell me, please, what is the optimal power of an LED lamp for a 60 × 15 cm box (as I understand it, 0.09 m2). 15w will be enough? Thanks for your reply!

50. Valery Medvedev:
    March 13th, 2015 at 9:54 am

    Maxim, two of these will have to be hung, since the box is extended.

51. Vladimir:
    March 24th, 2015 at 2:05 pm

    Good day!!! Please tell me about the LED lamps that I ordered from China for 15 watts. Reference: 4 pieces purchased 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 says red 660 nm, blue 460 nm, the question is whether one blue LED is enough and at what distance to place the light from the plants? Thank you very much and good luck with your work!!!

    P.S. Off-topic question: tell us how you prepare the land for the greenhouse from the moment you buy it to the moment you add mulch to it, etc. How do you determine its parameters to obtain good harvest what water do you water, for example, in our suburbs, the soil is very acidic and water for irrigation with high content gland

52. Valery Medvedev:
    March 24th, 2015 at 5:35 pm

    I place the lamps 20 cm from the plants, one blue should be enough for seedlings. I prepare the land for the greenhouse in the same way as for warm beds, the parameters are friability, the presence of humus, I pour warm water

53. Victor:
    March 25th, 2015 at 1:06 am

    I will intervene on the LEDs: a 15-watt Chinese lamp has half the power, 8 watts, they write 5 pieces of 3-watt ones, for example, then 3.5v X 0.7a \u003d 2.45w is a blue LED, and red , 2.4 x 0.7 \u003d 1.68 (we multiply the volt by the current and get the power) and for an area of ​​1 sq. M you need 50 - 60 watts of LED power, and if more it does not hurt, but the spectrum: as soon as the first loops appear , immediately remove the backlight with LEDs and two - three days without a break, then we connect the red light (660 nm) at the rate of 1: 1, 3 red and 2 blue, from 12 to 14 hours (if the seedlings are grown in urban conditions and on the windowsill, then it should be at night, fenced off from the light of street lamps, otherwise the plants will reach for the light of the lamp) on a box of 30x50 cm, 3 lamps are enough, (blue light slows down the above-ground part, and root system continues to grow and strengthen, seedlings do not stretch, and red promotes foliage growth.

54. Anya:
    March 30th, 2015 at 9:19 pm

    Thank you for your efforts to educate beginners!

    

55. Alexei:
    March 31st, 2015 at 1:21 am

    Valery, hello. Yesterday we picked tomatoes and peppers. Then we thought about lighting: I bought one ribbon of blue-red lights (72 diodes), in a ratio of 3:1 (red:blue); and one ribbon of a white glow of 5700 Kelvin, in which, judging by the graphs on the Internet, the blue spectrum at 440 nm is two times higher than the red 650 nm, that is, roughly speaking, red prevails in one ribbon, and blue in the other (although the ribbon and white glow). What do you think, now, for the first time after picking, which light is better to use, with more red or blue? Or include both, do not bother? It’s just that the area of ​​​​the table is about a meter, and I can’t find out what power of the tapes in watts, 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.

    

56. Valery Medvedev:
    March 31st, 2015 at 3:47 pm

    It is necessary to use all the light, it definitely will not be superfluous, I would not spray the seedlings.

57. biktor57:
    April 2nd, 2015 at 6:40 pm

    Valera, will energy-saving lamps be used to illuminate seedlings or not.

58. Nicholas:
    April 2nd, 2015 at 9:56 pm

    Valery please tell me. what luminous flux (lm) does a 15 watt diode lamp give as you have in the backlight?

59. 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 wavelengths of 660 and 445, and the total power, the more powerful the lamps, the easier it is to hang higher, and therefore illuminate a larger area.

60. Valery Medvedev:
    April 3rd, 2015 at 11:09 am

    Suitable only for good effect you need to gain more power, make reflectors, because for plants most of spectrum emitted by them is useless. Therefore, now there is a choice between dnats and LEDs, as you like.

61. Victor:
    April 3rd, 2015 at 2:42 pm
62. 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 pure seed spectrum. but they need to be taken three times more

63. Nicholas:
    April 6th, 2015 at 10:44 pm

    And how much time per day should the seedlings be illuminated? I have from 6.00 to 21.00.

    Enough? Or still need to?

64. Valery Medvedev:
    April 7th, 2015 at 9:04 am

    So okay.

65. Alyona:
    May 7th, 2015 at 8:05 am

    good afternoon. really need your advice.

    I want to pick up LED lamps for illuminating seedlings of cucumber and tomato. which one is best for this?

66. Victor:
    October 23rd, 2015 at 10:04 pm

    Hello!

    I bought a LED phytolamp with a power of 54 watts.

    On the site where I bought it, it is indicated that the lamp is designed to illuminate an area of ​​1.25 sq.m.

    Luminous flux 3500 lm,

    LED (4 blue, 14 red), ultra bright.

    Could you tell me, please, at what height should such a lamp be placed?

    And yet, I have doubts whether the lamp will pull such an area?

    Thanks in advance for your help.

67. Valery Medvedev:
    October 24th, 2015 at 10:10 am

    Such a lamp will definitely not pull 1.25 kV, a maximum of 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.

68. Ivan:
    December 23rd, 2015 at 9:41 pm

    Hello! Can you please tell me if a housekeeper lamp 85W 6375 Lm 6400K, suspended at a height of 1m from tomato seedlings, can burn them or not?

69. Valery Medvedev:
    December 24th, 2015 at 9:45 am

    Such a lamp at such a height will not burn.

70. Sergey:
    January 9th, 2016 at 2:42 pm

    Tell me please. In my box 0.6 sq.m. A 50w led lamp hangs from above, and an ESL 125W hangs from the bottom side, the growths lean towards the ESL, what should I do?

    

71. Valery Medvedev:
    January 10th, 2016 at 11:53 am

    Hang these lamps on top of the sides of the ice.

72. Juliana:
    January 15th, 2016 at 9:59 pm

    Good afternoon!

    Someone already wrote here that it is impossible to stay near the LED lamp for a long time - the head hurts and feels nauseous. We have the same.

    We ordered one phyto lamp for an experiment in China. Received and hung over the windowsill. It is impossible to sit next to me for more than 20 minutes, even with your back turned away. Why is that? And how does it affect a person? Is it possible to be around at all when she works?

    And after that, another question. Is it possible to illuminate plants in an aquarium with an LED lamp and how will the fish react to it? Maybe someone came across.

73. Olga:
    January 20th, 2016 at 4:01 pm

    Valery, I really need your qualified recommendation on the timing of growing seedlings under phytolamps 36 W (bicolour, diodes 660:450nm ratio 9:3) A site in the Moscow region, I plant under lucrasil 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 their seeds; 2) early ripe peppers, eggplants, tomatoes - medium-sized and standard. I want to use your experience in organizing a place for seedlings - penofol light reflectors, watering with melt water (if prepared in advance snow water, do I need to somehow disinfect it - warm it up to a boil or add Phytosporin?) Sorry for a large number of questions, but if not you, then who. Sincerely, your grateful follower

74. Valery Medvedev:
    January 22nd, 2016 at 7:46 pm

    Under the lamps, it is necessary to move the crops for 15-20 days. You don't need to boil the water, but the snow must be clean, of course.

75. Jeanne:
    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 should it be hung? Thank you in advance.

76. Valery Medvedev:
    January 24th, 2016 at 10:20 am

    Such a lamp will illuminate the 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.

77. Alexander:
    January 28th, 2016 at 10:38 pm

    I have a homemade lamp. Radiator - a piece of aluminum cornice, led - 1 watt, driver - 6-10 watts, ordered through Ali-express. Raised wonderful seedlings last season.

    

78. Alexander:
    January 28th, 2016 at 10:41 pm

    Such a driver. 6 to 10 single watt LEDs.

    

79. 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 the windowsill 3mx0.3m. I stopped at the Sidor phytolamp. Options:

    1. -2 linear lamps 1m long (1.5m can be) 40w each.

    2. -2 linear lamps 1m long, 30w each.

    3. -3 lin. lamps 1m long, 30w.

    Help me decide. I have been suffering with the choice for half a year. The character is so bad. Finally decided on a lamp. Now the power and quantity can not choose. Doubts I have: 40w is not much? And one more thing: the distance to the plants, please. Thank you.

80. Valery Medvedev:
    February 10th, 2016 at 1:04 pm

    Distance to plants 30-40 cm, the amount depends on the area.

81. Victor:
    February 24th, 2016 at 5:08 pm

    Hello!!! Lamp DNAT 400 ON what area?

82. Valery Medvedev:
    February 26th, 2016 at 11:38 am

    I haven't experienced them.

83. 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, an illumination of one lux corresponds to a luminous flux of one lumen falling on one square meter of area. And approximately equal to one watt (LED)

    Victor, did you mix anything up? Illumination of one lux corresponds to ... and is approximately equal to one watt (LED)? Based on the fact that plants need 4000-8000 lux, then in terms of diodes you need 4000-8000 W?

84. Victor:
    February 29th, 2016 at 12:51 pm

    to what height should DNAT-400 be raised from seedlings?

85. Valery Medvedev:
    March 1st, 2016 at 10:11 am

    Not less than a metre.

86. lipstickkacool:
    March 1st, 2016 at 2:53 pm

    

87. Valery Medvedev:
    March 2nd, 2016 at 8:32 am

    I see it 9 cotton swabs with large quantity small LEDs, I don’t think that 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 20 cm from the plants.

88. lipstickkacool:
    March 2nd, 2016 at 12:08 pm

    Thank you, Valery, in one store we conducted an experiment with these lamps, the results are excellent!

    And another question, how many hours a day do seedlings need to shine? we constantly lack light for plants, last year all the seedlings stretched out!

89. Valery Medvedev:
    March 3rd, 2016 at 4:12 pm

    I light up for 12 hours.

90. lipstickkacool:
    March 5th, 2016 at 8:14 am
91. Tatiana:
    March 10th, 2016 at 11:09 pm

    Last year I ordered lamps for plants in China. This year I made 2 lamps for myself and my mother. Each lamp has 3 lamps. Pasted on the inside mirror film, to reflect light. I hung it over the windowsill at a distance of 25 cm from the seedlings. I follow the results.

    

92. Tatiana:
    March 10th, 2016 at 11:18 pm

    Last year I ordered lamps for plants in China. In January, I made 2 lamps myself, for my mother and for myself. Each lamp has 3 lamps. I hung it over the windowsill at a distance of 25 cm above the seedlings. I follow the results.

93. Ruslan:
    March 19th, 2016 at 6:17 pm

    Dnat 150 W living corner 60*60*120cm

    in the spring we transplant into long pots on the balcony

    Small peppers and tomatoes for a month,

    those that are bigger - one and a half.

    Homemade electronic ballast, according to a scheme similar to this one

    

94. Natalia:
    May 1st, 2016 at 6:31 am

    I bought a Reflux DNAZ 70 watt lamp. I have few seedlings. According to the characteristics, it should be enough just for an area of ​​\u200b\u200b1 * 1.5, even a little more. I thought that this year my seedlings would be just a feast for the eyes, but alas. Tomato seedlings stretched out in just 3 days. I had to put it on cold balcony. Now stands there blue from the cold. I thought the reason high temperature air (in the apartment + 21, plus the lamp heats up to +60). After the tomato planted cucumbers, watermelons and melons. Lowered the temperature by opening the window. The result is the same. Cucumbers are sitting where it didn’t go, more or less, and watermelons with melons - you won’t look without tears. In general, one disorder. Only peppers liked this lamp, they are bright green and are going to bloom, although they planted it, as always, at the same time. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong? According to the advertising of this lamp on all sites, the seedlings should simply be fragrant, but alas, I have ah. For the eyes, the light of this lamp is quite normal. At first it was not familiar, the objects had some kind of unnaturally pale color, but then I got used to it.

95. Ainur:
    August 17th, 2016 at 7:30 am

    Good afternoon!

    Do you make red-blue glow phytolamps? Area 3 ha, Beds: 9.5 m x 1.20 m, distance between beds 1.5 meters.

    characteristics

    object: greenhouse

    area: 3 ha

    Lighting: Led / HPS

    degree of protection: ip 65/ip 67

    quantity unknown

96. Valery Medvedev:
    August 22nd, 2016 at 9:04 am

    I do not do.

97. Gulnaz:
    August 29th, 2016 at 11:08 am

    I bought a phytolamp E27 36 watts, 660 nm - 9 pcs red, 450 nm - 3 pcs blue, for plant illumination, the north side of the window, there is no sun at all. How many lumies will the lamp emit, is it enough?

98. Valery Medvedev:
    August 30th, 2016 at 11:59 am

    It will be enough for a circle with a radius of 40 cm.

99. Semenoa:
    October 2nd, 2016 at 8:22 pm

    Valery, how much W / m2 is needed. for LED lighting?

100. Valery Medvedev:
     October 3rd, 2016 at 11:34 am

     It all depends on the quality of the LEDs, but about 100 or more watts.

101. Andrew:
     October 6th, 2016 at 3:43 pm

     Valery, help me choose lamps. There were doubts about 28 W llamas, diodes less than 500 lux. But the price is acceptable. A 30 W diode is larger but the number of lux. unknown.

102. Valery Medvedev:
     October 10th, 2016 at 5:14 pm

     Andrey, these lamps use outdated LEDs low power, the efficiency may not be great.

103. 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 you need to hang them above the plants while the seedlings are small and when they are already large? How much more time to illuminate the peppers and tomatoes.

     P.S. The lamps are chic, the ECO mark, which is very important, they shine on a large area, I bought 3 pieces for an old table-book, but I realized that two would be enough.

     How did these bulbs perform?

104. Natalia:
     January 31st, 2017 at 8:10 am

     Hello! Maybe I'm addressing the wrong address, but suddenly I get an answer. I would like to know at what height above the seedlings it is necessary to hang 2 PHITO-90 cm-15W64SMO-P40LNE phytolines for a backlight area of ​​1.2 x 0.75 sq.m?

105. Valery Medvedev:
     January 31st, 2017 at 9:39 am

     20 cm above the seedlings and 30-40 above the pick.

106. Valery Medvedev:
     January 31st, 2017 at 9:43 am

     20 cm above the seedlings and 30-40 above the pick. 12-14 hours.

107. Shavkat Latipov:
     February 27th, 2017 at 12:43 am

     Hello. I want to assemble my own phytolamp. I read that vegetables love white light. I ordered red and blue LEDs the desired spectrum + fulspektralnye. Decided to combine everything. And is it still necessary to include White?

108. Valery Medvedev:
     March 4th, 2017 at 7:23 pm

     I won't say exactly. I use additional light only for seedlings, two spectra are enough.

109. Alexander:
     February 26th, 2018 at 11:28 am

     Good afternoon.

     Last year (in the 17th) I bought 6pcs. 10 W LED lamps and hung them over the table at a height of half a meter. Table 120×70 (cm)

     In addition, another 36 watt fluorescent lamp hung above it. The LED dumps were on the sides of the fluorescent one. Seedlings - tomatoes and peppers. At first it all grew under a fluorescent lamp, but my wife, as usual, was unhappy with the amount of light, and I hung phytolamps. After that, the tomatoes got sick. They became thin and curvy. Only after transplanting into the greenhouse did they recover. And the peppers are okay, they survived normally. So the conclusion is this. The amount of lighting can be overdone.

     Or did I do something wrong?

110. 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.

111. 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). 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 into the street.

112. Anton:
     March 6th, 2018 at 4:15 pm

     Good afternoon, Valery

     We are going to try to grow a salad for ourselves.

     We ran into the issue of additional lighting when growing seedlings.

     The area that will be occupied by cassettes with lettuce seedlings is approximately 20 m2

     Room without windows (no daylight at all)

     Among other sources - only incandescent lamps (ordinary), but they can only shine in order to enter the room and leave it.

     We want to ask for advice: how much light do our seedlings need? Explain please. What lamps, what kind of glow are needed and at what distance should they be broadcast?

     Thank in advance!

113. Valery Medvedev:
     March 7th, 2018 at 12:37 pm

     If the height allows, then it is better to illuminate Reflux at the rate of 100-150 W per square meter

114. Valery Medvedev:
     March 7th, 2018 at 12:44 pm

     Should be enough, suspension height 20-30 cm to plants.

115. Alexander:
     April 1st, 2018 at 10:34 pm

     Hello Valery! Tell me, I hung a dnat-400 and two dnat-250 over 2 sq.m of seedlings at a height of 40 cm from the seedlings there is a weak airflow from computer coolers daytime temperature 30 at night 25 without sunlight mode 14 light 10 night. Is what I do scary? I have constant fears of lack of lighting and light.

116. Valery Medvedev:
     April 2nd, 2018 at 9:14 am

     Alexander hanging Dnatov over seedlings needs at least 1 meter, preferably 1.5-2 m can be easily burned, especially since the temperature for seedlings is too big 20-25 what you need, this power is more than enough, and in terms of lighting time they usually shine 12 hours and 12 night

117. Fedor:
     April 2nd, 2018 at 8:08 pm

     Hello Valery, judge my calculation, how correctly I chose the illumination for tobacco seedlings. Thanks

     

118. 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 coincides with the needs of plants.

119. Fedor:
     April 4th, 2018 at 12:24 pm

     Hello! Therefore, I indicated in what 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 I have an average of 2960Lx. But I still reduced the distance to the lamps and made 24 cm. Lx increased, but I'm afraid to burn the plants with the light flux, is this possible? And something cannot be brought out into cotton wool.

     

120. Valery Medvedev:
     April 8th, 2018 at 8:43 am

     LEDs and such a stream will not burn, LEDs can be suspended from 10 cm.

121. Maksim:
     May 28th, 2018 at 3:13 pm

     Hello, I have a box 70 × 100, an Apollo 6 180 W full spectrum lamp, germinated sprouts were planted immediately in large pots, grow 5-7 cm and the leaves begin to turn yellow, what's wrong?

122. Valery Medvedev:
     May 31st, 2018 at 10:42 am

     There can be many reasons and they are not necessarily in the lamp, but try to raise it higher, perhaps the radiation is excessive.

Our grandmothers, growing strawberries, or strawberries, as we used to call them, were not particularly worried about mulching. But today this agricultural practice has become fundamental in achieving High Quality berries and reduce crop losses. Some might say it's troublesome. But practice shows that labor costs in this case pay off handsomely. In this article, we invite you to get acquainted with the nine the best materials for mulching garden strawberries.

Succulents are very versatile. Despite the fact that “babies” have always been considered more fashionable, it is worth taking a closer look at the assortment of succulents with which you can decorate a modern interior. After all, colors, sizes, patterns, degree of pricklyness, influence on the interior are just a few of the parameters by which you can choose them. In this article, we will talk about the five most fashionable succulents that surprisingly transform modern interiors.

Mint was used by the Egyptians as far back as 1.5 thousand years BC. It has a strong aroma due to the high content of various essential oils with high volatility. Today, mint is used in medicine, perfumery, cosmetology, winemaking, cooking, ornamental gardening, and the confectionery industry. In this article, we will look at the most interesting varieties mint, and also talk about the features of growing this plant in the open field.

People began to grow crocuses 500 years before the advent of our era. Although the presence of these flowers in the garden is fleeting, we always look forward to the return of the heralds of spring next year. Crocuses - one of the earliest primroses, whose flowering begins as soon as the snow melts. However, the timing of flowering may vary depending on the species and varieties. This article focuses on the earliest varieties of crocuses that bloom in late March and early April.

Shchi from early young cabbage in beef broth is hearty, fragrant and easy to prepare. In this recipe, you will learn how to cook delicious beef broth and cook light cabbage soup with this broth. early cabbage it cooks quickly, so it is put into the pan at the same time as the rest of the vegetables, unlike autumn cabbage, which takes a little longer to cook. Ready cabbage soup can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. Real cabbage soup is tastier than freshly cooked.

Looking at the variety of varieties of tomatoes, it is difficult not to get confused - the choice is very wide today. He sometimes confuses even experienced gardeners! However, it is not so difficult to understand the basics of selecting varieties “for yourself”. The main thing is to understand the peculiarities of culture and start experimenting. One of the easiest tomato groups to grow are varieties and hybrids with limited growth. They have always been appreciated by those gardeners who do not have much time and energy to care for the beds.

Once very popular under the name of indoor nettles, and then forgotten by everyone, coleuses today are one of the most striking garden and indoor plants. They are not in vain considered stars of the first magnitude for those who are looking primarily for non-standard colors. Easy to grow, but not so undemanding as to suit everyone, coleus require constant supervision. But if you take care of them, bushes of velvety unique leaves will easily outshine any competitor.

Salmon backbone baked in Provence herbs is a “supplier” of delicious pieces of fish pulp for a light salad with fresh wild garlic leaves. The mushrooms are lightly fried olive oil and then drizzle with apple cider vinegar. Such mushrooms are tastier than ordinary pickled ones, and they are better suited for baked fish. Ramson and fresh dill coexist perfectly in one salad, emphasizing the flavor of each other. Garlic sharpness of wild garlic will saturate both the flesh of salmon and pieces of mushrooms.

Conifer tree or a shrub on the site is always great, and a lot of conifers is even better. Emerald needles of various shades decorate the garden at any time of the year, and phytoncides and essential oils, secreted by plants, not only flavor, but also make the air cleaner. Generally, most zoned adults coniferous plants, are considered very unpretentious trees and shrubs. But young seedlings are much more capricious and require competent care and attention.

Sakura is most often associated with Japan and its culture. Picnics in the shade flowering trees have long been an integral attribute of the meeting of spring in the Land of the Rising Sun. Financial and academic year here begins on April 1, when the magnificent sakura blossoms. Therefore, many significant moments in the life of the Japanese pass under the sign of their flowering. But sakura also grows well in cooler regions - certain types can be successfully grown even in Siberia.

It is very interesting for me to analyze how people's tastes and preferences for certain foods have changed over the centuries. What was once considered tasty and traded lost its value over time and, conversely, new fruit crops conquered their markets. Quince has been cultivated for more than 4 thousand years! And even in the 1st century BC. e. about 6 varieties of quince were known and even then the methods of its reproduction and cultivation were described.

Make your family happy and make themed Easter egg-shaped cottage cheese cookies! Your children will be happy to take part in the process - they will sift the flour, combine all the necessary ingredients, knead the dough and cut out intricate figures. Then they will watch with admiration as the pieces of dough turn into real ones. Easter eggs, and then with the same enthusiasm they will eat them with milk or tea. How to make such original cookies for Easter, read in our step by step recipe!

There are not so many decorative and deciduous favorites among tuberous crops. And the caladium is a true star among the variegated inhabitants of the interiors. Not everyone can decide to start a Caladium. This plant is demanding, and first of all - to care. But still, the rumors about the unusual capriciousness of the Caladium never justify. Attention and care allow you to avoid any difficulties when growing caladiums. And a plant can almost always forgive small mistakes.

We have prepared a hearty, incredibly appetizing and simply elementary dish for you today. This gravy is one hundred percent universal, as it will suit every side dish: vegetables, pasta, and anything. Gravy with chicken and mushrooms will save you in moments when there is no time or you don’t want to think too much about what to cook. Grab your favorite side dish (you can make this ahead of time to keep it hot), add gravy and dinner is ready! A real lifesaver.

Among the many different varieties of these top-selling vegetables, here are three that excel in flavor and relatively undemanding growing conditions. Characteristics of eggplant varieties "Diamond", "Black Handsome" and "Valentina". All eggplants have a medium density pulp. In "Almaz" it is greenish, and in the other two it is yellowish-white. They are united by good germination and excellent yield, but at different times. Everyone's skin color and shape is different.

Illumination for seedlings, or, as they say, additional illumination, is a question that makes not only beginners, but also experienced summer residents scratch their heads every season. Of course, someone can say that you can do without lighting, but you must admit, it is thanks to her that the plants in the very early age get a better chance of survival and resistance to growth in the open field.

Why is backlighting so necessary?

There are reasons why it is very desirable to use backlighting when growing seedlings:

1. If you are doing early growing seedlings, additional lighting will be very helpful, as it will lengthen the daylight hours for plants.
2. Additional illumination gives the plants light from all directions and does not allow them to stretch excessively towards the light source.
3. If you provide plants with the right spectrum of light radiation, they will be able to safely go through all stages of growth and development.

So, we are convinced that highlighting plants is useful and necessary. It remains to figure out how and with what to do it.

Plants provided with supplementary lighting early stages, much stronger, stronger and more resilient than those left without it - in addition, they resist infections better and bring a larger harvest.

Backlighting is good when it is as close as possible in spectrum to natural sunlight.

The best light spectrums are red and blue, with red helping plants grow and blue helping cells develop.

Ways to highlight plants

There are two such methods:

Lampless method of growing seedlings on the windowsill;

Growing seedlings with different types of lamps.

Both methods are not ideal, so be sure to consider not only the lamp method of growing, which is discussed in our article, but also the lampless one. So it will be easier for you to understand why additional lighting is better than the lampless method. Or maybe on the contrary, you will like growing without the use of lamps more.

Growing without lamps

The main character in this scheme is a cardboard box, from which the sidewall and top are removed. As a result, only small sides remain, which with the rest of the box are pasted over with foil. This product is placed behind the plants and in sunny weather refracts the rays, providing all-round illumination of the seedlings.

This method is very economical, but it has a great weakness. In cloudy weather or at a window facing the north side and with big landings the foil will not work, in which case additional lighting will have to be used.

Seedling illumination

We pass directly to the main subject of conversation. In fact, organizing the backlight for seedlings is not at all difficult. It is enough to correctly perform the preparatory work and provide the necessary conditions:

First, we free up space for the structure on the windowsill, the more the better;

We provide fixtures for lamps;

We supply our lighting system with a wire that will connect it to the electrical network.

It remains to choose the appropriate type of lamps that will provide our plants with the necessary light. Among all the types of lamps that are used by our gardeners, the following can be distinguished:

1. Sodium lamps are high-pressure lamps that provide seedlings with a constant warm light. Seedlings like this light, but for such lamps you need to install a power regulator in addition. Of course, not all gardeners can afford this option due to its high price, which does not correspond to the result grown in the beds. Therefore, sodium lamps are usually chosen by those who like to experiment and dedicate their whole life to plants. Well, or just has a high level of income.
2. Phytolamps - have a violet-pink emission spectrum. Plants are crazy about him, but the human body shows a completely opposite reaction. To avoid unpleasant consequences, these lamps are equipped with a reflector.
3. Sodium metal halide elements - this method is quite affordable for our resident and is quite effective. However of blue color the lighting is still not enough, which means that the plants will hatch and develop more slowly.
4. Fluorescent lamps are quite an attractive option, but too cold, which indicates a lack of red spectrum.
5. Ordinary incandescent lamps - if someone consoles himself with the hope that they can achieve a good result with their help, we hasten to dispel this belief - these lamps are well suited only for heating the surrounding area. Yes, of course, plants will react to light and turn towards the light source, but at the same time they will not receive the entire necessary spectrum of radiation.
6. LED lamps are already a separate topic for conversation. They have their own distinctive features, allowing them to be used for growing seedlings. And these features are worth considering in detail.

Photo gallery of highlights with different types lamps

Why are LEDs good?

Here they are, undeniable advantages led lamps:

1. With their help, you can combine both the red and blue emission spectra, thus creating the ideal type of lighting.
2. The availability of LEDs does not need any extra words, so this lighting option will pay off quickly enough.
3. LEDs are capable of providing lighting for seedlings up to 6000 lux, needed for proper growth while consuming very little electricity.
4. If this seemed not enough to you, then we will add about the easy level of installation and ease of use. It turns out that the LEDs are almost the best option to illuminate seedlings.

LEDs have a wide range of applications both in everyday life and in production - this is largely due to the fact that with a good lighting area, they do not heat the air.

In order to make an LED lamp, you do not need to have special skills and abilities.

The strip LED light requires the following items:

Red and blue LEDs;

Thermal paste or hot melt adhesive (hot melt adhesive will cost more);

Any material, from a regular ruler to a metal profile as a base;

Driver or power supply - required for a stable supply of voltage and voltage of the required value;

Plug and cord.

To set the optimal lighting on the tape, you will need to arrange the red and blue LEDs in a 2: 1 ratio in order (that is, 2 red - 1 blue - 2 red - 1 blue).

The connection is made by soldering, after which all this is output to the driver, and the driver is connected to the switch and plug. The tape can be attached to the surface with double tape, bolts or rivets. After that, it is included in a common circuit with a cord, driver, plug and switch.

Great homemade shelving

The construction of a small rack will not take much of your time and at the same time will save on space for seedlings. After all, with its help you can arrange it in several levels.

The rack is made from metal corner or a wooden beam, and fastening occurs with the help of bolts or self-tapping screws.

The rack itself is a fairly simple design in the form of shelves with hollow compartments where they will fit. It is recommended to make no more than three tiers in height, and each of them will be illuminated by a lamp installed on the bottom of the shelf located one level higher.

The choice of a lamp is already the prerogative of the apartment owner only, since everyone has their own preferences, time-tested. If you are just trying to experiment with lighting, try several options and see which one has the best effect on plants. Thanks to this selection, you can find the best way to highlight.

Often natural lighting is not enough for plants, especially in winter time, late autumn and early spring.

As a result, the development of plants stops, their growth stops, and problems begin, not to mention the fact that the plants stop flowering. To remedy this situation, many flower growers use artificial lighting.

Lighting for indoor plants plays a major role. On sale, of course, there are ready-made lamps for lighting seedlings, but this requires material costs. Therefore, you can make the backlight yourself.

Illumination for seedlings is necessary mainly for photophilous plants. The growth and development of seedlings depends on the length of daylight hours. It is recommended to make a 12-hour daylight hours, you can turn on the backlight for plants in the morning and evening, prolonging the natural daylight hours.

How to make a backlight for seedlings in the house

Method 1.

There is a way creating light for seedlings on the windowsill without the help of lamps:

1. Take a cardboard box with a side wall slightly larger than the bottom of the plant container and cut the top and side. Leave the sides around the edges (width is about a centimeter)

2. Cover the bottom and sides with foil and fasten with a stapler.

3. We place the container with plants in cardboard box so that the plants are turned towards the window. As a result, the sun's rays will reflect off the foil to give the seedlings an all-round light.

Method 2

1. We take an elongated lamp, consisting of two fluorescent fluorescent lamps with light reflectors. The design of this lamp is very simple.

To assemble the lamp you will need the following materials and equipment:

- a bar of wood 40x40mm - 1 pc;

- electronic ballast 2x18 W - 1 pc;

- fluorescent lamp 15-20W, length 42-43 cm - 2 pcs;

- fastening contacts for lamps - 4 pcs;

- covers for reflection - 2 pieces;

- clip for fastening 5 mm - 2 pcs;

- chain - 1.5 - 2 m;

- soft two-core cable - 2x1.5 - 5-10 m;

- electric plug;

- conventional electrical switch;

- nylon ties, fasteners, electrical tape (white).

2. Starts assembling the lamp from the skeleton: bar, electronic ballast (the most important part of the lamp), to which the lamps are connected. We also need 4 clips, 2 threaded loops and 1 pad.

3. Let's start installing the frame lamp: k wooden block in the center we fix the electronic ballast, which will be installed in the upper part (this is important in order to protect the contacts and ballast from moisture).

Clips are attached to the bar to the side parts, which should have a protrusion in the upper part.

We twist threaded rings at the clip attachment points, and a contact pad is installed.

4. Wire hanging . The lamp connection diagram is on the electronic ballast, it is necessary to make connections strictly according to the instructions of this diagram.

The wires to the bar are connected with nylon ties, the excess ends must be cut off. Contact pads for connecting ballast to lamps can be purchased on the market or in hardware stores.

A simple switch is installed below to turn the lamp on / off. The task of compact sites is to connect the wires to the lamps.

4. We install the lamps and put contact pads on them. This process is not complicated, however, such lamps are quite tight in the clips, so they must be inserted carefully so that the clip and the lamp itself do not burst from a click.

5. On the back of the lamp at the bottom install the switch.

6. Installing reflectors. Reflectors are necessary to protect the room from the bright light of lamps. Without reflectors, the use of the lamp will not be comfortable.

Reflectors can be bought and made independently from a thin sheet of aluminum and construction clips, which are used to fasten lamps to a lamp.

7. Check for exposed contacts!

8. Lamp pendant. Suspension is carried out with the help of two threaded hooks and two chains. To secure the hooks, you need to carefully make two holes approximately in the gap between the corresponding loops that were installed on the lamp.

We install the dowel in the hole and wrap the rings. It remains to choose the desired length of the chain and fix it on the lamp.

The use of a chain is necessary to gradually adjust the lamp as the plants grow, so that the amount of light is always maximum.

9. Timer. Such a lamp can be turned on using a timer. You can set a specific cycle for turning it on and off. To set the timer, you need to insert it into the plug from the lamp. If there are several lamps in the house, you can use an extension cord.

Such a mechanical timer is reliable and durable.

The lamp is ready!

How to make light for seedlings

As already noted, the lighting of seedlings is the main condition for the favorable cultivation of seedlings, especially young ones. However, you need to install the right lamps to illuminate the seedlings.

Various sources are used to illuminate seedlings:

- sodium lamps;

— metal halide lamps;

- mercury lamps;

- halogen lamps;

- neodymium lamps;

- fluorescent lamps;

- other phytolamps.

By types of lamps for lighting are: incandescent and gas-discharge lamps.

As practice shows, mirror sodium lamps are among the most reliable and efficient, especially since they do not irritate the eyesight.

A few tips for installing the optimal seedling light bulb:

• To install fast and inexpensive lighting, it is advisable to use an incandescent lamp.
• Plants that are close together and of equal height are recommended to be lit with compact fluorescent lamps.
• For either on racks, it is advisable to use extended fluorescent lamps or powerful compact lamps. It is recommended to use reflectors with fluorescent lamps to increase the light.
• AT winter garden better use ceiling lights with powerful discharge lamps (about 250 W and above).

The backlight must be at a certain distance.

To choose the optimal distance, just place your hand on the incident light, if you feel warm, then the lamp should be placed higher.

Turn on the lamp to see if additional light is needed. If there is relatively more light, then backlighting is needed, if the difference is imperceptible, then there is no need for additional light.

Do not forget about the temperature regime and uniform lighting of seedlings!

Thus, it is necessary to adhere to the basic requirements for seedling illumination. The growth of seedlings is affected by the duration and intensity of lighting.

If plants do not have enough light, their photosynthesis is sluggish, slowing down growth, as a result, the plant can get sick and die.

And also you can watch video lighting for seedling video