Light helps to manufacture plant food, stem length, leaf color, and flowering. Outdoor light means Sunlight. As with water, all plants need light to grow. They use light during the process of photosynthesis, to metabolize water and carbon dioxide in the air, to help them grow.
How Does Light Affect Plant Growth?
Water, fertilization, soil, and temperature influence plant growth. In that case, Light is not enough for the growth of a plant. But for the photosynthesis process light is necessary. Believe it or not, plants also need to rest as they can’t grow 24 hours a day, they just become worn out and struggle.
Does Artificial Light Affect Plants?
Artificial lights may be LED Light, Sodium Light, etc. But sunlight is more effective and low cost. We all know that plant make their food through photosynthesis. You will be glad to know that through photosynthesis, light energy convert chemical energy.
In photosynthesis, plants need light energy, Carbon dioxide, and water. Inside a plant, there are thousands of cells. The plant leaf is made of mesophyll, epidermis, stomata, and vascular bundles.
The function of the epidermal cell is to protect the parts of the leaf. Chloroplast is made by some membranes. Chlorophylls Play an important role in photosynthesis.
Plants have other photosynthetic pigments which are known as antenna pigments. These antenna pigments play a significant role in Photosynthesis. And they also participate in light absorption.
Light supplies the energy which is needed to transform Carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is absorbed from the air, water, and some inorganic minerals. This carbon dioxide is transformed into oxygen which is given off by plants.
When light is absent, Photosynthesis stops. The plant absorbs oxygen and gives off carbon dioxide, while photosynthesis stops.
So the non-availability of sunlight can be many days due to seasonal reasons. This causes harm to the plant. Then we should go for a substitute for sunlight.
Do LED lights Affect Plants?
However, where plants are concerned, they also respond better to certain of the seven spectrums that make up light – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, depending on the growth stage.
Blue light encourages steady growth. And it results in a strong stem and healthy leaves. If you use red light too soon, the plant will become straggly and unwieldy.
Once your plants have entered the vegetative stage, ideally you should provide a minimum of 250 watts of light per square meter.
Where you need to be careful is that some lights can generate considerable heat to produce 1000 watts so LED lights could be a good choice.
In an addition certain LED light setups allow you to regulate the amount of red, blue, and green light. So, once you want to encourage flowering, switching to blue light, then finally red light will get the best results.
Sunlight is better for the growth of plants. As we know, Water, Sunlight, and Air are necessary for the growth of plants. Direct sunlight helps plants to grow better. If you want to cultivate, without sunlight you will not be successful.
What is Light Quality?
Light quality means the color or wavelength of light. Visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye and is very harmful. Visible light consists of wavelengths and is arranged from about 380 nanometers to about 740 nanometers.
The visible light range is located between the invisible infrared and is found at longer wavelengths. Light quality defines as the spectral distribution of light.
On the other hand, also defines the relative number of photons of blue, green, red, infrared, and other portions of the light spectrum emitted from a light source.
For the process of photosynthesis, some spectrum of light is primarily used which are Red light, Blue Light, and green light.
Effective light quality on plant growth plants appears green to us because they reflect rather than absorb green light.
Red and blue light which plants absorb have the greatest effect on plant growth. Blue light is responsible for vegetative growth. Red light and blue light when combined with each other it promote the flowering of plants.
Are Solar Lights Bad for Plants?
Solar light is made by a controller, a light source, a battery, and solar panels. Solar panels take energy from sunlight. And it converts electrical energy which is stored in the battery.
The controller regulates the flow. Solar light produces less light than sunlight. If Solar light is soft this will not harm plants.
Sometimes Excessive Sunlight may be harmful. All plants do not need the same portion of sunlight. These may vary from plant to plant. Let me define solar radiation.
Solar Radiation
Solar radiation is a type of energy that comes from the sun. It is composed of a wide range of electromagnetic waves. These include
The type of solar radiation depends on Earth’s position relative to the sun and any obstructions in the atmosphere. UV rays have a higher frequency than visible light. So that it can cause skin damage/planet growth if exposed too often without protection.
Whereas, IR rays are lower frequency than visible light, but they still contain energy to heat objects on Earth. On the other hand, Radio waves are even lower in frequency than IR rays. So it can be used for communication purposes.
In the end, Trees are our best friend. Because they give oxygen to us and take carbon dioxides from the air. These processes of photosynthesis need carbon dioxide, which cannot be conducted without light. For this reason light is necessary.
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