Any farmer can attest that plants are delicate. Too much or not enough light, heat, or water can wreak havoc on the plants. After all the work that already goes into growing your crops indoors—hooking up sprinklers, getting the angle on the lights just so, and constantly double-checking the temperature—it goes without saying that you’ll want to get it right the first time. Indoor farming comes with an onslaught of challenges, but this article will outline how to get the most yields out of your fields with seven easy-to-follow tips.
The Mounting Height Is Important to Plant Health
Like Goldilocks and the three bears, horticultural lighting needs to be set just right. A good rule of thumb here is to not mount the lights too high as this can reduce the amount of light the leaves can soak up and to not mount them so low that the intensity burns the plant. Purchasing lights with a wide beam throw can help optimize the crop’s growing season and yields.
Keep Tabs On How Much You Water
Cultivators who change HPS or HID fixtures to LED tend to overwater because HPS and HID lamps generate far more heat and infrared light. LED lights are more energy-efficient and don’t give off as much heat. Therefore, the plant’s demand for water is greatly reduced.
Make Sure The Plants Have Enough Heat
The benefits of growing indoors include a climate-controlled environment that opens the doors to growing a wider variety of plants that are not native to the area and wouldn’t survive in its climate. LEDs mimic natural sunlight just fine, but they don’t come close to imitating a climate with sufficient heat viable to grow tropical plants. An easy fix to this would be to adjust the thermostat to replicate the plant’s native climate. The savings you get from LED bulbs should more than make up for the higher energy bill.
Install Multiple LED Lights For Even Distribution
Grow lights provide the plant with the full range of the light spectrum that is vital to their metabolic processes. By multiplying the total surface area of the field by the optimal number of LED bulbs, you can ensure the most yield out of your crop. The optimal number of LED bulbs is determined by what type of crop you’re growing, but this guide should outline the math.
Colored Lights And Their Effects On Plants
LEDs have become a popular choice for indoor farmers because they come in the full light spectrum. These different colored wavelengths can actually influence the health of the plant. As a basic rule of thumb, blue light is associated with flowering, and red-orange light can increase vegetation growth while red light promotes branching.
How To Clean Your Reflectors
Cleaning the light reflectors is more important to the lamp’s efficiency than one might think. By cleaning the reflectors at least once a year, you can increase the light output by ten percent. To do this, turn off the lamps before attempting cleaning as looking directly into bright lights for an extended period can damage the eyes. Wait until the lamps have cooled down to a tolerable enough level to touch. Then, remove the reflectors and wash them in a vinegar-water solution.
How To Install Your Lamps
It is easy enough to install a lamp, but to do it properly is the keyword here. Failing to do so can result in injury and destroy the lamp beyond repair. It is of utmost importance to make sure the holders are completely closed before attempting to install the lamp and that they are installed in the right direction. If not, a brief but powerful electrical current can jump between the two ends of the electrodes and cause a fire or worse.
Making Sure You Get The Most Out Of Your LEDs
At Full Moon Lighting And Electrical, we value quality and customer service and, of course, lighting up the dark. We specialize in creating a moonlit atmosphere with soft glowing light installation to add security and value to your home. Our owner, Reese Haley, is a trained horticulturist experienced in garden cultivation jobs of all sizes. Plus, our certified electricians can assist you with outdoor design and installation as well as maintenance and repair.
Cultivators can have trouble finding the right balance of heat, light distribution, and intensity for their crop of choice. Remember to research the crop’s native climate patterns to find out how to best care for the plant. If you follow these seven growing tips, you’ll be well on your way to maximizing both yield and the subsequent profit.