Phytolamp for plants

For the growth, development and flowering of indoor plants and flowers, full-fledged lighting is vital. This will provide them with the natural process of photosynthesis, without which no plant simply will not develop. In the summer, indoor plants receive enough sunlight, but in the winter, they need additional lighting. In specialized departments or stores, special phytolamps are on sale, which are designed to solve this problem, but if you wish, you can make them yourself.

The benefits of phytolamp

Home vegetation can be divided into 3 groups regarding lighting requirements:

1. Flowers requiring daylight sunlight.
2. Plants that thrive in ambient light conditions.
3. Plants capable of growing in a shaded area.

Phytolamps with LED lighting are divided by wavelength. There are devices with 400, 430, 660 and 730 nm. Under the influence of these lamps, indoor vegetation absorbs chlorophyll A better (this is the main source of energy for plants), and due to the good absorption of chlorophyll B, the root system develops better, while metabolic processes are also accelerated. With the use of phyto-lamps, plants begin to produce phytohormones that stimulate protective functions, which will allow plants to be healthier.

Phytolamp characteristics

Phytolamps in their influence are no worse than other similar devices for plants intended for supplementary lighting. Moreover, it is energy-efficient with a high efficiency of up to 96%. Such phyto-lamps consume a very small amount of electricity, about 10 times less than fluorescent lamps. If you use the device continuously, it can last from 50 to 100 thousand hours, which is a lot. The maximum heating of such a device when turned on is 30-55 degrees. With the correct installation of the device, such a temperature regime allows you to create a comfortable and absolutely safe environment around indoor plants.

Phytolamps with red and blue LEDs are presented on the modern market, so there is no need for additional purchase of red and blue lamps. The best choice would be to buy a monochrome LED, which contains the most important LEDs for the growth and full development of indoor plants. Namely:

• Blue light - designed to stimulate plant growth.
• Red light - gives splendor and richness to flowers.
• Violet light is universal, supporting both of the previous processes.

Now on sale there is a large selection of both domestic and foreign models of such devices. There is no shortage in the assortment, it all depends on your taste and preferences. Reviews of people using such lamps are only positive.

In addition to LED devices, there are a number of others: neodymium, sodium, krypton, luminescent, metal halide and xenon. Just keep in mind that phytolamps are by no means a cheap pleasure.But all of their above advantages allow both professional flower growers and amateurs to grow beautiful and healthy indoor plants to the envy of everyone.

Another advantage of using an LED phytolamp for plants is that it does not harm the environment, is absolutely safe for both plants and humans, and is also economical to operate. All models have a nice design and compact size. The price of such a device can vary significantly, it all depends on the type of model, manufacturer and equipment of the device. If desired, anyone can buy in a specialized department or store all the necessary elements for self-production (collection) of such a phytolamp.

Features of using phytolamp

If you plan to make a lamp yourself, consider a number of important nuances:

• For the active and good development of plants, they need not only red, blue and purple colors. Yellow and green are also important. These colors are also important because they are also involved in all the important processes of growth and development of flowers.
• It is impossible to continuously illuminate the plants with phytolamps, you need to give them a rest. It will be enough to cover them no more than 12-14 hours in 24 hours.
• To get a good effect, and this is exactly what we are trying to achieve, it is important to correctly position the phytolamp and choose the optimal distance to the containers with flowers.
• A matte screen may be required to obtain diffused light. It is this kind of lighting that is suitable for most indoor plants, being versatile.

How to make a phytolamp with your own hands

In order to make a phytolamp yourself, it is important to choose the right range of colors. Usually it is selected, taking into account the state of indoor plants and their development. At the initial stage of growth, alternating illumination of blue and red colors is sufficient. The further development of the sprouts will depend on how competently their ratio will be, but do not forget about the correct location of the device.

Each diode emits light in a cone shape. Therefore, for uniform illumination, it is necessary that all the cones overlap each other. In order for young shoots to have a well-developed root system, a dense trunk and healthy leaves, they must first be illuminated with blue and red diodes in a 2: 1 ratio. And already for grown flowers, you can apply the ratio of red and blue in the same proportion.

To make a phytolamp with your own hand, you will need an old shade, you also need to buy from a specialized department or store about 30 red diodes, 20 blue ones, 10 for lighting at noon and the same amount for morning lighting. Don't forget to buy a led drive, a PWM driver and an auto switch. Now that you have everything you need, you can get to work.

First you need to weld a stable frame, it is desirable that its width coincides with the width of the window sill, on which it will soon be placed. Then you need to fix the LEDs on the inner surface of the plafond, and only then install it on the aluminum plate. The LED lamp should be placed so that it is as convenient as possible for all plants standing on the windowsill. A hand-made device is very convenient because it can be adjusted if necessary.

There is another easy way to make a phytolamp yourself.

The following materials are required for manufacturing:

• 2 matrices 10 watts blue and 1 red, having the same power
• Cooler
• 1 strip of anodized aluminum
• 2 inverters 12 and 24 watts
• Old case from a table lamp
• Epoxy adhesive

Using a soldering iron, we connect the wire to the matrix, taking into account the polarity. After that, using wires, we connect the manufactured device to the power supply. Next, we use hot melt glue to connect the cooler to the power supply unit with an aluminum strip. This will produce a cooling effect.

Several holes will need to be made in the lamp housing for the hot steam to escape. It remains to fix the LEDs on the aluminum strip, then bend it into an arc, which gives the effect of reflection. Now you can attach it to the manufactured case.

The device is ready! You can be proud of the results of your own work. With careful use of such a device, it can serve for a long time.

Phytolamps: tips for choosing and using (video)