Depending on whether you are looking to control photoperiod or increase plant growth will determine the grow lights you need to get the best results. Before growers even consider choosing a grow light for their controlled environment operation, they need to have some basic information, writes David Kuack on UrbanAgNews.Com.
“One consideration is whether their objective is primarily to regulate flowering or to increase growth,” said Erik Runkle, a horticulture professor at Michigan State University. “There is still some confusion among growers that they can screw in LEDs and expect to generate supplemental light that will increase plant biomass. Growers need to know whether they need low-intensity light to regulate photoperiod or high-intensity light to increase plant growth. This is one of the first things that needs to be clarified.”
“Usually photoperiod lighting is very low intensity, so it’s a lot cheaper lighting solution,” Runkle said. “Where photoperiod lighting can go wrong is some growers will install these very low-intensity lighting fixtures and say they are seeing a positive growth response similar to what would be expected with a high-intensity fixture. What they are really seeing is a change in the leaf shape or the leaf habit that suggest there is more growth. If the biomass of the plants was measured, it would show there is no increase in plant growth.”
Read the complete article at www.urbanagnews.com.