If you've ever tried to cultivate a garden, you know about the different ratios of light and shade necessary to grow healthy plants. If you are in an area of higher latitude, where winter temperatures play an important role in local vegetation, you are acutely aware of the effects of a rough winter on plants and the necessity of following strict seasons of planting. These limits on plant growth are the basis for attempts at indoor cultivation.
Ever since ancient Roman times, it was clear that the season and location need not necessarily dictate which types of plants are growing. Back then, farmers reacted to the whims of an emperor who wanted fresh produce on his table every day of the year. These days, the capacity for indoor cultivation is staggering, with artificial lighting options leading to new breakthroughs all the time. Whether it's a large-scale greenhouse or just a collection of plants around the house, there is no reason to give up on the idea of living amongst plants and doing it efficiently. Fluorescent lighting options have created a boom in this type of indoor cultivation. Cutting down on energy use and improving quality, fluorescent lighting made indoor cultivation an option for many different people and circumstances. Today, LED lighting promises to take that revolution one step further and perfect the art of indoor plant cultivation.
Better Lighting Methods, Faster Growth: Recent LED breakthroughs have led to a sharpening of the lighting apparatus used for plants. Basically, with traditional methods of lighting, you could have guaranteed a significant amount of light that would not help the plant in its growth potential. That means not only wasted light, but wasted energy. Centering the light into its proper spectrum is the goal of LED lighting.
Cutting Back on Water: You might think the amount of water needed to cultivate high quality indoor plants is minimal, but it certainly requires your attention, usually on a daily basis. The efficiency of LED lights extends to heat intensity. You can set up your system so that heat and light will not require watering for several days, allowing you to raise healthy plants without constant supervision. If your schedule brings you out of the house for a few days at a time, this break will come in handy.
Coddle Your Delicate Plants: If you aspire to growing healthy, colorful plants inside your home, you know that you have a slight advantage over the raw elements. Getting the most delicious plants to reach their state of perfection requires some significant controls on your end. LED lighting allows for this level of beauty to foster, and its continuation under a light less brutal than the sun.
Turning Energy Costs Around: It all comes back to energy efficiency and that is one of the most convincing reasons behind switching to LED lights for plant cultivation (or any function around the house). For almost all of your plant needs, you will able to use LED lighting under 10 Watts. Forgetting about the comparisons with traditional methods of indoor plant lighting, the LED system will exceed even the fluorescent models you may have used in recent times. It's simply the most effective method in terms of energy use. As for equipment replacement and maintenance, you can throw those factors out the window. LED lighting will not need to be replaced in any foreseeable future. Estimates of life span have broken 100,000 usable hours. If you add up the numbers, even in continual use, you're going to be approaching decades in calculated life span. It will be hard to plan beyond dates like that. An even further impact on energy costs will be in the heat radiating from LED bulbs. The design of indoor LED grow lights allows the root of the bulb to absorb the heat, leaving bulbs simply warm to the touch. It will not create a heat pocket in the part of your house in which you are cultivating. Air conditioning costs will remain the same, as you will not have to increase the workload for your HVAC system.
Increased Environmental Sensitivity: Another great benefit of LED lighting is the environmental benefits. It's possible to even overlook the lack of disposable materials (due to the long life) or its relatively minor draw on resources (due to the efficiency) and point first to the materials themselves. Every user of fluorescent bulbs should be aware of the mercury content within and the impact this lighting has on the environment. LED lighting has no mercury or lead content. Beyond that, there is none any glass, making the materials themselves more durable and less susceptible to smashing or incidental cracking.
Versatility in Growing Options: As for setup and positioning within your home, using LED grow lights can open up many options. They are lightweight and can be used with lamps small enough to stick in a corner, at the end of a table or inside a small room where more cumbersome traditional lamps would never work.
At the end of the calculations, you'll see the short and long term benefits of using LED lighting for healthy plants and a more efficient indoor garden.
