Lighting | Home Improvement

LED stands for Light Emitting Diodes. These diodes are small in size and used in multiple numbers to emit light. They are used for multiple purposes like lighting of lamps, bulbs, digital watches, remote controls, electronic appliances, growing plants and flowers, and so on. The small size of these bulbs enables them to fit easily into an electronic circuit. They have a long life and are highly efficient sources of light. They are ideal for personal and commercial needs. In homes, these lights can be used for growing plants. The LED plant lights will accelerate the growth of plants inside the house. In areas where there is lack of sunlight, these lights can be a boon for growing indoor plants, since they assist in the process of photosynthesis. They have a wide application and can be used for automotive lighting, bicycle lighting, billboard lighting, display lighting, domestic purposes, flash light, railway signals, LED night lights, Christmas lights, strip lights, tail lights, decorative lighting, car lights, stage lighting, traffic lights, train lights, etc. The multi-utilitarian quality of these lights has made them global. Not to mention the other advantages like preserving the environment and saving money. Here are some of the advantages of LED grow lights.

Advantages Of LED

• Efficiency – LED emits PAR light, i.e., photo synthetically active radiation, which offers greater efficiency and better results. When these lights are used for growing plants, they accelerate the growth because the wavelength of light that is emitted through them is exactly what the plants need. Plants have a specific requirement of wavelengths for conducting the process of photosynthesis. The traditional white light bulbs will not provide such wavelengths and thus hamper the growth. Not just that, the incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps will interfere with the growth of plants. Incandescent lamps produce more than 80% heat when lighted and thus emit heat instead of light. This kind of heat can be harmful for the plants. LED flowering grow lights will produce light in the right frequency and wavelength. Moreover, the spectrum of red and blue light can be balanced for optimal results.

• Energy Conservation – These lights can help you save more than 75 % energy. This quality also helps in reducing the damage caused to the mother earth. If a light uses less power, it indirectly helps in saving the environment. The running cost of these lights is less than half of HID or other types of lighting systems. They use approximately 100 watts of power. Moreover, they have a long life and work up to 50 times longer than the traditional white light and lamps. The lifespan is as long as seven years. They can drastically reduce your energy consumption and help save our natural resources. Indeed, indoor LED grow lights are excellent for domestic purposes.

• Less Heat – Since these lights produce less heat, they will not scorch your tender plants and flowers. They are warm to touch and produce very little heat, and thus enable you to grow different types of flowers and plants under one roof. These lights are good for plants that have high humidity requirement. Moreover, since it produces less heat, the plants will not require frequent watering. Another advantage of this light is that it will not warm up the room. This means that you can save energy that will be used by cooling systems for reducing the room temperature. These LED-planting grow lights operate just a few degrees above the room temperature.

• Zero Noise – These lights do not produce any sounds and are absolutely noise free. Unlike the buzzing sound made by a fluorescent bulb, these LED lights are calm and quiet. They do not make any disturbing or annoying sounds.

• Cycling And On/Off Action – The possibility of burn out is very less as compared to fluorescent lamps or HID lamps. The frequent on and off action, which is known as cycling can shorten the lifespan of a fluorescent or HID lamp. The latter may take a longer time to restart. However, LED vegetable grow lights are ideal for objects and applications that require frequent on and off. Moreover, these lights will light up very quickly within microseconds.

• No External Damage And Deterioration – These lights are shock resistant and will not burn out abruptly. One of the features of this light is ‘slow failure’. The light will fail by dimming over a period of time, and it will not get burned out suddenly. Moreover, it is not fragile like a fluorescent or HID lamp since it is of solid-state components. They are not subject to external damage and this is another reason for its long life. LED growing lights do not contain any toxic material like mercury, which is commonly used in fluorescent lamps.

• Multi-Utilitarian Quality – The low energy consumption, low maintenance cost, and small size of LED lights have made them a multi-utilitarian product. It has wide applications and is broadly used for visual signal application, illumination, indicators and signs, and non-visual applications like remote controls. It is sometimes used in sensor systems and is used as movement sensor. An example of movement sensor is the optical mouse used in computers. The wireless mouse works on the signal or radiation received through these LED grow lights. Not just that, it is also used as a light source for machine vision systems.

• Wide Variety – There are different types of diodes like Flashing LEDs, Bi-color LEDs, Tri-color LEDs, RGB LEDs, Alphanumeric LED, and much more. Each of them has different features and characteristics.

There are several advantages of these lights, and it is important to be careful while buying them. The market is flooded with poor quality products, which may not have the above-mentioned advantages. We recommend that you should be wary while buying these lights. Look for products that come with warranty. Though the initial cost of buying LED grow light may be high, it should be considered as an investment. In the long run, this light will have several benefits and advantages. Not to mention, the savings of natural resources and your personal resources.

Facts About LEDs

Here is some good to know information about LEDs. Read some facts to know more about the light emitting diodes.

? Plant Growth Results – LEDs enable you to grow several plants, flowers, and vegetables inside your house. Some of them would include tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, roses, parsley, basil, cilantro, thyme, rosemary, orchids, African violets, etc. It allows to grow plants effectively and affordably, since indoor LED grow lights offer value for money. It also gives the option to choose the red and blue light according to the requirement. For instance, blue light may be used to produce studier seedlings and will help in controlling sprawling, trailing, or aggressive plants.

? Excellent For Multi-Tier Gardening – Since these lights are light in weight and small in size, they can be used for multi-tier gardening. Moreover, they are capable of delivering targeted high intensity light, hence will suit a multi-tier gardening system, which is usually built in a confined space.

? Increase In Plant Growth Rate – Whether you use indoor or outdoor LED grow lights, the growth rate of the plants will increase drastically. This is possible because the photosynthesis process of plants takes place round the clock. Unlike sunlight, which is available for few hours in a day, these lights can be turned on throughout the day. This will increase the growth rate without stressing the plant. The light can be turned on for 24 hours, and it will not damage the plant. In fact, it will accelerate its growth.

? Red LED Light – The red and blue lights of LED will play an important role. These lights can be balanced for achieving optimum results while growing plants. Let us look at the functions and features of red light. It helps the plant in the process of photosynthesis and when you increase the doses, it further stimulates growth. You can expect quick flowering, seeding, and fruits. Plants will first absorb red light for the purpose of photosynthesis. However, a combination of both red and blue light would be required for the full growth of a fruit or flower bearing plant.

? Blue LED Light – LED grow lights with blue color are useful for vegetable growth. After absorbing red light, the plant will absorb blue light and this light is responsible for the health of a plant. Moreover, the blue green lights have more sunlight energy that is required for the healthy growth of vegetables.

? Colors And Wavelength – Red and blue are not the only colors that an LED will produce. There is a wide spectrum of colors with different wavelengths. For instance, there is infrared with a wavelength of more than 760 nm. Apart from red and blue colors, there is orange, yellow, green, violet, purple, ultraviolet, and white light that is produced by these LED growing lights. Each of these colors has different ranges of wavelength that can be adjusted or balanced for best results.

Indeed, these lights have a lot of practical applicability and serve as an easy alternative for growing plants without sunlight. It can also be used for large-scale cultivation of plants, crops, flowers, and fruits. In fact, there is an ongoing development and the latest development in LED lights is Organic LEDs, Quantum dot LEDs, Phosphor based LEDs, miniature LEDs, high power LEDs, SuperFlux/Piranha LEDs, and so on. The options are many and are designed to meet different needs.