Knowledge of the Light Spectrum
Photons are the subatomic units that make up light. When a light bulb is turned on, photons begin to be released, which our eyes can recognize. The wavelength of the photons being released determines the color of light that humans see. Longer wavelength photons (635–700 nm) produce red light, whereas shorter wavelength photons (450–490 nm) produce blue light. Light appears just one hue to the human eye when it is seen. In actuality, light is often a mixture of photons with many distinct wavelengths and seldom ever consists of photons with the same wavelength. The spectrum of light is the collection of wavelengths and the quantity of photons at each wavelength.
How the Spectrum of a Light Affects Plant Growth
Plants clearly need light to develop, but quality of light is just as important as quantity. Plants can only use a limited range of light's spectrum for absorption. Plants utilize a spectrum of light called Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR), which has wavelengths ranging from 400 to 700 nm. Therefore, light that is produced outside of this spectrum cannot be absorbed by plants and used for growth. Additionally, differing light wavelengths might cause the plant to react in various ways. Red light, for instance, is useful for growing plants overall, but when used exclusively, it can lead to "stretched" plants that are tall with sparse leaves. Because of this, it's crucial to have a "full-spectrum" light that contains a variety of light wavelengths.
Depending on the stage of development your plant is in, increasing the quantity of specific light hues might aid in your plant's desired growth. For instance, increasing the quantity of blue light during the vegetative state can lead to more compact, stockier plants, which provides a more uniform canopy height and ensures that plants receive equal quantities of light. The plant's growth rate is then accelerated during the flowering stage by the addition of additional red light, which "stretches" the plant and produces higher yields. This is due to the fact that in nature, a plant's response to the spectrum of light it receives signals specific climatic variables, such as the season.
It is simple to see why full-spectrum lights are the greatest for plant development once you understand how different wavelengths are responsible for various plant responses. Full-spectrum lighting employs a mixture of all hues at all phases of growth to most accurately resemble the natural sunshine. White, full-spectrum light is provided by both VOLT Grow® LED grow lamps. Yields may suffer if specific wavelengths that support plant development are blocked.
The LED grow light spectrum
Horticulture LED grow lights were once referred to as "smurf" lights since they exclusively generated light in the red and blue wavelengths. The emphasis on red and blue light resulted from the notion that plants' cells absorb these spectrums far more effectively than green light. While this is true, more recent research has shown that using green light in addition to red and blue light in an LED grow lamp really boosts crop yields. Green light, according to researchers, is able to travel further into the canopy before being absorbed since plant cells don't absorb it as readily. By supplying light to plant cells that were previously unable to participate in photosynthesis due to obstruction from cells higher in the canopy, the overall yield of the plant is increased. Green light has also been demonstrated to contribute to better plant structures.
One of the possible causes of older generations of LED grow lights failing to match the output of conventional HID light produced by High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) bulbs is the emphasis on red and blue light. The yields of crops grown using HPS grow lights may now be matched and even surpassed by modern LED grow lights that provide a white, full-spectrum light. To increase crop productivity and quality, VOLT Grow® has worked to improve the spectrum of our LED grow light fixtures.
