Artificial Light For Plants Vs Sunlight. This is the most common question which comes to every garden lover’s mind, especially when we talk about indoor plants.
Scientists have been very lucky in using artificial light for plant growth. But sunlight is more beneficial for plants because it is more beneficial than artificial light.
The energy from sunlight is equally distributed among the different wavelengths, which assist in developing plants’ proper development. Sunlight also assists in photosynthesis and helps leaves make food and release oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide from the environment.
In this article, we have a detailed analysis of the benefits of sunlight versus artificial light for plants.
- How to combine sunlight and grow lights.
- Benefits of grow light vs sunlight
- Effect of artificial light on plant growth
- Can plants photosynthesize with led light
How To Combine Sunlight And Grow Light
A great combination of sunlight and grow lights are being used these days in a highly sophisticated greenhouse to grow plants.
The most important application of technology in today’s greenhouses are artificial lighting. For indoor plants, artificial lights are one of the major factors determining the way the harvest will turn out to be.
Modern greenhouses have adopted the best way to use sun and artificial sunlight for plants. They have created a balance between the two and have changed the way people grow crops.
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How To Decide Grow Light Vs. Sunlight
Sunlight is created of different colors. Plants need red light for fruit and flowers and blue light to grow leaves. But lights produced by the light bulb are red or green in color or red or blue but not simultaneously.
There are some grown lights which produced all the lights, which makes it as good as sunlight. But the sun is still more powerful than growing light.
The energy provided by these lights in 13 hours is equal to the sun’s energy in 6 hours.
Grown lights are like indoor sunlight in case you do not have space to grown plants outside.
You will not adjust the distance between your plant and the light with sunlight, but this can be done when using a grown light.
Artificial Light For Plants Vs Sunlight Science Project
If you compare artificial light and sunlight, we will know that artificial light does not emit the light spectrum of sunlight.
Light is generally emitted in the form of photons, which are produced in the sun, torch, and light bulb. It has several benefits and inhibits lots of energy.
The only difference between natural light and artificial light is that artificial light does not emit as much light spectrum as the sun.
Researchers have very successfully used artificial light to grow plants, but sunlight is still the best. It is more intense than I grow light and is distributed properly within a different wavelength.
Do Plants Grow Better in Sunlight vs. Artificial Lights
There are several artificial lights present for plant growth. Due to technical advancements, it has been possible to grow plants indoors with artificial light. Sunlight and artificial lights both help a plant to grow in its way.
The only difference between sunlight and artificial light is that sunlight is available for a limited time and is free of cost. In contrast, artificial lights are available the whole day long but cost you some money.
Artificial light is a sunlight substitute for plants. They give you enough control and prepare the plant for the oncoming season and increase productivity.
Plants require different colored lights for different purposes. It isn’t easy to provide all those lights by just using artificial lights. Natural light can assist in achieving it.
While hanging the lights, one needs to make sure that the lights are neither too far nor too close to the plant. It may result in the burning of the plant or making the plant weak.
Just like humans, plants too require some time in darkness. They cannot be left in lights the whole day long. The artificial lights can be beneficial when days are short of providing enough light to the plant.
Effects of Artificial Light On Plant Growth
The plants require different types of colored lights for different purposes. These colors absorbed by the plant has a very big impact on the growth of a plant.
Blue lights help the plant to encourage its vegetative growth. Red light, along with blue light, helps the plant to produce flowers.
Artificial lights have the same effect on plants. To ensure that plants grown in artificial lights grown properly, look for the type of plant and install an artificial light accordingly.
Fluorescent Light vs. Sunlight
When passed through a prism, sunlight will bifurcate into seven different colors used by the plants for different purposes. But normal fluorescent light only has a high quantity of blue lights.
When we talk about normal fluorescent light vs. grow light, grow lights creates an environment where plants can reproduce. They offer both blue and red lights, which are highly important for the better production of plants.
Can Plants Photosynthesize with LED Light?
The light released by an LED light is known as the best light for plant growth. That is because the wavelength of lights from these lights is much better than other light.
And helps the plant photosynthesize better than other artificial light for indoor plants.
Can Plants use Artificial Lights for Photosynthesis?
Plants use energy to reproduce and variegate. So when using an artificial sun lamp for plants, make sure that the lamp’s lights are high in red and blue lights. It will help the plant in photosynthesizing properly and produce flowers and fruits.
How to Choose Best Grow Light for Indoor Plants?
There are various types of lights accessible in the market to grow a plant inside your house. Each of the lights has innovative advantages. The decision to buy the perfect light depends on the convenience cost and the light’s specialized quality.
#1 Light bulbs
The first one in line grows light bulbs, which are comparatively cheaper options. These lights are easy to use and can be placed in an old lamp or an old bulb holder that needs replacement.
#2 Incandescent grow lights
Next is incandescent grow lights. They are very inexpensive and are not Energy Efficiency and radiate too much heat.
#3 Fluorescent light
Fluorescent light radiates less heat. These come either in the form of tube lights or compact fluorescent reflectors. Using fluorescent light is more energy efficient but can be an expensive option.
#4 LED grow lights
LED grow lights are the best technology available in the market. They are energy efficient, give out very low heat, and have an ideal light spectrum.
Due to their color Optimization for plant growth, they are the most efficient, effective, and consumer-friendly e products for plant growth than other lights.
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Is there any difference between a Plant Light and a Grow Light?
Plant light is another name for grow light bulb that mimics sunlight for plant growth. These are generally the lights providing the plant with the spectrum which they generally get from plants.
The light mostly used by plants is a red and blue color. But in a few instances, we come up with a question like how does yellow light affect plant growth?
The answer to that is yellow light does not affect the plant much. The plant absorbs the energy produced by the yellow light in one way or the other.
Can Natural Light and Artificial Light Make a Difference in Photosynthesis?
Natural light offers a full spectrum of lights to the plant. The plant absorbs the energy radiated by those lights for various purposes. This energy is utilized for the process of producing fruits and flowers.
Since the natural light has a specific and set timetable, it provides the plant with enough energy during the day for it to function.
- When it comes to artificial light, the only red and blue uh light spectrum is provided. Even though it is not enough, it can still be used by the plant to photosynthesize properly.
- Artificial lights are majorly used in the Seasons when the days are short. It helps provide the plant with enough sunlight that the plant might have missed due to the day being short.
- When buying artificial light, one always wonders what light brightness makes the plant grow the best. The lights having a red and blue light spectrum is the best for plant growth.
- Therefore, when it comes to making a difference in the photosynthesis process by using natural light and artificial light, there is no difference
What Color LED Light Best For Plants?
Lights having a range of 400 to 520 nanometer encourages chlorophyll absorption photosynthesis and growth. These slides generally include violet-blue lights.
Light having a spectrum range of 610 to 720 e encourages the plant to flower and bud. These lights include red light, blue light.
There is certain temperatures required for proper plants growth when LED lights are used.
| LED Light Color | Temperature Needed | Fruits/ Veggie |
| Blue | range (5,000 – 7,000K) | Veggie |
| Red | range (3,500 – 4,500K) | Fruits |
A perfect grow light should be able to provide a proper spectrum for the plant to photosynthesize properly. Before buying a light, make sure that the color spectrum provided by it is perfect and ideal for your plant’s growth.
Is 24-hour Light Bad for Plant?
When we talk about photosynthesis, we talk about light reactions and dark reactions. Light reactions require light, which is turned into energy. These energies are unstable and cannot be stored.
To deal with this issue, plants‘ dark reactions convert this energy into carbohydrates that we can use later. Therefore, light reactions require lights to happen, whereas dark reactions can happen at any time because dark reactions do not necessarily require lights to function.
Even though it can be held healthy for plants, there might be some plants that might survive but will not grow properly. It makes us wonder if too much light is bad for plants?
24-hour lightings for the plant are not that bad, but they may stop the plant from effectively carrying out the respiration process. Therefore, it is advisable to put some gap in between for the plant to take some rest.
Can Plants Grow in Total Darkness?
It is impossible for the plant to perm survives in complete darkness. For the plants to live, they need to produce food for themselves, only through photosynthesis.
To carry out photosynthesis, plants need to soak up light and change it into energy to produce enough food for them.
Plants do require certain hours of darkness to be able to function properly. Light and darkness both work differently for a plant to carry on metabolism growth and behaviour.
How Far Should a Grow Light Be From Plants?
The perfect distance for LED grow lights from the top of the plant is between 12 to 30 e inches. You will have to continuously adjust the distance between the plant and the light when your plant grows.
- But the distance between your plant and the light will completely be dependent upon the energy of your light and the type of plant you are using.
- If your light’s wattage is high, you should consider putting the light far away from the plant, but you can put it closer to the plant without it being destroyed if it is low.
- The best way to find the perfect distance between the light and the top of the plant is by experimenting with it.
- You can begin with the distance, which is far away from the plant, and move closer if it does not work properly.
- If the plant starts to get burnt or dry, move the lights far away again? It is similar to making sure that your plant is not burning by being too close to the sun
- When the plant is starting to flower a producing fruit, it would be better to move the light closer so that the plant can have extra light par photosynthesis
- If the lights are too near to the plant, it will start to lose its color, and we start to have yellow color patches.
- You should always look out for the plant and ensure that they are not burnt or have less access to light.
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Find below some common FAQs on Artificial Light For Plants Vs Sunlight
Is there a difference between a plant light and a grow light?
Plant light energy is changed over inside a plant to energy a plant can use to develop and deliver.
Grow lights are found in circumstances that require certain scopes of warmth and light frequencies to help vegetation both inside, and out.
Will any LED light work as a grow light?
You can utilize any LED bulb to develop plants on the off chance that they are emanating enough light. Plants frequently additionally search for warmth to come from the light source and we know LED bulbs don’t give quite a bit of that.
How far should LED grow lights be from plants?
16-36 inches
During the blossoming stage LED Grow lights ought to be situated between 16-36 crawls from the plant cover. Drawing the developed light nearer will build the light force which can augment photosynthesis.
Why do plants grow best under blue light?
This makes the ideal developing conditions for the plants and saves money on energy by getting the most usable light per watt.
Blue range lighting during the vegetative cycle expands the proficiency of photosynthesis for sound and solid plant development.
Conclusion
We all love to grow plants. We always wonder about the lightings being provided to the plants, how much lights do plant needs etc.
All the details have been provided in the article on Artificial Light For Plants Vs Sunlight and about the type of light needed and the best light.
Follow the tips mentioned above wisely, and see your plants living longer and growing healthier.
My name is Olivia, staying in the United States, and I love to have plants in my garden. Lots of plants are there in my balcony, indoor and outdoor garden also. Here I am trying to share useful tips on gardening, how to grow and care for various plants, etc. Check out more.
