Plants want light. Some species need intense, lingering sunshine, others need the associated heat, while other plants require indirect light. One thing is common to them: in most German apartments, it is too dark for them. Few windows, north windows and narrow buildings in the cities take the light out of plants. In greenhouses, there are similar problems: The prevailing tropical climate with high humidity leaves the foils and windows misted, so that only little light comes through. Despite the glass walls, the plants are actually in the dark. In order to remedy this situation, lighting manufacturers have brought special plant lamps onto the market, which should give the different plant species the right light for a healthy, fast and generous growth. What kind of light that is, however, depends on the plant.

Urban Gardening meets high tech

Especially in the cities, people have a longing for green, for a bit of nature, and again and again for fresh, home-grown vegetables and salad. In the so-called Indoar farms, these people get their money. Vertical fields, laid out in several levels in a plant shelf, allow the cultivation of vegetables and salad for their own use on a small footprint. The right lighting for the individual control floors is provided by LED plant lamps, which provide a fairly good light output with extremely low power consumption. lampsof good quality are currently relatively expensive with currently about 150 euros per piece, also fans are needed to encourage leaf growth. For home use, this is not really financially interesting – but when it comes to salad and vegetables of good taste, in organic quality and always fresh to have available, this technique is the best that is currently available. Because in the interior there are no pests, indoor farms so come out without pesticides. With proper handling also fungal infections and weeds have no chance. In addition, the Japanese company Mirai, with its initial lettuce rehearsal farm in a decommissioned Sony factory, has shown that Indoar farm yields are 200% above yield from field crops, with sufficient lighting (using self-developed LED plant lamps) 30% less waste and the vegetables even more vitaminscontains (was tested vitamin CTomato content 50% higher than that of crops).

Plant lamps for ornamental plants

The plants lamp is not only used for growing food. Even orchid breeders and other hobby gardeners with ornamental plants appreciate the support of plant lamps. However, the currently available lamps are very different from each other:

– Energy-saving lamps. These lamps are energy efficient and durable.

– MH metal halide lamps. These lamps emit a bluish light, which supports plants in the growth phase. For the flowering phase, most plants need light with a higher proportion of yellow / red.

– Sodium vapor lamps, in contrast, are equally suitable for growth phases and flowering phases. However, these lamps are not so energy efficient. There are also sodium vapor lamps, which lack the blue in the light and are therefore suitable only for flowering phases.

– Fluorescent tubes are the classic among the plant lamps. They are easy to handle and relatively efficient.

– Osram plant lamps are available in very different designs. The lighting manufacturer has, among other things, special high-pressure lamps and gas pressure lamps for plant breeding in the program.

– LED plant lamps. These lamps are the latest generation. They are extremely energy efficient and emit much less heat with the same light output. LEDs can be made in any hue, making them suitable for both growth and flowering phases. In addition, LEDs are more durable than conventional plant lamps.

Light requirement of plants is different

How much light exactly a plant needs depends on the lighting conditions in their natural habitat. The light intensity varies as well as the exact light spectrum and of course the daily hours of sunshine. After all, they are given a flat rate of 12 to 16 hours – in German latitudes without artificial lighting simply not available. The exact light intensity and the mixture of blue-violet and yellow-red spectrum can be viewed online for the different plants. The plants lamp In any case, it should be tailored to the needs of the plant in order to be efficient. The need for artificial lighting, however, also depends on where in the room a plant stands. The further away it is from the window (ideally a south window), the more lighting is needed. Who holds several plants in a vessel, should absolutely make sure that the large plants do not take away the light from the smaller, because that can not plants lamp compensate.