Providing enough light for plants in growing space can be tricky, but using led grow light bulbs can make your plants thrive indoors and extend the growing season.
Led grow light bulbs are a good tool for making your growth process more efficient, but if they do not follow the correct lighting plan, they will also be harmful to plants.
Now you may want to know – how long time should you keep the led grow light bulbs, or do you suggest that you keep the led grow light bulbs for 24 hours? The answer is negative. It is not recommended to leave your led grow light bulbs on 24 hours a day, because this will force plants to grow fast. It is ideal to keep the grow lights for about 12 to 18 hours.
Excessive light at different growth stages will interfere with the natural growth and dormancy of weeds. What’s worse, a whole day’s light can damage and kill your plants.
In this article, we will explain the consequences of 24/7 all-weather lighting and the recommended lighting time based on several factors. This includes plant type, temperature, light type, growth space and plant growth stage. Once you know the right lighting time, you can increase plant yields and profits.
Does More Light Mean More Production?
Growers believe that the longer plants are exposed to light, the greater their yield. Some people even turn on the lights 24 / 7 in the first few weeks of the nutritional phase.
While it’s right that they need more light, the way they get it is wrong. You have to consider a number of factors, including weed species, light type, and growth stage.
Led grow light bulbs can be turned on for 24 hours, but it is best to set the lighting time of each day. I’ll discuss this more later.
What Happens to Plants That Are Kept In Constant Light?
Like humans and animals, plants need to avoid direct light. Imagine, they need to sleep, too. When marijuana absorbs a lot of light, it continues to photosynthesize. On the bright side, this will lead to maximum leaf growth.
However, there are consequences. If your weeds are often exposed to light, especially during the nutritional phase, they can be stressed. Once they are exposed to disease, they are also vulnerable to pests, leading to disease and death.
If plants are exposed to about 8 to 16 hours of light, whether artificial or natural, they will thrive. In addition, growing marijuana requires at least six hours of darkness a day. The same is true of any weed species. They need water, carbon dioxide and light to produce glucose for their food. When growing indoors, it’s important to determine how to control the light. Remember, different plants need different light and concentration.
What Is Photosynthesis And Respiration In Plants?
The plant lamp imitates the sunlight. It’s a good thing that plants only need light itself.
Photosynthesis allows plants to absorb light and turn it into energy. At night, when everything turns dark, breathing converts energy into carbohydrates for later use. This means that exposing your plant to light 24 hours a day will prevent respiration. No respiration can affect the health of plants.
What Happens When Plants Are Exposed To Light?
Plants have different growth cycles. As mentioned earlier, when your plants are in the nutrition stage, you can turn the led grow light bulbs on for 24 hours. At the same time, plants planted for flowers, fruits and vegetables need a dark period to enter the flowering stage.
In other words, once the plant transitions to other stages, you must turn to the recommended light and dark exposure. Your ability to manage growth cycles with light can increase the speed of plant production. As you can see, it’s not always the day to turn on the lights to ensure growth.
What Is the Ideal Amount of Light for Plants?
Fruits and vegetables, such as marijuana, must be exposed to 20 to 40 moles of light a day.
For example, you can generate 20 moles of light for an 18 hour vegetation phase light cycle. If you use a LED plant growth lamp with 308 mole of light, this will happen.
If you want to emit 20 moles of light at the flowering stage, your lamp must have a PPFD of at least 462 micromolars of light to handle a 12 hour lighting cycle.
What To Consider: How Long Should I Leave Led Grow Light Bulbs On?
When planning how long to keep the led grow light bulbs on, the following important factors need to be kept in mind:
- Plant type
- Growth stage
- Types of lamps
- Temperature and humidity
- The size of growth space
Once you’ve established a link between these factors, you should be able to understand how long to keep the plant in light.
Plant type
It’s better if you’re familiar with that plant. There are three types: low light, medium light and high light plants. The seed box must show the plant type.
Low light plants should get about four hours of artificial light. Medium light plants, on the other hand, need about six hours of light. At the same time, high light plants need about 14 to 16 hours of light.
Growth Stage
The period of light and dark depends on the growth stage. Each stage needs a specific light time to complete the growth state successfully.
Seedling status: should seedlings get 24-hour light?
No, it’s a terrible idea. This is one of the most critical stages of plant growth, so the growth conditions should be ideal. Seeds will find it difficult to germinate under continuous light. Therefore, it is suggested that the period of light and dark should be 16 hours, then 8 hours.
Although seedlings do require a lot of light to grow, they also need darkness to survive. Since seeds are still “baby” plants, they need a dark time to breathe.
Vegetative State
The vegetative stage requires more light to sustain growth. But it also means marijuana plants have to rest for at least six hours. Therefore, the ideal light dark cycle must be on for 18 hours and off for 6 hours. Plants don’t grow as high as you would expect with 24-hour exposure. However, this cycle provides you with more healthy growth.
As long as you follow the recommended light dark cycle, the plant can form a large number of leaves and strong stems.
Flowering State
At this stage, buds will start to form, which is good and stinky. The lamp should help to produce powerful and large buds suitable for smoking or making food. Larger area coverage does not necessarily require larger optical wattage. No matter what type of lamp it is, there is a general guideline here
The flowering phase doesn’t focus on growing higher, but it makes sure your plant gets wider.
In this state, you cannot leave the light on for 24 hours. Otherwise, the weeds will stay in the vegetative stage. Therefore, it is best to follow the 12 hour on and 12 hour off light dark cycle.
Plants have mechanisms to let them know if there is less light. The transition from light to dark enables plants to grow blooming flowers.
Type of Led Grow Light Bulbs
Since you are using artificial lamps, mahjong needs longer illumination.
Although the vegetative stage benefits from 24 hours of light, the rest of the stage requires a light dark cycle. The type of grow light also plays a key role in this area.
Led Grow Light Bulbs
This type of light produces some but complete spectral wavelengths. It supports photosynthesis and all stages of growth. The best part is that although LED lights produce a lot of power, they only consume low energy. On the adverse side, LED can cause harm to human eyes. They are also more expensive than ordinary lights.
Ordinary Light Bulb
Like LED grow lights, ordinary bulbs are energy efficient and durable. They are also cheap.
However, the spectral wavelength of ordinary lamp is very narrow, and it is easy to be heated. Sometimes, it can be challenging for them to blossom in a growing space.
Compact Fluorescent Lamp
You can place CFL about 6 to 7 inches from the plant. The disadvantage is that unlike LED lights, CFL is not equipped with a cooling system.
High Intensity Discharge Lamp
HID is the preferred lamp for budget hungry growers. Unfortunately, they are not as powerful as LED lights. In addition, they are more prone to fever. That’s why I recommend using mirrors or foil under weeds. In this way, light can be reflected on the leaves.
Metal Halide Lamp
MH Lamp can produce a lot of light per watt. On the other hand, the bulb emits a lot of heat, which can cause the seedlings to cook.
Temperature And Humidity
Light affects temperature, which in turn affects humidity. It is ideal to keep the temperature between 72 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit in the growth space. At the same time, the relative humidity must be around 30% to 40%.
Size of Growth Space
Larger area coverage does not necessarily require larger optical wattage. Regardless of the type of lamp, there is a general guide to how many watts are required in the planting area.
1 x 1: 32 watts
2 x 1: 64 watts
2 x 2: 128 watts
3 x 3: 288 watts
3 x 4: 384 watts
4 x 4: 512 watts
4 x 5: 640 watts
5 x 5: 800 watts
5 x 6: 960 watts
6 x 6: 1152 watts
Signs and symptoms of insufficient light in plants
Although we provide a guideline, sometimes some experiments can change that. Also, pay attention to the obvious signs that your hemp plant needs light. The most common sign is that the plant grows significantly higher toward the light. This means that plants are touching or begging for more exposure. In some cases, lack of light can lead to growth retardation. Similarly, the color of new leaves may not be bright
How to Keep Your Plants From Overexposure to Light?
We’ve seen how planting lights can be an important tool for growing marijuana indoors. But there are also risks to overexposure. Once you see the leaves start to curl, you know there’s too much heat. Branches can also look long. Think of it this way: humans eat regularly for energy and sleep for rest. It’s the same with growing marijuana. They need a program to get light and rest time.
You can go to the old school and use the alarm to send out signals when to turn on and turn off the plant growth lights.
The cheapest way to remember the duration is to set an alarm clock. But if you don’t mind spending some money, you can buy a lightweight timer. The timer will automatically turn the lights on and off according to your preferred schedule.
In addition, put a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the growth chamber. You can also choose a controller that allows you to fully manage growth lights, temperature and humidity.
Also, check that there are too many lights in the growth space. It may also be that the growth lamp is too close to the crown. Another way is to reduce the light or turn off the lights gradually. This will allow the plant to rest in a dark space to consume energy.
What If 18 Hours of Light Doesn’t Work On My Plants?
Do not push the lamp for 24 hours. Although plants can accept a lot of light, the actual heat can be harmful. If this is the case, you should switch to a stronger growth lamp. Stronger growth lights can run for less hours.
For example, some ordinary light bulbs don’t provide enough light for your plants even after 18 hours. In this case, you may need to consider replacing it with a full spectrum LED that simulates sunlight.
This ensures that even if you do not turn on the growth lights within 18 hours, your plant will receive the necessary red and blue light to maintain growth. We recommend using LEDs with wavelengths of 630 to 660 nm. This range enables blue and red lights to promote plant growth.
Another way is to rotate plants weekly. If your growth lamp tends to concentrate its strength on the center, your leaves will not be fully covered.
Plan Your Photo-Period
How long the plant light is on depends on the plant type, growth stage, temperature and growth space. If you want to be a successful indoor grower, you must invest in learning how to maximize the use of plant growth lights and other equipment. I’ve seen how difficult it is to set a schedule for lighting. But with the information in this article, you can do it faster and easier!
All in all, opening the growth lamp for 24 hours may affect the health of plants. Like humans, plants need rest. Remember, only a vegetative person can tolerate 24 hours of light. But switching cycles are recommended at all stages to allow photosynthesis and respiration in weedy plants.
Similarly, closing the grow lights for several hours can reduce operating costs, but will not sacrifice plant output.
It is very important to select a full spectrum led grow light bulbs that can adjust the wavelength to meet the needs of weed plants in each growing stage.
Remember, led grow light bulbs will ensure quality products without sacrificing durability and efficiency.