Planning the lighting for a growing environment is a complex and intricate task that requires the right expertise and understanding of concepts such as photosynthesis, PPF, wavelengths, PAR, and more. It also asks that the grower understand how grow lights can impact the temperature of the grow space and how this is further influenced by the environment.
Lighting for cold environments requires insight into the different grow lights on the market, the heat they emit, how they influence ambient temperature, and how to optimally design lighting within a grow space to ensure that it’s capable of evolving alongside external temperature.
Below we breakdown some of the most important considerations that every grower should make when planning for lighting in cold environments:
1. The durability of the LED lighting system
There are different grow lighting solutions available on the market, each one offering something different to the grower. LED grow lights have become increasingly popular over the past few years as they’re more energy efficient and their lighting can be customised more effectively.
They are also very reliable sources of lighting in colder climates as they use electricity to create light which means they don’t take a long time to start working and they can handle colder environments. LED lights are more durable and robust, and with the right platform, they can be programmed to turn on and off at set times of the day or night.
This not only ensures that the lighting supplied to plants during the longer, darker winter period is consistent and optimised, but that the grow space warmth can be carefully managed.
2. Cold weather improves the quality of LED lights
Research on LED Lighting Systems for Horticulture: Business Growth and Global Distribution has emphasised the potential of the LED system for plant growth, and that LED lights increase their output in cooler environments. This makes them the perfect partner for growers looking to more closely and accurately manage crop quality and output throughout the year.
LED lights can offer long-term and sustainable lighting solutions in cold climates as long as they are carefully implemented with a LED grow light provider that fully realises the influences of heat, ambient temperature, light layout design, and grow space.
3. LED grow lights can improve cold climate crop yield and quality
With the right placement of LED grow lights and an understanding of wavelengths and light absorption , you can fundamentally transform crop yields during the winter months. In fact, with LED grow lights, you can consistently manage the light spectrum to ensure that plants receive optimum wavelength support throughout the relevant points of their growth cycle. Because LED grow lights use significantly less electricity than other types of grow light, they also don’t hit the bottom line when they’re used more consistently in the winter months.
4. Invest into the right tools and support
In addition to your investment in grow lights, you will need to invest in a variety of equipment that will allow you to better monitor grow space temperatures. While LED lights do not emit as much heat as some other grow light alternatives, there is still a need to consistently monitor your environment to ensure that your temperatures are correct, both leaf and room temperatures.
You will also need to ensure that the heat is evenly distributed through the intelligent placement of lights throughout the grow space, that way you are optimised for plant health regardless of outdoor temperatures.
