Proper lighting is the most important item in indoor gardening. Adequate light is the key to photosynthesis. No matter what you need when it comes to Grow Lights, we have it all. We carry all lighting accessories and have many Package Specials to offer. When it comes to your Grow Lights, there is no need to look any further than us.
Grow Light Seasons
In
nature, plants of all kinds have their own seasons. The cycle
of seasons is the clock plants use to sprout, bloom, produce fruits,
and move into dormancy, or the end of their life cycle. All of this
is triggered by changes throughout the year in several areas. The
indoor and hydroponic gardener can simulate many of these changes to
produce artificial seasons and fool plants into coming to maturity
outside the normal seasons.
Controlling Seasons
» Length of Day
- Much of the cycle of plant life is
determined by the length of the day, with vigorous growth occurring
during the lengthening days of the spring, and continuing into the
long periods of daylight in the summer. Then, as the days shorten
and fall days begin, plants shift into flowering and fruiting mode.
Finally, wintertime brings dormancy or death to most plants. Its a
built-in clock in every plant. Different plants run on different
schedules, but its all tied to the length of daylight hours. Indoor
and hydroponic gardeners can use timers to supply any amount of
light on any schedule that is needed to produce the desired results.
This allows the creation of artificial seasons that can help produce
plant maturity whenever desired.
» Temperature -
Temperature changes throughout the year also influence the cycle of
life for plants. As the soil warms in the springtime, seeds sprout
and begin to grow. Increasing warmth encourages lush growth of
foliage and stems. As temperatures diminish in the fall, plants
shift their energy to produce fruits and seeds. For many deciduous
plants and bulbs, cold winter days are also needed to trigger the
cycle each year. By controlling temperatures in an indoor growing
environment, hydroponic and indoor gardeners can simulate the
temperatures of any season indoors. Since grow lights usually
produce more heat than is needed, altering the amount of ventilation
used to remove excess heat can adjust plant response.
» Water - Spring
and summer rains are crucial for supplying the water plants need for
vigorous growth. Typically in most areas, rains diminish toward the
end of summer, prompting plants to use their stored energy to
produce fruit and seeds in anticipation of the end of the growing
season. As with lighting, hydroponic gardeners can use timers and
other tools to control the delivery of water and nutrients to their
plants. Some plants require being stressed by a shortage of water
before shifting into maturity and fruiting.
» Light Quality -
The spectrum of light available to plants changes throughout the
year, too. When the sun is high in the sky, more of the blue part of
the spectrum helps plants produce lush foliage to maximize
photosynthesis and growth. As summer ends and the sun is lower in
the sky, the light shifts to the red end of the spectrum, triggering
maturity and seed and fruit production. One of the easiest things
for the hydroponic and indoor gardener to change is the spectrum of
lighting being used. Switching HID lighting from Metal Halide to
High Pressure Sodium bulbs can easily simulate the change of light
spectrum as the seasons change.