Lamps for lighting flowers in winter. Natural and artificial lighting for indoor plants

Additional light for flowers and houseplants is a success and a guarantee of their long flowering. In order for your flowers to receive a sufficient amount of light, it is recommended to build special racks for them and equip them with suitable lamps. It is not at all difficult to do this at home, the simple ideas provided below will let you understand how do-it-yourself lighting for flowers in an apartment is made.

What is it for?

Before you get started, remember that not all flowers like a lot of light. But backlighting has the following advantages:

• allows you to illuminate the flowers completely, so that they will grow evenly, without stretching and modifying;
• allows the plant to develop properly to an adult form;
• prolongs daylight hours.

The main feature of additional light is its approximation to the natural and natural spectrum of the sun.

Where to begin?

In the apartment, plants should be placed so that they have enough light, if there are few such places, then special lamps are used. We talked about that in a separate article. Highlighting flowers with your own hands is done very simply, for this you need:

1. Prepare a place where flowers and lights will be. You can do this in several places. For example, on the windowsill, on the window, on a stand or on a rack.
2. Design fasteners for lighting elements.
3. Conduct wiring to the fixtures to connect them to the electrical network.

Choosing lamps

The most important step is the choice of lighting fixtures. To illuminate the home flora in a room, lamps must be carefully chosen. For indoor plants, visible light (daylight spectrum) is considered the most acceptable. Its location on the scale is shown in the picture below:

Located between ultraviolet and infrared radiation. Lamps are able to create a light that is close to natural light.

LED lighting is very popular. LEDs are materials that in the modern world have been actively used not only in production, but also in everyday life. The LED strip will look good on the shelves, and it will not heat the air and at the same time will be able to illuminate a large area.

The advantages of LED strips and lamps for illuminating flowers include:

• creating the perfect lighting for plants, which combines two important spectra at once - blue and red;
• the LED lamp gives out sufficient light for lighting and plant growth, while consuming a small amount of electricity;
• the cost of LEDs pays off in a short time;
• LED products are light and easy to install, and do not require special knowledge during operation.

Using a lamp requires the purchase of a special lighting device into which it will be screwed. With LED strip, everything is much simpler: it is attached to any furniture where flowers are located or to the wall itself, thanks to the adhesive backing.

In order to make a lamp for illuminating flowers in an apartment, there is no need to have certain knowledge or skills. You can make it easily with the help of the following elements:

• LEDs (preferably blue and red, which flowers love);
• thermal paste or hot melt adhesive, the second option will cost more;
• the basis for the product, any material that is at hand can serve as a base: a profile from furniture, a ruler or a piece of aluminum;
• to stabilize the current and provide the necessary voltage, you need a power supply or driver;
• cord, switch and plug.

In order for the flowers to be illuminated optimally correctly, it is recommended to alternate the LEDs as follows: 2 red and one blue, as shown in the photo below:

You can do it yourself as follows: connect them to the driver with the help, and, in turn, connect it to the plug and switch. The backlight is fixed to the surface thanks to double tape or bolts, if required by the design. Then it is connected in one chain with a power supply (or driver), a cord, a switch, and the plug completes the circuit.

We make a rack

You can make a flower lighting rack at home quickly and easily and at the same time save on space for plants by arranging them in several tiers. To assemble the rack you will need either a wooden bar or a metal corner. Bolts and self-tapping screws are used for fastening. An example of a good homemade rack:

The dimensions of the structure will depend on what flowers will be there, and in what place it will stand (if the room is not very large, then the huge rack will look irrelevant and awkward, and will only crush with its presence). It is recommended to do no more than three rows. Each shelf and each row is illuminated by its own lamp, which is located above the plant.

After watching these videos, you can get some simple ideas for yourself on how to make lamps and a rack for lighting flowers:

That's actually all that we wanted to tell you on this issue. We hope that now you know how to make lighting for flowers in an apartment with your own hands!

Additional lighting of indoor plants is a guarantee of their full growth and development. Light is the energy vital for the natural process of photosynthesis. Consider the rules for choosing a lamp for a flower.

In summer, the green inhabitants of the apartments receive it unilaterally from the window through which the sun's rays break through. With the advent of cold weather, they are in constant semi-darkness, spend extra strength, do not bloom, grow poorly.

You can correct the situation by creating artificial lighting.

To choose a complete replacement for sunlight, you should know that light has two characteristics - the spectrum and light power. It is necessary to select these parameters correctly, taking into account the stages of development of a houseplant.

Seedlings are easier to grow with the right lighting.

Young seedlings especially need additional light. It affects the division, stretching and formation of cells.

For seed germination, seedling growth, more blue spectrum is needed. Only he can provide active photosynthesis and, accordingly, active growth. The power of the device at this stage can be small - up to 200 watts.

With the red spectrum shoots get stronger, flowering intensifies. But it is impossible to consider each spectrum separately. Chlorophyll, under the influence of different parts of the spectrum, absorbs light, transforming energy.

Therefore, artificial lighting must match the spectrum of daylight.

Lamp and its color temperature

It's time to consider the types of lamps and their temperature. It is measured in kelvins (K). There are these:

incandescent lamp

Choose it to highlight green spaces - bad idea. It gives off a lot of heat. The plant is stretching. There is a danger of burning the leaves. The temperature of a 40 W bulb is 2200 K, a 60 W bulb is 2680 K.

There are more minuses than pluses: fragility, short service life, it quickly burns out with power surges.

classic incandescent lamp

Fluorescent

Represented by two types: general and special purpose. They differ only in the coating applied to the glass flask. It is believed that the coating on special-purpose lamps brings them closer to the desired spectrum.

Of the pros: it gives off light well, they have low heat transfer, efficiency.

By cons– ballast (special equipment) is required for operation. They are electromagnetic and electronic - EMPR and EPTRA (indicated on the package). They emit warm and cool colors and match the appropriate spectra.

Combine two types of lamps. The temperature of a 200 W lamp of warm color is 3000 K, cold color is 3500 K.

gas-discharge

They are mainly used by professionals in greenhouses, conservatories, winter gardens. At home, you can only use it in non-residential premises, since strong brightness hurts the eyes.

There are mercury lamps that emit 2 times less luminous flux than sodium lamps. Their spectrum not suitable for seedlings.

Sodium more in line with the sun. Metal halide is the most expensive among gas-discharge devices. Suitable for vegetative growth.

Finished luminaires

In specialized stores you can buy ready-made devices. Leading the way are LED lights. They emit a stream of the desired spectrum.

Of the pros– economical, ecological, energy-saving with a long service life. They consume 10 times less electricity than fluorescent ones. They can work up to 100,000 hours without interruption.

They heat up to a maximum of 35 degrees. 1 diode consumes 1 watt per hour. For comparison, fluorescent - 15 - 65 W per hour. The efficiency of LEDs is 95%. The light bulb is screwed into a regular socket.

Finished fixtures are connected to a regular network. There are different sizes and capacities, which allows you to choose both for one flower and for shelf or rack(sell whole panels).

The diverse design of such devices allows you to choose them for the overall style of the room.

How to make a backlight on the windowsill

Modern appliances allow you to make the backlight even on a regular windowsill do it yourself. For this you need:

1. Choose plants that are the same height.
2. Buy cheap lamps.
3. Arrange pots, boxes on the windowsill, behind them at the window place foil or a mirror to reflect the rays.
4. Arrange lamps on both sides of the windowsill.

Can be connected to the mains.

When lighting with LED strips, you should know that cannot be connected directly to a power outlet.. They need a special block for voltage transformation.

Features of lighting in winter

In cold weather, the number of hours for backlighting is extended. In winter, the choice of device depends on the temperature characteristics of the plant. Heat-loving ones can winter with a very small decrease in heat and daylight hours.

They must receive illumination throughout 12 hours. Spend it in the morning and evening.

In articles about caring for flowers, we often reveal the features of their wintering. So, we talked about the role of additional lighting when we talked,.

What is the feature of the correct illumination

Proper illumination depends on the greenest inhabitant. You need to find detailed information about it, only after choosing the right device.

The main feature of the additional backlight is make up for the lack of sun. Therefore, you need to know the seasonal norms. This determines the effectiveness of artificial light depends on the duration of the day and night at different times of the year, its intensity, the needs of the flower itself.

Proper lighting should be a good growth stimulator.

Not all plants adapt to the lack of light. By their appearance, they indicate a problem that has arisen.

Given the level of illumination, you can install the device correctly for support green dweller.

Signs of lack of light

By the appearance of the plant, you can determine whether it has enough light.

The shortage is displayed:

• Stretched shoots.
• small pale leaves.
• Rare flowers or their absence in flowering species.
• Long internodes.
• Yellowing, falling, drying of the lower leaves.
• motley leaves gradually darken turn green.

Having noticed such signs, you need to give your green friend additional light.

You can accurately measure the amount of light in a room using a light meter. The device will give accurate readings.

What level of light do flowers need?

Illumination is measured in suites. In nature, its level reaches 100,000 lux. This intensity is not required for colors.

In winter, enough for plants:

This is the minimum level to sustain life. Bloomers will need to increase the light level even up to 9000.

How to install a lighting fixture in an apartment

When installing lamps, you should be aware that with an increase in the distance from the flower to the lamp by 2 times, the light intensity decreases by 4 times.

When burns are visible on the leaves, then the device is too close. The elongated stems indicate that the lamp is far away.

To avoid distortion, the lamp should be placed on top. The minimum distance to the heat-loving one is 15 mm, the shade-tolerant one is 55 mm.

The rule of three "F" for plants

Proper flower development depends on three processes:

• Photosynthesis in which red light predominates. It speeds up the metabolism.
• Photomorphogenesis defining growth and development. When there is not enough blue spectrum, the leaves are underdeveloped, the stems are stretched.
• Photoperiodism, which takes into account the reaction of plants to the ratio of day and night (light and dark periods).

Each green tenant needs an individual approach: a different period of lighting, the number of light hours, a specific time. Having studied everything in detail about each flower that lives in the house, you can choose the right lamp.

To make green friends feel good in an apartment at any time of the year, you need to:

• Make it possible to capture light longer with the help of additional devices. They need different colors of the spectrum for growth and development.

No need to constantly turn on the lamps in the dark. 12 - 14 hours is enough for a normal life. Important processes that are important for life take place at night.

• For diffusion, you can make a matte screen that will create a universal glow for any green inhabitant.
• With artificial lighting it is important make a schedule. He will not let you bring down the rhythm of life.
• Routine window cleaning and glass cleaning save energy by letting in more daylight.

If you choose the right additional lighting, then indoor "pets" will delight in appearance.

Lamps for plants are an opportunity to compensate for the lack of light, which is especially important in the autumn-winter period. After all, even if you put the plants on the south side of the house (which is far from always possible), the duration of the natural daylight hours, especially in the northern regions, will be completely insufficient for the normal development of flowers or seedlings. For the full development of some plants, the daylight hours must be at least 15 hours, otherwise the flowers begin to hurt - flowering stops, growth slows down, the leaves wither and turn yellow, which can lead to their complete death. Phytolamps, an artificial substitute for the sun, prolong daylight hours and create optimal conditions for growing pets.

In industrial conditions, phytolamps often completely replace natural light - by adjusting the lighting mode (as well as regulating climatic conditions), you can control the process of development and maturation of plants as accurately as possible.

Light: how important it is for plants

Light is an important component of plant life, because a plant (more precisely, its dry weight) consists of 45% carbon obtained from air. At the same time, the process of carbon assimilation - photosynthesis, occurs only with the participation of light, the intensity of photosynthesis is influenced by many external factors, but the main one is still the intensity of light.

First of all, young plants and shoots suffer from a lack of illumination - their leaf plates become pale, unsaturated, and their size becomes smaller. Their stem and internodes stretch, and the plant itself leans / stretches towards the light source. In addition, there are other signs (Fig. 1):

• plant growth slows down
• the formation of new buds stops, old flowers gradually die off, with a large deficit of light, flowering may stop completely

• in variegated species, decorative coloring is lost, they become monotonous green
• the lower leaves dry up and fall off

However, to say “light” is not entirely correct - the flora perceives the spectral components in different ways:

• red (wavelength from 600 to 720 nm) and orange (from 595 to 620 nm) are the most important and necessary radiation ranges for a plant, they supply the energy that is necessary for photosynthesis. In addition, they affect the rate of plant development, for example, an overabundance of orange and red rays makes it possible to delay the transition to flowering, which is important if, for example, bulbs are forced out by a certain date.
• violet and blue (range 380-490 nm) - also take a direct part in photosynthesis. They are needed, first of all, for the formation of protein, and also affect the growth of the plant. Plants that naturally grow under short day conditions bloom faster when grown indoors under the influence of the violet-blue part of the spectrum.
• ultraviolet rays (range 315-380 nm) do not allow plants to "stretch", and are necessary for the synthesis of certain vitamins. Other beams in this range (wavelength 280-315 nm) help to increase the cold tolerance of plants
• waves of green (490-565 nm) and yellow (565-595 nm) are not as important for plant development

That is why, when organizing additional lighting or artificial lighting of plants, it is necessary to take into account their needs only in a certain part of the spectrum.

Advice! In order not to disturb the "biological clock" of the plant, it is better to turn on artificial lighting at 7-8 o'clock in the morning, and turn it off, after maintaining the required daylight hours, at 20-22 hours.

Lamps for plants: which ones to choose

The modern market is filled with a wide variety of phytolamp models, we will evaluate how suitable they are for organizing and correcting plant lighting at home so that your flora receives the most favorable conditions at minimal cost.

The issue of landscaping an apartment is not difficult in itself. There are more than 1000 types of indoor plants that are on sale. On this occasion, many books, articles in magazines, instructions, etc. have been published. But almost all of them consider finding indoor plants in natural light, even if in partial shade.

Why do plants need good lighting?

Lighting is required for plants for photosynthesis, after which special substances appear that are for them energy and base material. First of all, the formation of this substance will depend on the volume and quality of the light energy that the leaves absorb. But chlorophyll, which directly transforms the light flux into organic compounds, has pronounced absorption maxima in the blue and red range of the spectrum. At the same time, it rather weakly absorbs the yellow and orange spectrum and does not absorb infrared and green rays at all.

In addition to chlorophyll, pigments such as carotenoids take part in light absorption. As a rule, they are invisible in the leaves due to the presence of chlorophyll, but in the autumn, when it is destroyed, carotenoids give the foliage an orange and yellow color. In the process of photosynthesis, they are of no small importance, as they absorb light rays in the blue and violet spectrum, these colors prevail on cloudy days.

What does a houseplant need?

The need of plants for lighting largely depends on the temperature in the room, the warmer the room, the more light the plant needs. Thus, plants in winter have the worst of all in a poorly heated and poorly illuminated room.

Light mode. The duration of daylight hours plays an important role in the life of any plants. For equatorial flowers, who are accustomed to almost constant natural light at 12 o'clock, our geographical location will most likely not like our geographical location, when the minimum daylight hours last until 7 o'clock, and the maximum is more than 15 o'clock.

Illumination and artificial lighting for plants

First, let's determine when plant lighting required:

• During the maintenance of plants in winter and autumn at a temperature of more than 22C in regions with very short daylight hours.
• When keeping plants on window sills with direct sunlight less than 3.5 hours.
• During the maintenance of plant seedlings in winter and autumn in regions where cloudy weather prevails.

In other cases, the installation of additional lighting is simply not justified and, to some extent, will be a waste of money and effort.

During supplementary lighting of plants, it is necessary take into account such factors:

Artificial lighting for indoor plants

It is forbidden to use classic incandescent lamps alone: ​​there is no violet and blue color in their spectrum, and infrared irradiation creates stretching of flowers, their strong heating, drying of leaves and waste of electricity.

Such special incandescent bulbs in neodymium bulbs advertised today do not show significant improvement. These include Paulmann Phyto-lamps, OSRAM lamps, etc. Despite their high illumination due to reflective coating and a small angle of light, their spectral indices practically do not differ from simple incandescent lamps.

A slightly better effect can be achieved while using halogen bulbs. But, despite the more positive composition of the spectrum and increased light output, this type of lamp is hardly optimal, since the filament creates a large release of thermal energy.

You can maintain an attractive appearance of flowers and grow seedlings with the help of lighting. white fluorescent lamps, they create cold light (their spectrum is as close as possible to the solar spectrum). Since these lamps are not very powerful, several of them are installed simultaneously in special reflectors that enhance the flow of light and do not allow flickering lighting to enter the room.

As a rule, their shortcomings come down to an increased diffuseness of the light flux (sufficient light requires many lamps) and the quality of the generated lighting. Fluorescent lamps have a lot of blue in their spectrum, so they need to be installed only in combination with the rest.

The purpose of fluorescent lamps is to illuminate the shelves with flowers, to illuminate the plants on the window. It is almost impossible to fully grow flowers that are very demanding on lighting under fluorescent bulbs.

Phyto-luminescent lamps in the form of tubes are actually efficient in the process of photosynthesis, economical, create a uniform light on the surface and heat up slightly during operation, this makes it possible to install them close to the flowers. But their pinkish backlight is unnatural for people, irritates the mucous membranes and significantly changes the visual perception of the decorativeness of flowers.

Phyto-lamps with several light peaks in the blue and red spectrum, specially made for flowers, they are also great for young shoots and growing seedlings. You can choose phytolamps with more natural lighting, but the efficiency of these lamps is slightly lower, due to radiation in the unused spectrum by plants - green, which, at the same time, can be compensated by adding powerful lamps.

sodium, metal halide and mercury lamps- These are the so-called high-pressure gas-discharge bulbs. Their main purpose is to create a powerful light flux. So, they are best suited for illuminating greenhouses, winter gardens, large-sized single flowers, plants that are very demanding on light. They talk about the possibility of installing these lamps in apartments with caution - such lamps are quite expensive, use a large amount of electricity and heat up significantly, many operate in the ultraviolet spectrum, which is dangerous for vision.

Height and installation options for lamps above indoor flowers

The best location of the lamps is achieved with the condition that the lighting will fall on the flowers from above.

Highly high standing lamps in order to illuminate the maximum number of plants, as a result, nothing is highlighted, since the illumination decreases in proportion to the distance, for example, by setting the lighting height from 25 cm to a meter, the illumination will decrease by 30 times. The optimal height for light-loving flowers is the position of the lamp (fluorescent) approximately 17-22 cm.

The most economical option is to make the direction of the light flow perpendicular to the plant, that is, install the lamp directly above the flowers, and equip the light source with a reflector. You can buy ready-made reflectors in aquarium stores. With the help of a reflector, you can remove the feeling of discomfort if the light falls into the eyes, but the most important thing is to direct almost without loss the main part of the lighting flow, which is often wasted. Phyto-lamps have a full-fledged spectrum of rays required only by colors and therefore create light that irritates human vision. It is for this reason that phyto-lamps especially need reflectors.

It is advisable to hang a light bulb over the flowers: when illuminated from the side, the plants grow, stretching towards the light source. If the flowers are illuminated only by artificial lighting, then the lamps need to work at least 12 hours daily. If artificial light is used as an additional one, for example, in winter, then 4-6 hours are enough.

It is best to make the height of the lamps adjustable, so that if burns are found on the flowers, you can change the height of the lamps. Tall stems and a pale color indicate that the light source is located quite high. The smallest distance of a flower to an incandescent bulb is 35cm, to a fluorescent bulb 7cm, and a sodium bulb is half a meter.

How to calculate the number of fluorescent lamps?

Backlight power calculation and the choice of the type of light bulbs will completely depend on the need for indoor flowers in lighting. All flowers according to the degree of need for illumination can be divided into:

• shade-tolerant;
• loving moderate illumination - tropical plants;
• light-loving - plants whose birthplace is large sunny spaces.

Lighting power must be selected in proportion: per 1 dm. sq. flower area should be:

• more than 2.5 W for light-loving;
• 1.5-2.5 W - for those who love moderate illumination;
• 0.50-1.5 W - for shade-tolerant.

According to the degree of illumination, 1 watt of power of a fluorescent bulb creates 70 lm, an incandescent bulb - 4 times less. Given this value, you can calculate the number and power of light bulbs for flowers. For example, the size of the window sill where the plants are located is 100 dm. sq. Thus, the following total lamp power will be needed:

• 2.5W x 100dm. sq. = 250W.

This area will require approximately 2-3 light bulbs with a power of 70 W. It must be said that this calculation is approximate and is considered only a guideline in choosing their number. It is desirable to use powerful and oblong lamps, as they have a high light output. In other words, two 34W lamps are better than four 17W lamps.

Summing up, it must be said that the duration of artificial lighting will depend directly on natural lighting. As a rule, this is a couple of hours in the morning and a few at night. That is, the lamps will be on in the morning, until the time when you need to go to work, and in the evening until the time before bedtime.

But, in general, this time must be about 5-7 hours. In cloudy weather up to 10 hours. If the day is sunny, 4 hours is enough. In addition, it has been proven that the backlight does not show a positive effect when it is irregular, because turning on the lamps only “when you remember”, you will only harm indoor flowers, knocking down their biorhythms.

In every house and apartment there are indoor plants. Of course, their percentage can vary within a fairly wide range. But without indoor flowers, the apartment will look rather dull and uninhabited. Many flower growers today grow many tropical plants in their homes that bloom very beautifully, but need some care. Often the most important factor that determines whether a flower will take root in a house is the light regime. Unfortunately, our region cannot boast of long and constant lighting throughout the year. Because of this, many people have to illuminate their home front gardens with additional light using a variety of lamps.

Illumination of indoor flowers should be carried out correctly. Only in this way will your plants feel comfortable and bloom at a certain time. To understand all the intricacies of lighting in an apartment of flowers, this article will help.

The need for an additional lighting option

Even small children know that all plants need light. Everyone in the school went through such an unusual process as photosynthesis. Without it, the plant world of our planet would not have such a high oxygen content and would not be optimal for us. But oxygen is a by-product of plant life. Thanks to him, flowers receive energy for growth and development.
The diversity of the plant world includes a very large number of different species and varieties of flowers, some of which have been turned into pets. Lighting flowers in the apartment is carried out in two ways:

• natural - basic lighting;
• artificial - additional lighting.

Note! In rare situations, flower growers use only artificial lighting to illuminate domestic plants.

Illumination of indoor plants

At the same time, some flowers like diffused light and a short light period, others like a long daylight hours, and still others like a shadow in general. Usually, for most of our indoor plants, natural lighting is sufficient, which is organized by placing pots on window sills or near window openings. But there are situations when artificial lighting is necessary. The need for fixtures appears in the following situations:

• in winter and autumn, when the day decreases. It is in winter that many indoor flowers may experience the greatest lack of light;
• growing indoor tropical flowers, for which daylight hours should be at least 12 hours a day;
• insufficient natural light. This situation occurs when the window openings have a natural dimming in the form of rough vegetation outside the window;

Note! Low natural light is typical for the first and second floors, if there is a front garden in front of the windows or there are tall bushes and trees.

• climatic features of the region. In our country there are areas where the number of cloudy days exceeds the number of sunny ones. In such a situation, there is also a need for additional illumination of colors.

In all of the situations listed above, plants without lighting will look unhealthy.

Signs of a lack of light and how to create a backlight

For indoor plants, with a lack of light, certain changes are characteristic that appear in the following:

• indoor flowers change the color of the leaf plate. It loses its brightness, acquires pallor;

Signs of lack of light in plants

• the leaves themselves become small and may even fall off;
• lower leaves begin to turn yellow. If the situation does not change, the whole plant may lose its leaves and die;
• stretching the shoot, which seeks to find a more lit place in the house. Elongation of internodes can reach 2-3 times;
• no flowering period. This parameter is typical only for flowering varieties.

Pay attention! The above signs of lack of light are typical for all indoor flowers.

If the above parameters of malaise are found in home flowers, it is necessary to organize additional artificial lighting for them with your own hands. And here you should be very careful, as many novice flower growers believe that the more light, the better. But this is a delusion, because of which more than one indoor flower has already died.
To properly organize the lighting of indoor plants, the following parameters should be considered:

• flower variety (light-loving or shade-loving);
• what level of illumination is required for it, according to its biological characteristics;

Note! Features of growing a particular indoor flower can be found in the encyclopedia or the Internet.

• the duration of the light regime for each specific case. In many flowers, the light regime has a direct effect on the flowering period (for example, flowering varieties of Kalanchoe). Therefore, if you want to get a bright and colorful window sill, this parameter must be observed without even the slightest deviation;
• season. Most often, additional lighting is needed in winter. This must be taken into account when choosing a luminaire for a permanent or periodic operation scheme;
• what fixtures should be used (LED, fluorescent, etc.).

Lamps for highlighting flowers

Note! It is important to create the correct artificial change of day and night for plants.

Only taking into account these selection parameters, you can choose an adequate lighting option for your indoor plants and organize everything with your own hands.

What level of light do flowers need?

A variety of forms and varieties of indoor plants involves the creation for each type of its own level of illumination, when organizing lighting with your own hands. Here you need to know the following points:

• for shade-tolerant types of indoor flowers, you should create a light level in the range from 1000 to 5000 lux. For some varieties, 700 - 1,000 lux will be enough;
• for light-loving - from 10,000 lux.

You can measure the level of illumination in the apartment using a special device - a luxmeter.
At the same time, if you want to achieve flowering in house plants, then the light level should be as follows:

• for shade-loving plants - 1,000 - 2,000 lux. This group includes: dieffenbachia, anthurium, dracaena, monstera, ficus, spathiphyllum, phalaenopsis, fuchsia, etc.;
• for light-loving plants - 2,500 lux and above. For example, some exotic citrus fruits will bloom and produce fruits at light levels of at least 8,000 to 9,000 lux.

After you have figured out the level of illumination, you should decide how you need a lamp. After all, the lamps that are used to illuminate indoor flowers can be very diverse. At the same time, you can not buy them, but make them yourself.

Choosing lighting fixtures

The lamp with which the illumination of the home flora will be organized is chosen quite carefully. This is primarily due to the fact that the lamps in this situation will not be able to create the optimal level of illumination for each flower. But there are some universal points here.

Lamps for lighting plants

For all colors, the spectrum of daylight is optimal. It ranges from ultraviolet through visible to infrared rays. At the same time, lamps, as artificial light sources, can create light in a particular spectrum, reminiscent of natural light.

Note! Chlorophyll, as the main component of the photosensitive system of plants, most of all absorbs light in the blue or red parts of the spectrum.

spectrum of light

However, they do not have the same effect on the flower:

• if the lamp burns red, then the flower will increase the green mass;
• if the lamp burns with a blue-violet light, the fasting time of shoots and seed germination is accelerated.

This is important to know so that the lamps give the light you need in a given situation.
Today, the following can be used as a light source for illumination:

• LED lamp or strip. If a light bulb is used, it must be screwed into an appropriate lighting fixture. And the LED strip can be placed by itself on the furniture or even on the wall. The LED lamp may contain a light source of different spectral power. It is best if such a lamp or tape will give blue or red light.

Note! LED strip is the best option in a situation where the lamp will be made by hand. This tape basically has a self-adhesive backing, so it can be easily attached to the base of the lamp. In addition, the LED strip can be attached to the bottom surface of hanging cabinets. At the same time, the tape can change its light from red to blue, depending on the need, which is very convenient.

LED flower lighting

• fluorescent and gas discharge lamp. Such light sources are inferior to LED products in terms of electricity consumption, as well as the technical characteristics of the light. But they are still often used to illuminate indoor plants.

Fluorescent illumination of flowers

• incandescent lamp. It is rarely used, as it does not make it possible to save on electricity.

As you can see, the most profitable light source here is an LED strip or a lamp.

Light fixture installation

Placement of the lamp over the pot

Another important point in highlighting room flora is the correct placement of the light source. One rule applies here: with an increase in the distance from the lamp to the pot by 2 times, the intensity of the light flux and its effect on the plant will decrease by 4 times.

Distance selection can be done experimentally:

• when burn marks appear on the sheet plate, the lamp is moved away;
• when the shoots are lengthened, the lamp is brought closer.

These manipulations are done until the optimal effect is achieved. Having found the optimal distance, it is not recommended to move the pot and the lamp so as not to knock down the “settings”.

Conclusion

It can be difficult to create optimal growing conditions for a plant in an apartment, but it is quite possible. The main thing is to organize the right lighting. In case of insufficient natural illumination, artificial lighting lamps can always be used. In such a situation, you only need to choose the right light source and the intensity of the light flux it creates.

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