Introduction:
Fresh, plump, and juicy tomatoes are a favorite for many people. Tomatoes are known to thrive in full light. Unfortunately, when winter comes, they only get very little sunlight. In this case, grow lights come into play in order to provide tomatoes with sufficient light. Grow lights can be utilized to enhance regular daylight or to give light without sunlight. There is a wide range of kinds of grow lights available. This article will help you in using LED grow lights for tomato plants.
The significance of light for tomatoes
If you can’t provide tomato plants with sunlight, then there is no other way than to provide artificial light. Tomatoes like to fill in daylight, and when you develop them inside, you need to ensure you put them in the most brilliant piece of the house. Many plants can absent a lot of light, so developing them at home is simple. However, this is not the case for tomatoes. They need all the energy they can get from a light source in order to convert it into energy they can use to produce fruit. At the point when there is sufficient light, tomato seedlings begin to develop vivaciously and produce tomatoes. The grow lights act as a substitute for sunlight.
Types of grow lights for growing tomatoes
With regards to hanging grow lights above tomato plants, you want to conclude which type to utilize. There are a couple of classes.
Incandescent lights
Incandescent lamps are very cheap. But the heat of this lamp is high, and if the distance is too close, it will lead to heat damage. For indoor growing, safety is not guaranteed. In addition, incandescent lamps do not have the red and blue light plants need to carry out photosynthesis.
Fluorescent lights
Compared to incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps produce less heat. However, it is too large and massive. And fluorescent lamps lack red light. It is fine to be used as a growing light for seedlings or small plants. In short, fluorescent lights are not suitable for full-cycle planting. HID lights are not energy efficient and costly to maintain. You might have to supplant it consistently. HID lights likewise miss the blue light that plants need for photosynthesis, so they are not the ideal decision for enhancing plants with light.
LED grow lights
LED lights are more suitable for growing lights than the above-mentioned types of lights. It has the advantages of high energy efficiency, low heat production, low cost, long life, and small footprint. For crops, it has the effect of improving yields and growth quality. In short, choosing LED lights for growing tomatoes indoors is a decision you will never regret.
The best LED grow light for tomatoes
The best LED grow lights have the typical characteristics of LED lights. For example, longer service life and less energy loss. On top of that, there are some good things.
Safety
LED grow lights operate at low temperatures and emit very little heat. This greatly increases safety.
Environmentally friendly
The LED lights for growing are undoubtedly green and environmentally friendly. LED lights don’t contain components like mercury and lead, which represent a danger to human wellbeing.
Adjusting the wavelength of light
One great benefit of LED grow lights compared to other grow lights is that you can adjust the wavelength of light. LED lights for growing provide the spectrum of light that plants need, rather than too much or too little. This is a great boost to the growth of the plants. At the same time, there are no problems with wasted energy.
Full spectrum LED grow lights
LED full spectrum grow light is a full spectrum artificial light source that produces a beam of light best suited to plant growth. The best full spectrum LED grow lights don’t just produce red and blue light; and they can also provide your plants with whatever light they need. In addition, you can freely adjust the wavelength to suit the situation.
Low operating temperature
Compared to other lights, LED grow lights run cooler and emit less heat. It is an excellent advantage for indoor growing.
Fast harvesting cycle
If you choose the best LED grow lights for indoor plants, that means you have the freedom to decide how long you want to light your plants. Adequate light boosts the plants’ growth rate. As a result, you get a fast harvest cycle and can significantly increase yields.
No bulky ballasts or reflectors
Generally, fluorescent lamps and mercury lamps with negative resistive gases need ballasts. The function of a ballast is to drive and limit the current at high voltage, whereas LED lamps require direct current and are not powered by high voltage. Therefore, LED grow lights do not require ballasts. You can put them into ordinary lamps without any problems. As the LED grow lights have their own reflector, there is no need for an additional reflector.
But there are some risks you need to be aware of. If you choose LED grow lights, you do pay more money than HID or fluorescent lights. And LED grow lights emit bright blue light, which is great for plants. However, for humans, prolonged exposure can be damaging to the human eye and can even lead to blindness.
Things to consider when using LED grow lights for tomatoes
Wattage
You want to sort out the number of sq. feet the plants’ stems and foliage involve. This isn’t the region of the whole room, but instead, just the region where the plants will develop. All things considered, for tomato plant growth, about 40 watts of power per square foot of area is required.
Color temperature
Tomatoes need many light tones to develop to their full limit appropriately. The warm and cool lights are particularly significant for this. Cool tones (6500K) are generally helpful during early germination. They assist with invigorating the leaves and plants to develop soundly. Notwithstanding, they contribute close to nothing to blossoming. Warm variety lights (2711K), then again, urge the plants to deliver sound blossoms and prove to be fruitful, yet they don’t help a lot in leaf development.
Light intensity
The intensity of the full spectrum LED grow lights is different for each growth stage. In the germination stage, you need roughly 20-40%, and in the seedling stage, you can reach 40-60%. For the growing phase of the plant, 60-90% is appropriate. For the flowering stage, 90-100% is required. You may be wondering how many lumens you need to grow tomatoes indoors. In terms of brightness, you can get 7000 lumens for optimum tomato growth. But remember that brightness is not the whole story; color and temperature also need to be considered to ensure good plant growth.
Light duration
Different plants require different light times under LED grow lights. It would be best if you had the right balance of light and darkness to allow your plants to grow correctly. The lighter your tomato plants receive, the more leaves they will produce. It may seem tempting to always leave the light on, but it won’t work. Plants need to rest around evening time, very much as we do. An excessive amount of light will wear them out. Therefore, you must provide them with at least six to eight hours of darkness daily. As tomatoes are long-day plants, they need 14 to 18 hours of light daily. However, if you use a combination of LED lights and natural light, some fine-tuning may be necessary.
Distance between the light and the tomato plants
As tomato seedlings need extreme focus light to develop steadily, and the light ought to be set exceptionally near them. If the bulbs are fluorescent, you may want to place them within 12 inches of the plants. On the other hand, if you choose LED grow lights, you are in a better position. LED lights can transmit extraordinary light energy inside 30 inches. In this way, on the off chance that you need your tomato plants to develop succulent tomatoes, please don’t allow the bulbs to surpass 30 inches above them. Additionally, as the plants get taller, you should move the lights further away. This is something to remember. After all, you don’t want your plants to get burnt.
Some reminders
1. Growing tomatoes indoors requires one of the best full spectrum LED grow lights, as they emit a similar length of light to the sunlight that outdoor tomatoes receive in their natural environment. Successfully growing tomatoes indoors allows you to cultivate and harvest tomatoes all year round and frees you from the limitations of growing tomatoes outdoors.
2. When growing indoors, you must be careful to ensure that your lighting source does not overheat the tomato plants. As well as light, the temperature is also an essential factor in growing healthy tomato plants indoors. There are many benefits to using LED grow lights, one of the most important beings that they give off a reasonable amount of heat. The heat produced by LED lights is not the same as the natural light from the sun outside, so it is important to maintain a proper indoor temperature so plants can flower and successfully produce tomato fruit. The temperature range required for indoor tomato growing is between 65°F and 85°F. Temperatures that deviate too far from this range can cause the plants to grow slowly or stunted.
3. Watering tomatoes grown indoors with the help of LED grow lights will be very different from watering tomatoes grown outdoors. It is important not to over-water plants as this can lead to root rot and other diseases that can harm or kill the plant. Over-watering can also cause the flowers to fade before the fruit is produced. Overall, growing tomatoes indoors with the help of LED lights will allow you to grow beautiful tomatoes all year round.
Conclusion:
That’s all there is to know about the best LED grow light for tomatoes. In short, growing tomatoes indoors is not as simple as you think. You need to consider a few things and choose the right LED grow lights. You can always contact us if you are considering growing tomatoes indoors and are interested in LED grow lights.