Greenhouse companies increasingly use LED lighting. These lamps offer growers numerous advantages compared to traditional HPS lighting.

Light affects the growth of a crop in many ways. The amount of light that the leaves receive determines photosynthesis and thus the growth of the crop.

The light spectrum is responsible for the development of the plant, such as the quality and elongation of the leaves. In addition to light,

radiation also contains heat, which also influences the development of the crop.

Most plants are pretty good communicators and will tell you when their growing conditions aren’t quite right. Watch the signs.

Plants that are getting too much light will look dried out.   Often the edges of the leaves look dried out or burnt.

If the plant flowers, the petals will dry out, and the colour will fade from the flowers.

If you have a plant with colourful foliage, that colour will fade if there is too much sun.

Very often, a plant getting too much sun looks droopy and may also wilt.

Your plant might also be trying to tell you it isn’t getting enough.  Plants that aren’t getting enough light will look sparse.

They often won’t have any new leaf growth.  Leaves will be far apart on the stems of the plant.

Plants that are not getting enough light can appear long and thin; often, it will seem as if they are stretching out trying to get as much light as possible.

Leaves may even go yellow.

Sometimes plants that need more sunlight will appear to lean towards their light source.

In many of these respects LED differs from sunlight and conventional lighting. Moreover,

LED can be used by growers in new ways: the lamps can be switched on at any time, and have a different position in relation to the crop.