I bought a grow light recently for my drooping Norfolk Island Pine and I wondered how do LED grow lights work and does it really work?
A grow light is an artificial light which provides a light spectrum similar to the sun.
There are various types of grow lights which are High pressure sodium (HPS), Fluorescent grow lights, Metal halide (MH), High intensity discharge (HID), etc.
High pressure sodium (HPS) lights have been traditionally used to grow flowers and fruit because they produce an extremely bright light which draws most of the red and orange spectra in the colour spectrum.
Fluorescent grow lights are for seedlings and plants that require low levels of light.
Metal halide (MH) grow lights provide a white light which simulates the natural sunlight. MH is good at supporting the earlier developmental stages to promote stronger roots, better resistance against disease in all types of plants.
LEDs (Light Emitting Diode) comes in variety of colors in visible, infrared and ultraviolet spectral ranges. So different colour LEDs are mixed in proportions depending on the intended use.
It is known that green, red, far-red and blue light spectra have an effect on root and flower formation and plant growth. It has been proved that many plants can grow normally if they are given red and blue light.
I’ve been using this light for two days and there hasn’t been any changes yet but I will see what happens.
HaeunGarden 