WHO IS THIS KELVIN GUY?
Color Temperature and Plants
In nature, plants have access to balanced, full-spectrum
sunlight that includes all light wavelengths. During
photosynthesis, most plants employ the entire visible
light spectrum. To perform some other functions,
though, they rely heavily on specific portions of the light
spectrum. For example, during early growth, light on
the blue end of the spectrum (6,500 K) triggers leaf, stem,
and root development. Later, an increase in red
spectrum light (2,700-3,000 K) encourages and
sustains flowering and fruiting.
For indoor growers, understanding how
plants use light makes it easier to manipulate
color temperature and use lighting efficiently
in order to maximize the developmental
potential of plants. Kelvin color temperature
ratings are useful measurements when
determining the best light for different
phases of plant development, but there are
other light-related factors to think about, too.
They include, but are not limited to, light intensity
and duration (AKA daily light integral, or DLI), heat
output, bulb longevity, equipment cost, and energy
consumption. For the best results, understand what
type of lighting your plants will need before you invest
in equipment, and use tools like color temperature to
fine-tune your growing strategies.
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Maximum Yield USA | December 2016
“
In nature, plants have access
to balanced, full-spectrum
sunlight that includes all
light wavelengths.
”