The Art of Spectrum Selection 🌈
As technology continues to reshape the way we cultivate crops, the precision and control LEDs provide have become increasingly valuable to indoor farmers worldwide. Whether your goal is to enhance photosynthesis or influence flowering and fruiting, the spectrum you select has a profound impact on every single stage of plant development. In the pursuit of optimal plant growth, it is important to explore companies offering leading-edge LED solutions and proven spectrums, like Aelius LED.
LOOKING TO NATURE
When it comes to bringing out a plant’s genetic potential, indoor cultivators can learn a lot from nature. While the sun has done a fantastic job of growing plants efficiently, commercial growers are looking for replicable consistency. Leading horticultural LED technology can enhance PAR levels you would find from the sun, and create a tailored approach to a perfect day, every day. This allows cultivators to choose a spectrum and lighting schedule specifically designed to complement their environment and crop. While no artificial light source can truly mimic the even distribution found in the sun, adjustments to wavelength combinations can produce spectrums that deliver a very similar (and often improved) outcome in a crop.
SPECTRUM DYNAMICS
LEDs have made their name on the ability to add and remove different light wavelengths and experiment with infinite spectrums and their effect plant growth. The significance of blue-rich spectrums becomes evident during the seeding and vegetative stages of plant growth. The blue light keeps internodal spacing tight and promotes robust lateral growth, fostering a sturdy and compact structure in the plant. Alternatively, red-rich spectrums excel in flowering and fruiting stages. The red light allows the plants focus to shift to optimizing biomass production which encourages the development of broad leaves and dense flowers and fruits – leading to a more abundant harvest.
The Aelius XRF spectrum, available in the Matrx 420F, Matrx 630F and Matrx 730F, as well as the Aelius 300, is designed to provide the right balance of blue-rich and red-rich light needed to optimize a full grow cycle for most crops.
DIVING DEEPER INTO LED INNOVATION
Red Rich Light in LEDs
Science truly takes a leap with the introduction of far-red light in the flowering or fruiting stage of growth. Red-rich light within the wavelength range 700nm to 760nm plays a fascinating role in plant growth. Far-red light acts as an illusion, tricking the plant into thinking it is being grown in a shaded environment which triggers larger and faster development as the plant frantically searches for sunlight.
Aelius LED has taken full advantage of far-red light to create their proven REDD spectrum. The Aelius REDD 3.0 & 3.4, Aelius Matrx REDD and the Aelius 300 REDD all come equipped with this fiery proven spectrum. The far-red along with a heavy red-blue ratio means that this spectrum will produce similar-or-better results than a typical HPS fixture. The results with this spectrum in flower really speak for themselves. Plants grow taller and faster, and pack on the biomass – producing top quality dense, sticky flower – often finishing in a shorter time than other spectrums would with the same cultivars.
Ultraviolet Light in LEDs
LEDs that include UV wavelengths can be beneficial for indoor cultivation, including cannabis cultivation, as they can provide a more comprehensive spectrum of light that mimics natural sunlight. UV light, particularly UV-B and UV-A wavelengths, can stimulate the production of secondary metabolites in cannabis plants, including cannabinoids and terpenes. The right spectrum and controlled exposure to UV light during specific stages of growth, such as flowering, can enhance the potency, flavor, and aromatic profile of certain crops.
As research continues to unravel the science behind LED spectrums, it becomes clear that the careful orchestration of LED spectrums is not just a science but an art, sculpting plant growth with precision and intention. As a global supplier of premium horticultural LED products for all stages of plant growth, Aelius LED aims to help cultivators realize the true genetic potential of their crops by providing results-driven LED fixtures designed to master commercial cultivation!