Artificial lighting for seedlings with their own hands. Everything is very simple: we make the backlight for seedlings with our own hands

Do-it-yourself illumination of seedlings is one of the important elements thanks to which plants develop correctly, become stronger and healthier. In this article we will tell you in detail how to create additional lighting for plants at minimal cost and at home.

Features of the use of lighting for seedlings - what you need to know?

Experienced farmers and gardeners plant seeds between January and February, a season when the amount of daylight is minimal. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of additional lighting sources in time. They must not only provide additional light, but also be beneficial for the leaves and soil, and for this it must be as close as possible to the spectrum of sunlight.

It is known that for the normal growth and development of any garden plant, it needs as much daylight as possible. This ensures the normal course of photosynthesis and photomorphogenesis (the process of fruit set) and promotes healthy and proper growth of all plant components. However, it is not recommended to use conventional incandescent lamps or fluorescent lamps when constructing additional lighting for seedlings, since the efficiency of such lamps tends to zero.

For high-quality illumination, specialized phytolamps are most often used, which consist of LEDs capable of producing rays with a different spectrum. Experts recommend using lighting devices that are capable of constantly producing three color spectrums with radiation in a narrow range necessary for normal growth:

• Red. The main color that promotes the growth, flowering and fertility of a garden plant;
• Blue and shades of purple. These colors provide nutrition to the cells and normalize the process of proper germination.
• Green. Contrary to the misconception, this color is also necessary for the good development of indoor seedlings, so purchasing an additional lamp or integrating into an existing green LED system will only contribute to better development and growth of leaves and fruits.

After connecting an additional lamp based on diodes, daylight or phytolamps, it is very important to control the lighting of plants, that is, to determine whether the plants have enough light and how high the level of thermal radiation is. It is recommended to illuminate the plants during the day only in cloudy weather or at night; in sunlight, you should not use artificial light.

How to do the backlight - the choice of lamps and the method of lighting

It should be noted that with a small area of ​​​​sowing indoor plants, for example, on a home windowsill, it is sometimes possible to do without the use of additional lamps for supplementary illumination. This is possible when the window sill is located on the south side of the apartment or house, with relatively constant sunlight. In this case, you can make a simple design from a cardboard box. The sides of the box are cut out and pasted over with ordinary foil, after which they need to surround the seedlings.

The foil, when exposed to sunlight, will serve as a reflector, which provides illumination at different angles and spectra. However, such an economical method is not always effective, especially in the winter season. Therefore, sometimes you can not do without the use of special lamps. To make illumination for seedlings, experienced gardeners and amateurs use the following types of lamps:

• Phytolamps. The most common and affordable option. They shine with a constant blue-violet spectrum, are economical and durable. However, they should be installed together with special reflectors, since phytolight and the spectrum of their glow is useful for plants, but is a constant irritant for humans.
• Mercury or high pressure sodium lamps. They provide high-quality illumination with a "warm" white color, absolutely safe for humans, but also not effective enough for plant development. Installing lighting based on them requires the use of additional power regulators; in addition, they have a fairly high price.
• Fluorescent lamps. Also a popular option for creating additional lighting. They shine with standard “cold” daylight, are durable and practical, but many plants may lack the red spectrum in lighting, which means their effectiveness will not be maximum.
• LEDs. The most convenient and effective way to create additional lighting. Using LEDs, you can select the desired lighting spectrum and regulate it. In addition, LEDs have a number of additional features and advantages over other types of lamps, which we will discuss later.

Using standard incandescent lamps for lighting is not only pointless, but in some cases it is harmful to plants.

The constant conversion of light energy into thermal radiation during cultivation can lead to the gradual drying of the leaves and fruits of plants, while a large amount of electricity is wasted, which also makes this method unprofitable.

Illumination for seedlings - use fluorescent lamps

Before buying additional devices or creating artificial lighting yourself, you need to properly organize the space. If necessary, build racking equipment, think about fastenings, free up enough space, etc. The most convenient way to create additional lighting at home is to use LED backlighting or LEDs. Next, we will describe two ways to create simple and at the same time high-quality lighting with your own hands.

The first option is to create simple lighting using LED lamps. To do this you need:

• 1-2 lamps type LPO-01 with dimensions 2x36;
• two fluorescent lamps of medium power;
• loose white fabric or foil;
• wooden blocks and wire;

Additionally, fluorescent lamps need to be built into the lamp. You need to make something like a curtain out of fabric or foil that will serve as a reflector. Wooden blocks are used to create special shelves, and wire should be used to create loops on which our lamps will be suspended.

The distance at which the lamps are placed is calculated depending on the specific type of plant, for example, strawberries or lobelia are more light-loving than, for example, petunia and many other flowers. On the bottom shelf, which has the least amount of light, it is recommended to place young seedlings that have just “hatched,” which do not like too high temperatures. Instead of conventional lamps, you can also use ready-made LED analogues, which are mounted on a metal or aluminum profile.

LEDs with different spectrum - creating good lighting

A more complex, but at the same time much more effective way to illuminate seedlings is to use an LED strip with dual-spectrum matrices. Such a lighting system involves the use of a cooling radiator and a fan (from a computer), special connectors, matrices and other equipment that can be purchased at a specialized store.

To build such a lamp you will need:

• two power supplies (inverters) for 12V and 24V;
• housing from a standard fluorescent lamp;
• computer cooler (for the cooling system);
• three 10W Integrated Power LED matrices in blue and red;
• anodized aluminum, wiring and hot melt adhesive.

The ends of the wires must be stripped and soldered to the ends of the LED arrays, strictly observing the polarity. Connect the remaining wires to the power supply; the power of the diodes is calculated based on the power of the power supply. The computer cooler must be secured to a strip of anodized aluminum using thermal paste or glue and connected to a power supply (12V).

Next, LED lamps on a strip are also attached here, after which it is necessary to bend the strip so that it takes the shape of a reflector and integrate it into the lamp body. In this case, it is necessary to drill several holes on the case for the cooler, from which air will escape. The electrical circuit should be implemented in such a way that it is possible to control the color spectrum and turn on blue or red diodes in parallel and, if necessary, turn off one of the colors. The use of LEDs is effective, they can be positioned in any way, they are easy to install and they consume little electricity.

Experienced gardeners and housekeepers know that many plants themselves show when they need more or less light. For example, some varieties may close their leaves in the evening: this means that the illumination is at the desired level and additional lamps must be turned off. Additionally, different plant varieties are differently sensitive to color spectrums and heat levels. If all recommendations for lighting and care are followed, even the most demanding plant will develop evenly and correctly, and the leaves and fruits will delight you with their beauty.

Illumination of seedlings is one of the most important issues that both novice gardeners and gardeners, as well as experienced business executives, puzzle over every year. Additional light largely determines the success of the development of healthy and strong plants.

The advantages of additional lighting are:

• extending daylight hours, which is especially important when growing seedlings early;
• additional light provides comprehensive illumination of plants, thereby preventing plants from stretching and becoming deformed;
• Providing plants with the necessary spectrum guarantees their gradual development to adult crops.

Practice confirms the need and importance of supplementary lighting of seedlings of all crops. The better way to highlight seedlings is a more complex and multifaceted question.

Plants that are regularly illuminated grow hardier, stronger, stronger and more resistant to pathogens of various infections, and the yield per plant also increases.

The peculiarity of the backlight is the maximum proximity of the lighting to the natural spectrum of sunlight.

The most important spectra in the beam are red light, responsible for plant growth and development, and blue light, which ensures proper cell development. Taking this into account, it is recommended to select light elements in these two spectra.

In this graph we see that in the red spectrum photomorphogenesis (fruit formation) is maximum! It’s also worth taking this into account when designing lamps for seedlings! Pay more attention to the red spectrum!

Basic methods of illuminating seedlings at home

Among the currently presented options for organizing lighting, the following methods are distinguished:

• lighting for seedlings on the windowsill without lamps;
• additional lighting of seedlings with various types of lamps.

Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, which largely determine the scope of application of a particular lighting option.

Illumination without lamps

To organize lighting on the windowsill, a simple structure made of a cardboard box is often used. The top and side of the box are removed, leaving small sides. This entire structure is covered with foil and installed behind the plants. Sunlight, entering through the window, falls on the foil and is reflected on the plants, providing comprehensive illumination of the crop.

This method is accessible and economical, but at the same time quite effective. However, a significant drawback does not allow using this technique for large plantings - in cloudy weather or on the north side of the house there is not enough light and the foil will not be able to compensate for the darkening. In such cases, it is impossible to do without lamps.

Lamps

Making lighting for seedlings with your own hands is not difficult. For this it is enough:

• organize space - free up, arrange tables in the room, build shelving;
• provide fixtures for lamps - various hooks, home-made "ears";
• pull the wire from a stationary electrical network or generator set.

The most important process in arranging lighting is the selection of suitable lamps. Gardeners use in their experiments:

• High pressure sodium lamps. They provide stable warm light, which has a beneficial effect on seedlings, but the lamps require additional equipment (power regulators) and also have an excessively high price, which is incommensurate with the productivity of the average gardener.
• Phytolamps. An excellent solution for lighting - the violet-pink spectrum of lamps is ideal for plants, but very harmful for humans, so it is recommended that such lamps be equipped with a special reflector.
• Sodium metal halide elements. This is also a fairly affordable and effective way of additional room lighting, but still there is very little blue color in the spectrum, and therefore plants have difficulty developing and hatching.
• Fluorescent lamps. These fluorescent lamps are good in many ways, but their light is still too cold and therefore poor in the red spectrum.
• Classic incandescent lamps. They are one of the most useless for additional lighting. Light bulbs are more suitable for heating a room rather than illuminating it.
• LED lights. These types of lamps are among the most promising, affordable and have a number of features that are worth discussing separately.

Advantages of LED lighting for seedlings

Illuminating seedlings with LED lamps gives the gardener and plants a number of undeniable advantages that are worth mentioning:

• when creating a lamp, you can combine the two most important spectra - blue and red - and create an ideal lamp for seedlings;
• LEDs are quite affordable, and their low cost quickly pays off;
• LED lamps consume a minimal amount of electricity, but produce a sufficient amount of light - up to the 6000 lux required for normal plant development;
• ease of installation and ease of operation have won the love of millions of gardeners.

LEDs are modern materials that are actively used in everyday life and in production. It is quite effective to use LED lamps on racks for seedlings - they illuminate the area well and do not heat up the air.

To make an LED lamp you do not need to have special skills or special knowledge.

To create an LED strip light you will need:

• red and blue LEDs;
• thermal paste, it can be replaced with hot glue, but it is more expensive;
• base - a piece of aluminum, a profile from furniture, any available material up to an old ruler;
• driver or power supply - it ensures current stability and the required voltage;
• cord and plug.

They are connected to each other by soldering and output to the driver, which is respectively connected to the switch and plug. The tape is attached using bolts, double tape or rivets to the prepared surface. After this, it is assembled into a single circuit with a driver, cord, switch and plug.

Seedling rack with lighting

Building a rack will not take you much time, but it will allow you to significantly save on space for seedlings by placing containers with soil and seedlings in several tiers.

The design is extremely simple - shelves with hollow compartments for drawers. The length and width of the rack directly depends on the size of the seedling boxes. It is recommended to install no more than 3 rows in height. Each row is illuminated by its own lamp, attached to the bottom of the upper seedling box.

Each gardener decides for himself which lamps are best to illuminate seedlings. Some people prefer fluorescent lamps, while others consider LED bulbs to be the best. Conduct experiments and watch your pets, find a comfortable way for yourself to grow seedlings. After all, gardening is, first and foremost, fun!

Video: advantages of LED lamps for seedlings

In this video, experienced gardener Valery Medvedev conducts an experiment with seedlings and proves that LED lamps for seedlings are the best choice!

Video: DIY assembly of a simple LED lamp

Seedlings - every self-respecting gardener grows them, since what is sold on the market is often not worth trusting. The seedlings there may be stocky, alive and healthy, but completely different from the variety you need, and the seller with a sly grin will nod in the affirmative to any question about the variety. So why take risks, why overpay, why buy “you don’t know what”, it’s better to grow seedlings with your own hands and then blame only yourself or, conversely, be proud of yourself. But the difficulty is that seedlings are often grown in that period (February-April) when the day outside the window is very short, when even a southern window sill, on which boxes with seedlings can be placed, cannot save the situation. There is simply catastrophically little light and it has to be artificially added, which is why there are a variety of additional lighting lamps.

Let's talk today about how to grow full-fledged seedlings using artificial light, when and for how long to turn on the lamps, which ones are suitable for seedlings, and which ones will be of little use, and finally, let's touch on the most reliable and proven types of lamps in different price categories. Let's see if we really need to chase an expensive brand or if we can get by with something inexpensive and familiar, but no less effective. So, let's go to the world of light.
Content:

The need for additional lighting

First, let's figure out why do seedlings need additional lighting?

Light is perhaps the most important condition for growing seedlings. If there is not enough light, then the plant’s complex photosynthetic apparatus simply will not work normally, and this will certainly negatively affect both the root system and the above-ground parts. Plants may begin to stretch in search of light, bend, their immunity will be completely or partially exhausted, and there can be no talk of any quality of seedlings or any harvests in the future; at best, everything will be mediocre.

Let’s make a reservation right away: if your window has a night-time street lamp on the windowsill, then cover the window with foil as soon as possible, this way you will save the plants from disorientation and provide more light reaching the plants at the “correct” hours from the backlight lamp. In the daytime, the foil, of course, needs to be removed without turning off the backlight lamps if necessary.

What effect do different spectra have on seedlings?

Let us immediately note that one particular spectrum of light will not be enough for the full development of seedlings of any crop. The impact of additional illumination on seedlings should be carried out by those lamps that emit precisely the complex of spectra (maybe not in the entire range, but always with a predominance of its most important components). In each spectrum, almost every light flux has one effect or another on plants; there is no part of the spectrum that can be considered completely useless.

For example, let's take red spectrum, - it is thanks to him that even the freshest and well-prepared seeds germinate a little faster. Subsequently, the red spectrum seems to guide the plant, literally gives it signals for normal growth and development, and stimulates the vertical growth of seedlings.

Spectra blue and violet participate in the reduction of new cells, they activate the processes of plant photosynthesis, increase the rate of cell division. With an abundance of the blue spectrum, the cells do not stretch, retaining the shape typical of a particular plant species, respectively, there is no tendency for seedlings to stretch as a whole. Under the influence of this spectrum, the stem of the plant becomes thicker and denser, that is, it acquires typical dimensions.

Few people know, but due to the influence of the blue spectrum of light, such a phenomenon as pulling seedlings towards the light source, called phototropism, slows down to a large extent and the seedlings have to be turned the other side to the light source widow, and sometimes three times less.

As for such a spectrum as yellow and green, then, of course, there is an effect from them, but it is insignificant, this effect plays the role of a kind of balance, not allowing plants to be overly actively influenced by one or another spectrum, because an excess is also not a plus.

Illumination of seedlings. © George Weigel

What are the requirements for additional lighting?

Usually, the main requirements are the duration of the additional illumination produced, its intensity and relevance at a given particular point in time.

If we talk about the duration, then, perhaps, looking ahead, it can be noted that tomatoes need the most light, they like to bask under the rays from 15 to 17 hours, but crops such as peppers, eggplants and others fit into daylight hours, equal to 11-13 hours.

Of course, if the day is cloudy, it is raining and it seems that twilight has come already at noon, it is better not to save money and turn on the backlight lamps, this will not make it worse, but it is not advisable to turn them on for the whole daylight hours. The maximum is 5-6 hours, preferably no more, that is, 2.5-3 hours in the evening and the same in the morning, respectively, after sunset and before sunrise.

As for the distance from the illumination lamp to the seedlings, it usually depends on the lamp itself - whether it heats the air. Naturally, the smaller the plants, the closer the lamp can be brought, but avoiding burns. The easiest option is to find out the power of the lamp by adjusting the distance in this way - the more powerful the lamp, the greater the distance and vice versa.

At home, you can conduct a simple experiment, which is better for a girl whose palm skin is as sensitive as possible. Just bring it to the lamp and remove it until you are comfortable and you do not feel any unpleasant sensations on your skin, and so will the plants. But again, we repeat, the distance largely depends on the lamp that you choose.

As we mentioned above (covering the window from a street lamp with foil), you can do the same with lamps, directing or concentrating light fluxes in the right place. And you will be comfortable - the light from the lamp will not interfere with your eyes, and it is better for the seedlings - more light will fall on it. To do this, you can use a variety of reflectors (for example, mirrors), but the simplest, most affordable and most effective is regular foil, which is sold in rolls.

If you have a device that can measure the level of illumination of seedlings, then this is great - ideally, the illumination should be equal to 6000 lux and fluctuate slightly.

And do not forget that ordinary window glass does not transmit such an important spectrum for plants as ultraviolet radiation, so if it is possible, without harming the seedlings, to open the window to pamper it with the sun’s rays, then this is quite possible.

Which lamp to choose for illuminating seedlings?

Let's now find out which lamps are most useful for seedlings, and which ones will either not bring the desired result or may even cause harm. When choosing a lamp, be sure to find out (in addition to the price, of course, and its performance) the power of the light stream emitted by the lamp, the spectra that it emits and the “utility” coefficient of the lamp.

It’s great if the lamp that you, so to speak, “have your eye on” already has a built-in reflector, which is located right inside the lamp (although it is also possible outside, the main thing is that it is there), then it’s possible to design something additional you won't have to at all.

So, let's start with a description of probably the most common fluorescent lamps. They are called differently, for example, “fluorescent lamps” or abbreviated LBT, or even shorter LB. What are the obvious advantages of these types of lamps - this is, naturally, more than their low price; In addition, such lamps do not heat the air and are extremely easy to install, remove, and change, which can be done by a person of almost any age.

There are also disadvantages - the very low power of such lamps, due to which you need to install three or even four of them on a relatively small box with seedlings, and on top of everything else, very high energy costs from such a lamp: “the meter will overcharge” you a decent amount. But that’s not all: there is very little red light in the spectrum studied by such lamps, which is why you have to install them at a distance of about 20-25 cm from the seedlings and literally wrap everything in foil so that not a single photon of the red spectrum is wasted.

There are other types of fluorescent lamps, be careful here - it is permissible to use LBT and LB, but it is unacceptable to use LD and LDC, the light from such lamps (namely LD and LDC) will oppress the seedlings.

The next type of lamp is phytolamps, or more probably the phytoluminescent lamps known to us (as they often write on the packaging). The advantages here include such obvious advantages as cost-effectiveness and fairly high efficiency. In addition, phytolamps are small in size, they work for a very long period of time, and with proper careful handling they will last not one, but several seasons, in addition, such lamps are completely safe.

Among the phytolamps there are mirror lamps, for example, the widely advertised Enrich, which gives a spectrum of light that does not strain the optic nerve of the human eye at all. Also, a lamp that does not lead to overheating of seedlings even with prolonged use is Fitosvet-D. Unfortunately, such lamps also have disadvantages: their emission spectra consist almost entirely of lilac-pink light; it requires a reflector aimed specifically at plants, because such light has a depressing effect on most people.

The next series of lamps is sodium lamps, for example, Reflex; There are many varieties of these lamps, depending on the complexity of the design (often the price of them simply depends on the presence of a built-in reflector). So, a more expensive modification with a reflector is Dna3, which has an extremely convenient mirror reflector that allows you to direct the light beam in the desired direction, but the second option is cheaper - this is DnaT, it does not have such a mirror reflector, and you will have to design it yourself.

What are the advantages of such lamps? Relatively low cost, high efficiency, also because such lamps consume very little energy. Perhaps the main advantage is the ability to form a luminous flux of the light spectra necessary for plants, and, of course, with careful handling, such lamps will last for many seasons. The general radiation that this lamp produces is perceived by our eyes as orange-yellow, warm, it does not irritate the optic nerve of the eye at all and “does not act on the nerves.”

LED lamps, they are the most expensive in terms of price, but believe me, if the lamp is without defects, it will pay for itself very quickly. The service life of such a lamp, with proper careful handling, is estimated at tens, and sometimes more, years, even if the lamp is used for a whole day, that is, 24 hours. Such lamps are the most economical and consume several times (three and a half, to be precise) less energy than fluorescent lamps.

LED lamps are quite suitable for growing seedlings due to their very bright and absolutely even flow of light; their spectrum contains a sufficient amount of red and blue colors, and all the others vital for seedlings.

Among other things, such lamps are very small, they do not take up much space, they are installed extremely quickly, and even on an extremely small surface you can place many LED lamps, enhancing the effect of their use.

Can incandescent lamps be used to illuminate seedlings?

After describing the most common and most suitable lamps for growing seedlings, I would like to digress a little and talk about the mistakes that gardeners make, ignoring all the advice of more experienced vegetable growers, and try to grow full-fledged seedlings using ordinary incandescent lamps.

Dear gardeners, it is impossible to achieve high-quality, fully developed seedlings with a solid reserve of immunity using standard incandescent lamps. In addition, you will spend a fairly large amount of money to pay for electricity, since such light bulbs consume a lot of it, and think about it: according to the latest data from scientists, only 4.68% of the total energy they emit is luminous flux, and more than 95% is trivial warm.

We can say that such a light bulb is a miniature heater, and it is very easy to burn seedlings with it. But that’s not all: those 4.68% of light do not at all correspond to the color spectrum necessary for seedlings; and the fact that the seedlings will be well “lit” and no more is too little.

How to make a stand for a backlight lamp?

So, we realized that there is no point in using ordinary lamps, it is better to purchase lamps that have the necessary positive effect on the plants, but we still do not know how to place them. The most convenient option is to build a small wooden frame over a box or boxes with seedlings and install the necessary equipment for placing additional lighting lamps into it.

The racks of this frame should be made of wood, so that if possible they can be shortened, say, if it turns out that the lamp is located too high - simply by sawing off equal parts.

Optimal Distance

By the way, since we are talking about distance, it should directly depend on the growth period of the seedlings. For example, immediately after sowing, you can make the distance to the lamp (if it is not an incandescent lamp, which we decided not to use at all) equal to 12-14 centimeters, and as you grow, increase the height of the lamp to the 20-25 centimeters we indicated above.

Duration of additional lighting

We mentioned above that the tomato loves light the most - 15-17 hours, a little less - peppers, eggplants and other crops - 11-13 hours. But here you definitely need to take into account the weather outside the window. Let us remind you once again that if it is cloudy, then the additional lighting can be turned on during the day, and if the room becomes lighter after that, then you were right and it is not in vain that you are using it. If, when you turn on the additional lighting, absolutely nothing changes, then there is still enough light and the backlight can be turned off.

As always, we are waiting for your advice, maybe someone has used other samples of supplementary lighting lamps and received excellent seedlings. We are confident that the tips you described in the comments will be very valuable to our readers and will complement the picture of this review.

Since seedlings are often planted at the end of winter, when daylight hours are not yet sufficient to ensure full photosynthesis, the question arises of additional lighting for the home greenhouse.

The assortment of specialized gardening stores includes so-called phytolamps - LED complexes for illuminating seedlings in greenhouses. They differ from other sources of artificial light (the same incandescent lamps) by their greater illumination efficiency due to the fact that they transmit rays of different spectra equally well:

• blue;
• red;
• purple.

Photosynthesis (the process that causes plant growth and development) and photomorphogenesis (the process of fruit set) reach their peak when exposed to light rays of about 660 nm. This indicator is provided by a combination of red and blue light waves in a ratio of 3/1. Most phytolamps offered on the market are characterized by precisely this ratio of light waves.

Another advantage of LED lamps is their efficiency - the energy consumption of such sources is several times lower than that of conventional incandescent lamps. In addition, LEDs burn out much less frequently.

The main disadvantage of such sources of additional light is their price. High-quality phytolamps are not cheap; with small volumes of planting in a home greenhouse, the harvest may not pay off at such costs. But if you make LED lighting yourself, the savings compared to buying ready-made phytolamps will be significant.

Lack of quality phytolamps - high price

Is it possible to assemble a phytolamp yourself?

On gardening forums you can come across topics describing how to create phytolamps with your own hands using LED strips or individual LEDs fixed on a metal profile. But to assemble such lighting for seedlings, you need to have a good understanding of electrical engineering. The main difficulty is assembling a current source from a resistor and a stabilizer (instead, you can buy a special driver, but then the cost of the design will be much higher). It’s easier to assemble a phytolamp with your own hands using a simplified scheme from ready-made LED lamps, which can be bought at any lighting store.

Materials and tools for assembly:

• red and blue LED lamps with 3 LEDs;
• rectangular chipboard fragment;
• sockets for LED lamps (the quantity must correspond to the number of lamps);
• drill;
• screwdriver;
• soldering iron;
• fasteners;
• cord with plug.

Construction assembly stages

Assembling a system for artificial illumination of plants with LEDs according to this scheme does not involve anything complicated. We sequentially perform the following actions:

1. On a sheet of chipboard, we mark with a pencil the installation locations for future lamps and, using a drill, drill a hole in the center of each of them for further wiring.
   
2. Using a screwdriver, we fix the lamp holders in the marked places.
   
3. We screw the lamps into the sockets, having previously removed the lenses from them, and connect all the electrical wiring elements in series using soldering.
   
4. We complete the assembly of the electrical circuit by connecting the cord with the plug. Now you can conduct a test run of the structure. It is good if for these purposes there is a laboratory power supply with the ability to supply voltage less than 220V.
   
5. After making sure that the lighting system is working, you can connect it to the main network and mount it directly above the seedlings.
   

Video - Do-it-yourself phytolamps

Illumination for seedlings based on LED matrices

The process of assembling a seedling illumination system from individual LEDs is described above. Such systems are effective for individual boxes with seedlings a la “grandmother’s balcony.” To illuminate seedlings in large volumes (mini-greenhouses), it is better to use homemade lighting systems based on LED matrices. The costs of constructing such a device will be higher than in the first case, but still incomparable with the costs of purchasing ready-made phytolamps for mini-greenhouses. The basis of such a system is LED arrays for plants with a dual spectrum.

You will need the following components:

• LED matrices - 4 pcs;
• old processor heatsink;
• connectors for LED matrices;
• drill;
• hot glue;
• fastening elements (screws);
• 12V computer fan;
• screwdriver.

Step-by-step assembly instructions:

1. Using a drill, we mark 8 holes on the radiator body for fixing the LED matrices.
   
2. We install a drill bit with a diameter of M2 on the drill and drill through the designated areas. The depth of the holes must match the size of the screws.
3. Using screws and hot-melt adhesive, we attach the matrices to the radiator body in the designated places. First, apply a small amount of glue to the base of the matrix and carefully apply it to the mounting location, then screw in the screws.
   
4. Now we connect all the LED matrices in series with connectors and install the connector to which the current source (LED driver) will be attached.
   
5. We connect the driver to the connector and check our design for functionality.
   
6. The final stage of assembling a phytolamp on LED matrices is connecting a 12V fan to the electrical network. Without it, our radiator will quickly overheat.

Video - LED phyto lamp for plants

Checking the effectiveness of the additional lighting system

Whatever seedling illumination system you choose—factory or homemade—the principles for testing its effectiveness are the same. The main evaluation criterion is the appearance of the seedlings:

1. If in some areas of the greenhouse the stems are frail and of unequal length, then the plants do not have enough light. A solution to the problem may be additional illumination of the area (try moving the profile with attached LEDs closer to the seedlings).
2. Straight stems with bright green leaves indicate that the plants have enough light. In this case, you should not reduce or increase the lighting intensity.
3. If the leaves become lethargic and withered, most likely the lighting system is too hot. Try reducing the number of LED panels. To determine if there is overheating, hold your hand just above the tops of the seedlings. If you feel like it's getting hot, it means you've gone too far with the heating.
4. Remember that each crop has its own light regime. The plants themselves will help you determine when to turn off the lights. Take a closer look at their leaves: if they begin to close (stretch vertically), it means it’s time to turn off the light. Boxes with seedlings should be illuminated not only in the dark, but also on cloudy days.