How to make a LED backlight for seedlings with your own hands?

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video The most important factor in the life of plants is the illumination, because for them light serves as an energy source. Thanks to the light, plants turn water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates. As a result of this reaction, their tissues are formed, and metabolic processes take place.

However, for the successful cultivation of strong seedlings, in addition to the amount of light, its spectrum and light period are also important.
By adjusting the length of daylight, it is possible to successfully manage the entire process of growth and development of seedlings.

The influence of the spectrum of the LED lamp on the development of seedlings

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The spectrum of light on the development of plants affects differently.
LED sources for plants create rays in the red and blue spectra. It is these rays that are most needed for seedlings, since they contribute to their successful development.

In particular, the blue spectrum activates the growth of the root system, the red has a beneficial effect on the overall formation of seedlings. Such colors as yellow or green are practically not absorbed by plants.

The light wavelength required for the photosynthesis reaction differs from the wavelength emitted by a conventional incandescent lamp, whose phytoefficiency is extremely small. Therefore, getting seemingly a lot of light, the plants actually lack it.

Video about making LED backlight for seedlings

Advantages of LED backlighting for seedlings

LED lamps for plants are ideal, because:

  • You can get light waves of the desired length and brightness using diodes. They give an incredibly narrow range, their efficiency reaches almost 99.9% - this is a feature of LED lamps. This means that seedlings absorb only those light waves, the need for which is experienced at the moment.
  • The power consumption of an LED source is much less( up to 8 times) than ordinary lamps. It is also important that there is no need to change the burned out light bulbs.
  • Has a low supply voltage, which makes the circuit safe when water enters. This allows the source to be located sufficiently close to the seedlings, which, however, does not lead to overdrying or, on the contrary, more frequent watering, since the LEDs for plants do not practically heat up, which cannot be said about old-style lamps.
  • Lack of flicker is another argument in favor of LED luminaires( this is what LED lighting is called).
  • LED luminaires do not produce ultraviolet and infrared radiation. This is an extremely important factor, since some plants are quite sensitive to them, the excess adversely affects their overall development.
  • Attracts the environmental friendliness of LED lamps - they do not contain mercury, gas, other toxic substances, their disposal does not require special conditions.
  • Life is very long - up to 50,000 hours.
Read also: What kind of petunia seeds should I buy for growing seedlings?

All these advantages of LED highlighting for seedlings attract more and more consumers.
The main reason for the insufficient distribution is their high cost.

It is noticed that the effect of LED highlighting for seedlings persists even after it is planted in the ground. From such a seedling develops more viable plants that quickly pick up color, they start to bear fruit and have a bountiful harvest.

From the graph it can be seen that LEDs with a wavelength of 660 nm give the greatest effect both on chlorophyll synthesis, photosynthesis, and photomorphogenesis( the ability to form fruits).That is, the red light of 650-660nm + slightly blue( 3: 1 ratio) should dominate in LED lamps.

LED lamps for plants in the home

Read also: Lamps for highlighting seedlings - options, pros and cons

To do the work we need:


  • a small panel, the size of the corresponding area that needs to be highlighted;
  • two LED ribbons - red and blue;
  • power supply for connecting the tape to the network.

Important: For plants, the ratio of the colors of the diodes should be 1: 8, that is, one part of the blue diodes, 8 parts red.

LED luminaires cannot be connected directly to 220 volts. You can use only a special unit that can transform the voltage to a value of 12 volts( less often 24) and convert the alternating current into direct current.
You can buy a driver that differs from conventional power supplies in that it is equipped with a current stabilizer and is designed for a specific type of LED.The driver provides more reliable protection in case of, for example, overvoltage or other disasters.

Read also: Do-it-yourself chicken house construction

How to mount LED strip on the panel?

The technology of mounting the LED strip for seedlings is very simple, it can be installed on its own.

Before sticking on the tape, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the panel on which you will mount it, from dirt and degrease.
If necessary, cut the tape into pieces, cut it between padding platforms. These places are marked on its surface. Connect the pieces of tape, soldering them with wires, or connecting a special connector.

The tape, unlike the LED lamp, does not require a fan for cooling, however, under constrained conditions and insufficient ventilation in the room, it should be mounted on an aluminum profile to remove heat, since overheating greatly reduces the life of the diodes.

An adhesive layer is applied to the back of the tape. We remove the protective coating from it and press the tape to the plane of the panel, applying a small force.
. In the process of mounting strong bends of LED strip should be avoided - it is possible to damage the conductive paths that feed the LEDs.
A panel with ribbon LEDs for illuminating plants is mounted on legs and containers with seedlings are placed under it.

We decide on the place of installation of the power source, prepare it for connection to the 220 volt network, connect the LED strip and apply voltage, observing the polarity.

Manufacturing LED lamp - video

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