How Much Light Do My Seedlings Need?

Duration of light exposure for seedlings

Most  farmers use artificial lighting in specially made seedling systems in their farms. One really handy thing about artificial lights is that you can set them to turn on and off by themselves using timers.

But how long to keep light on your seedlings?Balancing light and electricity costs

Although this does depend some on type of light and type of crops, for most situations growers are going to need at least 12-18 hours per day of light, but a lot of indoor farmers choose to keep lights on their seedlings on 24/7 especially if they are using LED lights which run more efficiently.

Your place in that range depends on the costs of two things: real estate and electricity. Which one is inherently higher for your facility?

This gives you four situations:

High Real Estate/Low Electricity

If the cost of real estate is higher, then you want to move things through your space quickly. This means that you will be paying for more hours of light (18 or so) to move crops along.

Low Real Estate/High Electricity

If the cost of electricity is higher but you have plenty of space, then you’ll want to reduce lighting a bit (12 or so hours). This means that your crops will grow slower.

High Real Estate/High Electricity

If both costs are equally high, then you’ll find a balance; about 14 hours each day.

Low Real Estate/Low Electricity

If both are equally low, then go ahead and run them fast: about 18 hours a day. (Just remember to give crops everything else that they need as well, like airflow and CO2, or they won’t be able to use all that light).

Don’t forget to harden your seedlings before transplant!

Remember to harden off your seedlings before transplanting them! Hardening seedling includes hardening them to things like temperature and humidity, to reduce plant shock. It also means hardening them to light.

As you harden your seedlings, start changing the seedling environment to be more like the main grow out system environment, bit by bit.  

Choosing lights?

When it comes to artificial lighting, things can get confusing in a hurry.

To be successful, however, indoor farmers have to know not only how their plants use light, but what lights are best suited for their operation. Get in touch with our team to talk more about what lights are going to suit your needs best!

You’re now ready to switch on the lights! Get started with a DIY Seedling Station from ZipGrow. 

Welcome To ZipGrow Blog

Our goal is to produce high-quality informative content to highlight the power of local food, small business, and how delicious sustainable food can have in our communities and in our world.

Recent Posts

Check Us Out On YouTube!

Enjoyed This Post? Sign up for our Newsletter

Subscribe today to stay updated! Only the good stuff, we promise.