What Light Color is Best for the Plant’s Growth?

If you are searching for light color best for plants growth, you have stumbled upon the right post.

A plant will only use a few light colors emitted by the sun while offsetting the rest because some light colors are harder to absorb or redundant.

Let us dive deeper to find the light color best for plants growth.

Does the Color of Light Affect Plant Growth?

Although the availability of carbon dioxide, watering, and a source of nutrition is equally essential, light colors play a vital role in ensuring the plant’s healthy growth.

Photosynthesis is a process that converts light and water into carbohydrates as a form of energy, which is then released to the rest of the plant for even growth.

However, the color of light, more than the light itself, will determine a plant’s growth.

The light plants use for photosynthesis is called photosynthetically active radiation, the same spectrum of light we can see.

They absorb light colors using pigments called chlorophylls, but they do not take in all available colors.

However, plants use different colored light for various purposes, and not all plants use the same amount of colored light.

Is the Wavelength of Light the Same as the Light Color?

Yes, it is the wavelength that gives different light colors. It is from these wavelengths that plants get most of their energy.

Among all the visible light colors, red has the longest wavelength with 700nm, while blue is the shortest wavelength with 400nm.

The longer the wavelength, the lesser the energy; hence, red has the least power among all the visible colors.

When all the color wavelengths are combined, they produce white light typical with sunlight or natural light source.

Do Different Light Colors do Different Things?

Although the plants are genetically programmed to grow solely using sunlight, many growers mistake white light that mimics sunlight as the best light source for the plant.

Instead, while reflecting the rest, a plant only absorbs a few light colors emitted by the sun, depending on the plant type and growth stage.

What is a Color Spectrum?

It is a graphical display of each color in the light visible to human eyes.

A color spectrum comprises all the light colors emitted by sunlight or ones you generally see in a rainbow.

According to Sciencing.com, a color spectrum consists of a rainbow of electromagnetic spectrum colors ranging from blue to red, with yellow, orange, green, and multiple variations sandwiched between them.

The light’s wavelength determines the color: the higher the wavelength, the hotter the color (Red), and the lower the wavelength, the colder the color (Blue or Violet).

Let us look at different light spectrum colors and how they impact the plant’s growth.

1. Violet (380-430nm)

Violet has the shortest wavelength but relatively high energy compared to other colors in the spectrum.

The wavelength ranges from 380nm to 430nm. Combined with blue and red light colors, it helps the plant attain its color and aroma.

The higher energy emitted by violet color helps enhance plant color, fruiting, and vegetable.

Moreover, it may help enhance the flavor and the number of antioxidants in the plant stems.

2. Blue (430-500nm)

Blue is a cold, light color and one of plant growth’s most critical light colors.

With a short wavelength range between 430-500nm, it is readily available for absorption by chlorophyll.

Although one of the actual light colors assists with Photosynthesis, it is not nearly as effective on its own as when combined with red.

Moreover, plants that quickly absorb blue light are usually compact and thicker, with darker green leaves preventing lanky stem growth.

3. Cyan and Green (500-565nm)

Cyan refers to greenish-blue with a wavelength range between 500-520nm, a combination of green and blue light colors.

On the other hand, green is a wavelength range between 520-565nm.

Cyan and green are less helpful to chlorophyll, but they may help the plant reach its full potential.

Green is considered the least effective light color for plants’ growth.

However, the plant’s photoreceptors responsible for photosynthesis may absorb some green light for consistent growth.

4. Yellow (565-580nm)

Yellow is the most visible color of the light spectrum, but it is naturally the least used light color by a plant.

Plants absorb light yellow color to help with the photosynthesis process, but it may not be helpful in itself.

Especially, seedlings given yellow-colored light alone will not create carbohydrates and will fail to grow.

5. Orange (580-625nm)

Like yellow, orange is one of the light spectrum’s most visible colors, which does not help much with the plant’s development.

Most plants quickly absorb orange color without doing much damage, so you need not worry about limiting their intake.

6. Red (625-740nm)

Like the color blue, plants mostly take in red to help with photosynthesis, but it may not be effective on its own.

Plants grown under red light solely may produce stretched, elongated appearance with thin leaves.

However, it will help the plant reach its flowering stage, mainly for maturation.

When combined with a blue waveband, generally in the range of 5:1, it wonders to enhance foliage and flowering.

You should also note that the red wavelength usually promotes germination or seedling.

7. Far-Red (740-10,000nm)

Far-red or Infrared (IR) with 740-10,000nm is the longest wavelength from the visible light color spectrum.

It helps with the seedling or germination process, where the IR signals the seedling to start germinating and lessens the time it takes for the plant to flower.

It also passes through dense upper canopies to support the foliage growth on the underside of the plant.

The amount of red light relative to the amount of far-red radiation (R: FR) also has a pronounced effect on leaf expansion and stem elongation

8. UV Ray

The least effective of the light color wavelengths is the UV ray. Yet, it is the most damaging wavelength for plant growth.

A wavelength of anything under 380 may consist of Ultra Violet rays.

The high energy radiated by UV rays may quickly burn plant leaves and stems.

Light Color Best for Plants Growth

The colors blue and red are considered the best for a plant’s growth and development.

Chlorophylls quickly absorb these color combinations to produce food and energy for the plant, directly helping with photosynthesis.

Blue wavelength helps with root development and strong stem growth, while red wavelength helps flowering.

However, blue has a relatively high amount of energy that can easily damage the plant’s growth with the shortest wavelength among the two.

Therefore, it must be carefully mixed with red to limit overexposure. On the other hand, too much blue light may stunt root proliferation and prevent vertical growth.

But, plants only use blue and red light colors for growth is a myth!

Some artificial grow lights are purple, which contain a combination of red and blue lights.

It is known to be beneficial during the vegetative cycle of plant growth.

However, they emit a higher level of lumens, are quite expensive, and only emit a combo of red and blue, which may not be effective for even plant growth.

A plant requires a combination of various light colors throughout its life span.

Keep this in mind, especially if you are trying to grow plants with the assistance of artificial grow lights.

Grow Light Spectrums

Since red wavelengths are essential for plant growth to blue light, most grow lamps would contain more red than blue.

However, they should also compensate for other color spectrums for even plant growth.

Also known as Photosynthetically Active Radiation, these light wavebands help substitute the exact growing condition provided by natural lighting.

Q: Do the plants with different lighting requirements consume the same grow light?

Nope, they absorb the light in varying amounts and intensity depending on their need.

A whole sun plant with higher lighting requirements, such as Olive and Russian sage, should take more extended lighting than those with less lighting requirements.

Grow Light Spectrums Best for Plants

Grow lights do the same thing as sunlight by providing plants with different color spectrums to assist photosynthesis.

There are three different types of grow lights available for plants.

These include fluorescent grow lights, LED grow lights, and High-Intensity Discharge lights.

1. Fluorescent Grow Lights

Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) produce low heat levels and proper color temperatures ranging from 2700-10,000K.

The fluorescent growth lights are categorized into T5, T8, and T12.

T5 is more efficient than T8 and T12. Although 40% smaller than T8 bulbs, they contain just as much light.

T12 is an older generation fluorescent bulb effective as grow light but may require more maintenance than the rest.

However, the weak light intensity makes it less reliable as a primary light source. Hence, you can use them for supplemental lighting instead.

2. HID Grow Light

High-Intensity Discharge (HID) was initially used to replace fluorescent bulbs before the advent of LED grow lights.

They produce significantly bright light with consistency.

However, they are costly, consume a lot of electricity, and emit a lot of heat harmful to plants.

Although most HID grow lights were dumped for more energy-efficient LED grow lights, they are still in some places for large-scale growing.

You can find two different types of HID grow bulbs.

3. LED Grow Lights

Light Emitting Diode (LED) is an eco-friendly choice compared to fluorescent.

Although they are considerably more expensive than fluorescent, they tend to be more energy-efficient and significantly lower heat output.

LED lighting is preferred as primary grow lights because they offer greater light intensity and varying light wavelengths appropriate for plant growth at different stages.

Some of the advantages of using LED grow lights include the following:

• They are eco-friendly and energy-efficient.
• They are more durable than primary lights because of their continuous high light intensity.
• In addition, they offer an ideal light spectrum range (400-700nm) required by plants for growth.
• You can customize them to emit different light wavelengths, from blue to red or combined, to influence vegging or flowering stages per your need.

The energy-efficient grow lights, you can leave them on even for over 16 hours a day without worrying about soaring energy bills.

Here are a few recommendations for LED grow lights.

Factors Other than Color that Play a Role

The correct light color is not everything a plant requires for healthy growth and development.

Here are a few factors that equally contribute to plants’ growth.

1. Light Intensity

Not all plants need the same light intensity for healthy growth.

Plants such as Cacti and succulents have a higher need for high lighting intensity than other plants.

They would naturally require grow lights with high lighting intensity without the risk of burning their leaves.

Otherwise, you can adjust the intensity as per your need by changing the settings, if there are any.

Alternatively, consider keeping your plant close to the light source to increase the effect of light intensity. Likewise, move them as far as the light source if they prefer moderate to low lighting.

A low-light plant may need around 100-5000 lux, while a full-sun plant may need 35,000-60,000 lux of the light level.

2. Distance Between the Light Source and Plant

Determining how far to keep the light from the plant will depend on the grow light spectrums, wattage, and heat output.

HID produces more heat than LED and CFL; thus, they should be kept farther from the plant.

Here is an insightful video highlighting how far to keep your grow lights from your plants:

3. Light Duration

The duration of artificial lighting will entirely depend on the plant’s growth and requirement.

A vegging plant would require at least 12 hours of light each day, while a flowering plant would require 18 hours.

Generally, the illumination duration for most houseplants ranges between 12 and 16 hours, with at least 8 hours of darkness.

The illumination ensures that the plant produces food and energy for its upkeep, while the darkness helps the plant break down the food and fuel for consumption.

4. Heat or Temperature

This is another crucial factor for the plant’s growth because a plant will fail to develop despite proper lighting when the temperature is too low or high.

Most foliage and flowering plants require between 70-80 degrees temperature during the day and 60-68 degrees at night.

Although an LED grow light provides some heat to the plant, it does not necessarily compensate for the adequate heat required.

Otherwise, place heat mats under the containers or heat lamps and programmable radiators around the plant to generate adequate heat required by the plant.

What Type of Grow Light is Best for Growing Plants Indoors?

As previously mentioned, plants prefer lighting that mimics the natural sunlight with an appropriate color spectrum (400-700nm).

If you are still confused, go for grow light spectrums that combine red, blue, violet, yellow, and orange.

Moreover, ensure that your grow light produces a calm and warm light temperature that can be adjusted according to the plant’s needs.