Plants growth under artificial light...

[Externet]

Hi.

 

Is the exhalation of CO2 by plants in periods of darkness -as night time- a necessary biological process for their proper growth, or are unaffected growing better/more with full time natural + artificial illumination ?

[Moontanman]

Hi.

 

Is the exhalation of CO2 by plants in periods of darkness -as night time- a necessary biological process for their proper growth, or are unaffected growing better/more with full time natural + artificial illumination ?

 

 

I've grown plants under 24/7 lighting with no obvious ill effects, it can cause the growth form to change, in some plants a dark cycle is required for seasonal changes such as blooming. I have imitated this effect by using 24 hours of light followed by 12 hours of darkness. In the plants I tested it seemed that the duration of the dark cycle had more to do with growth than the duration of the light. Plants exhale CO2 24/7 as part of their metabolism but during light cycles they produce more O2 than CO2. It's possible that they use their own CO2 during light cycles but I really don't know for sure. I do know that (higher) plants will not grow under anaerobic conditions and do need oxygen to grow.

 

Light wave length also has some effect on growth as well as intensity.

[Harry Potterish]

Hi,

 

In general, sunlight is better for plant growth as it is intense and contains the full spectrum of electromagnetic radiation required for optimal plant growth. Artificial light, if it is an ordinary room light, will only support low-light tolerant plants. Most artificial light sources (fluorescent and incandescent) do not provide the full visible light spectrum that is required by plants for optimal growth, this results in plants that are tall and spindly (etiolated) and sometimes discolored. Plants will grow better under sunlight; artificial light lacks the complete spectrum of light provided by the sun. You can purchase "grow lights" which have a special coating on the bulb to produce more light in the spectrum that plants need to photosynthesize. However, they can never completely duplicate natural sunlight.

 

Thanks and Regards,

Harry Potterish