Strawberry is a kind of light-loving plant that high requirements for light. If there is insufficient light, the leaves will become slender, the leaf color will become light green or yellow and the flowers will be small, resulting in smaller fruit, sour taste,slower the coloring and maturation time and lower the overall quality.
Therefore, when planting strawberries in greenhouses in autumn and winter, being sure of enough the light intensity and light time. If the light is insufficient, LED grow light is a good option for meeting strawberry’s light requirements.
Bu we must give not too much light, otherwise it will inhibit the growth of strawberries. In drought, high temperature and strong sunlight, we should place proper shading and water replenishment.So,what is the strawberry light requirements?what size grow light do i need? And what is the best grow light for strawberry growing?
This is a full spectrum led grow strip light, which uses high-brightness 2835 SMD CHIP, DV 5V USB as the power supply, very well used as a grow light to promote the growth of plants and vegetables, including: succulents, tomatoes, strawberries, etc.
How Much Light Does The Strawberry Need?
Strawberry light requirements
how many hours of light do strawberries need indoors?According to measurement, the light saturation point of strawberry is low, about 20,000 to 30,000 lux. The so-called light saturation point refers to the light intensity at which the photosynthesis rate no longer increases even if increasing the light intensity. The light saturation point of strawberry is relatively lower than that of other crops, but the indoor light intensity is still lower than the light saturation point of strawberry in winter. Therefore, choosing transparent covering materials and led grow light is good solution.
Moreover,the temperature of maximum photosynthesis rate for strawberry is 20～25℃.The light compensation point of strawberry leaves is 5,000 to 10,000 lux. The light saturation point and compensation point will change depending on different carbon dioxide concentrations.
The most active leaf position for photosynthesis is 3 to 5 leaves, and the most effective leaf stage is on the 30th to 50th day after leaf development.
The light requirements in each growth period of strawberry are different, and sometimes even opposite. For example, the flower bud differentiation period requires short days, and the flower and fruit period requires longer and better light conditions. Let’s look at the light requirements for each stage.
Nursery period: During this period,we focus on how to promote the growth of stolons. Stolons are easy to grow under long-day conditions, So,the more the light, and the stolons grow more. We should keep lighting time at 12-16 hours to promote the blooming of stolons during the nursery period.
Flower bud differentiation period: The light requirements are stricter during this period. Strawberry flower bud differentiation requires low temperature and shorter lighting time. Studies show low temperature (17°C) and short lighting time (10 hours) is good to induce strawberry to reach flower bud differentiation earlier within about 15 days,making strawberry seedlings reach the reproductive growth stage from vegetative growth earlier. If too long light time, it will delay the differentiation of flower buds, decrease the number and quality of flower buds, and even not bear fruit.
Flowering period: After flower buds differentiation, the longer lighting time is beneficial to promote flowering. If there are insufficient lighting time during the flowering period,it will decrease the pollen germination rate and cause poor flower and fruit.
Fruiting period: If ensuring adequate sunlight during this period,it will greatly promote plant growth, dark leaves and good flower bud development to get higher yields. On the contrary, If poor light,it will cause weak plant growth, pale leaves, small flowers etc issue,resulting in poor quality, and delayed maturity. Especially when the temperature in the greenhouse is lower than 5°C, the green head of fruit is prone to occur.
Therefore, it is best to ensure longer lighting time during the period from flowering to fruiting of strawberries, about 12 to 14 hours is better.
The following is the temperature for strawberry:
Budding period: 25℃~26℃ during the day and 10℃ at night
Flowering period: 23℃~25℃ during the day and 10℃ at night
Fruit growing period: 20℃~23℃ during the day and 6℃~7℃ at night
Harvest period: 23℃~25℃ during the day and 5℃ at night.
When the temperature in the greenhouse over or below the required temperature, it should adjust in time.
All in all,strawberries have different light requirements in different growth stage. During the flower bud period,ensuring 10-12 hours of short lighting per day and lower temperature. If over 16 hours given per day,it will affect the flower buds form, and even don’t bloom and bear fruit. However, the longer lighting after flower bud differentiation,which can promote development and flowering.
During the flowering and fruiting period and the vigorous growth period, strawberries need 12-15 hours lighting per day.
We have introduced strawberry light requirements,so can we use a grow light for strawberries?what is the best grow light for strawberry plant and how many watts do i need?
This LED Plant light adopts super shape with high lumen output. three aluminum LED heads are adjustable. They are can be folded up to 90°，this will make the light cover a wide area.It is suitable for indoor plant growth.
Can We Use A Grow Light For Strawberries?
Strawberries are a popular and delicious summer crop,but once the temperature or weather changes or insufficient light , it is difficult for us to grow them by natural conditions.Therefore,strawberries can be grown indoors, as long as adequate lighting is given,grow lights for strawberries is very good option.
What Kind Of Grow Light Is Best For Strawberries?
The wavelength of light for plant photosynthesis range is about 400 to 700nm, of which blue light and red light is the most important. Blue light is helpful for promoting the production of leaf chlorophyll and anthocyanin, increasing the growth of strawberry leaves, especially for crop seedlings. Therefore, it is recommended to choose a grow light with larger proportion of blue light when raising seedlings. Red light is helpful for increasing the formation of flower buds and the growing of leaves and fruits.
Different types of grow light for strawberries
There are common grow lights for strawberries on the market include such as LED lights, high-pressure sodium lights, and laser plant lights etc.
LED Grow Light for Strawberries
Although the cost of LED grow light is higher than other types of light fixture,you really will get many benefits from them. They can be hung on plants or grow tents,and more energy-saving than the conventional light. LED bulbs can fit into basic light sockets. LED lights are cold light source and only produce a little heat.So,you can placed close enough to the strawberry plant to get the max benefit.
They also will produce the right light wavelengths that plant required.No matter larger plant factory or smaller indoor gardens,they can do all well.
Utilizing LED light can give you more flexibility in size and power.If you like,choosing full-spectrum LED light helps to make sure all parts of the plant grow evenly and properly.
This quantum grow light adopts high brightness LED chip,it is suitable for all indoor growing environment: grow tent, grow room; best for growth and bloom stage.
HPS grow Lights For Strawberries
In term of efficiency, HPS lights are considered to be good light source. One big advantage is they can produce around 140 lumens per watt. The disadvantage is that they produce much heat than the other kinds. So,you need to install more fans or other cooling equipment. Due to the high temperature,you should place them further away from the strawberries.Although they more cheaper than LEDs, you will pay much more electric bill after.
Therefore, you should think about the cost of initial and long-term operation costs to reach balance point.HPS light uses the electromagnetic spectrum to stimulate plants to grow. it works really well for the photosynthesis processing. But you also consider to replace bulb cost,the bulbs only generally lasts between 12000 and 24000 hours.
Fluorescent Grow Light for Strawberry Growing
T5 or T8 tube fluorescent lights can also be used as grow lights . A T5 fluorescent light is 5/8 inch in diameter and lifespan lasts for about 25000 hours. They are much cheaper than LED lights or HPS lights.
Although fluorescent lights are an older light fixture,but you also can get some benefits from them. A T5 light is an upgrade from a traditional fluorescent light. They will produce much more light for your strawberries to grow. You can use them alone, but they work better as a supplementary light source in addition to an LED light. They do job well for planting seeds from scratch and allow the plants to adjust to the lighting slowly starting from a seed.
As for which grow light is best for strawberry plant, it depends on the actual situation. If you have enough budge, it is recommended to choose LED plant lights.
The LED plant light is widely used because of its power saving, better heat dissipation, and closer to crops, and the LED grow light has more spectrums, which can be adjusted according to different need.
What Size Grow Light Or How Many Watts Do I Need?
In generally,you can use a 30 watt LED light to cover around 1 square foot. When using different light to grow strawberries,the sizes or watts of light are different. For traditional fluorescent light, high-pressure sodium light and metal halide light, the wattage required is larger than that of LEDs. If you use a new type of laser plant light, the size is less than LEDs.
What is the laser growth light?
The light source of laser growth light is a laser, which is composed of 430nm, 450nm, 480nm, 630nm, 650nm, 660nm, 730nm, 780nm and other wavelength bands required for plant photosynthesis.
Wrapping up
We have introduced strawberry light requirements,what type of grow light is better for strawberry and some strawberry plant knowledge in this guide.
For indoor planting or greenhouse planting, like tomato grow light,you can use plant grow light for your strawberry plants to grow. LED plant light is specially designed to supplement light for plants. It can replace the sunshine strawberries required when it is cloudy or rainy or bad weather,and he correct use of these LED plant light can promote the growth of strawberry seedlings, flowering and fruiting, early listing, and increase the production of strawberries.
