Recently, a customer asked us a very interesting question: Why does the LED grow light he bought from other companies always break? After a deeper understanding, we found that the root of the problem was actually in the design of the lamp, specifically the design defect of mixing the UV spectrum with other spectrums. Today, I will take this opportunity to talk about why this problem occurs and how we solve it.
The root of the problem is UV lamp beads
You may not know that the life of LED lamp beads has a lot to do with the type of spectrum it emits.
For example:
1. The life of ordinary spectrum (red light, blue light, white light) lamp beads can reach more than 50,000 hours.
2. The life of UV spectrum lamp beads (wavelength between 320-400nm) is usually only 5000~8000 hours.
This is like a team participating in a 1000-meter relay race. If one person commits a foul during the race, the entire team will be eliminated.
The lamp beads with very different life spans are designed to dim all the way. Once the UV lamp beads with a short life span have problems, the life span of the entire lamp will stop working. This is a fatal flaw in many traditional plant lamp designs.
Why does the UV spectrum have a short life span?
The history of UVA lamp beads is not that long. Compared with red light and blue light lamp beads, its technology development time is relatively short and it belongs to "young people".
Just like making running shoes, the technology of red light and blue light has been polished to maturity, but the "sole" of the UV spectrum is not solid enough.
Because the process is immature, its materials, packaging and durability cannot keep up, and it is easy to "strike" after a long time of use.
Moreover, the heat distribution of UV is not quite the same as that of ordinary lamp beads. It belongs to "partially hot", which makes heat dissipation more difficult. If the heat dissipation design is not good, it will burn out in a short time.
At the same time, in order to ensure the light output of the UV spectrum, a special lens or packaging material is generally added to the outside of the lamp beads. But ultraviolet light is also destructive to these materials. Over time, the lens may turn yellow, become brittle, or even lose its light transmittance.
With these problems added up, the life of UV lamp beads is naturally short.
Is it necessary to add UVA spectrum to LED Grow light?
Although the life of UV spectrum is short, it plays a very important role in the special growth stage of plants. This is why, although its life is short, many growers still accept it.
Seedling stage
The main function of UVA spectrum is to promote cell division. In simple terms, it makes the cells of plants grow more and faster. If the cells divide faster, the stems of plants will be thicker, the root system will be more developed, the seedlings will look stronger, and the subsequent growth will be more vigorous.
For example: without UVA spectrum, the seedlings of some plants may be "long", that is, they look very tall, but the stems are very thin and fall down when touched.
Flowering period
During the flowering period of plants, the UVA spectrum begins to fulfill its talent as an "artist" again. At this time it has two main functions:
① Improve flower quality and quantity
The UVA spectrum stimulates the synthesis of certain enzymes and hormones, such as anthocyanins, in the plant. These substances allow the plant to develop fuller flowers with more petals and a more complete shape.
② Enhanced color expression
The UVA spectrum also makes flowers more vibrant and colorful. The reason for this is that UV light stimulates the accumulation of flower pigments, such as making reds redder and yellows brighter.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Make plants healthier
① Enhance plant disease resistance
The UVA spectrum is a "slight stress" for plants, which will stimulate plants to start self-protection mechanisms, such as synthesizing more antioxidants and secondary metabolites. These substances not only make plants healthier, but also prevent certain diseases and pests.
② Improve the overall quality of plants
For example, the UVA spectrum can make the skin of some fruits more shiny and even improve the flavor of some crops. This is obvious when growing fruits such as strawberries and tomatoes.
How can we use the UV spectrum without affecting the life of the Grow Light?
Given the short life and short service life of the UVA spectrum, we adopted a more scientific and reasonable design method: separate branch design.
The UV lamp beads and other spectrum lamp beads are designed separately into two paths. When the UV spectrum is needed, turn it on separately; when it is not needed, turn it off directly. When the UV lamp beads are not working, they will not affect other lamp beads, which can extend the service life of the entire lamp. Finally, the branch design avoids unnecessary power consumption and reduces the frequency of lamp bead replacement.
Customer feedback
Since adopting this design, their plant lights have never been "annihilated" due to damage to UV lamp beads. Moreover, because the use time of the UV spectrum can be accurately controlled, the growth effect of plants is better!
For example, a customer who grows roses said: "In the past, using traditional lamps, the flowers bloomed less and smaller. After changing to a branch design lamp, the effect of the flowering period has been greatly improved, and a lot of electricity bills have been saved!"
Summary: Good design leads to good experience
Through this case, we can see that good product design is not just about stacking functions, but also about considering the characteristics and usage scenarios of each component. For a "short-lived but important" spectrum like the UV spectrum, a reasonable branch design not only solves its lifespan shortcoming, but also makes the performance of the entire lamp more stable and efficient.
I hope this article can inspire you. If you encounter similar problems, welcome to contact us for communication!
