What kind of lighting should be in a greenhouse for growing cucumbers, tomatoes, and lettuce

Correctly selected lighting is a guarantee of a good harvest

Short daylight hours and insufficient natural light intensity are the main causes of problems with growing seedlings and obtaining fruits. They can be solved by using artificial electric lighting in the greenhouse for cucumbers, tomatoes and other crops, including greens and flowers.

It is used not only in the middle and northern latitudes of our country, but also in the southern latitudes - in heated winter shelters. How much and what kind of light cucumbers need, and the choice of lighting method for growing them will be discussed in this article.

Greenhouse Lighting for Cucumbers: Detailed Instructions

Properly selected lighting is a guarantee of a good harvest.
Short daylight hours and insufficient intensity of natural light are the main causes of problems with growing seedlings and obtaining fruits. They can be solved by using artificial electric lighting in the greenhouse for cucumbers, tomatoes and other crops, including greens and flowers. It is used not only in the middle and northern latitudes of our country, but also in the southern latitudes - in heated winter shelters. How much and what kind of light cucumbers need, and the choice of lighting method for growing them will be discussed in this article.

Creation of necessary conditions at all stages

Although cucumbers are not a very fastidious crop, in the winter cold they require additional care. Special equipment will help maintain optimal temperature, humidity, light and ventilation levels.

Stove heating will provide the cucumbers with the right temperature

A little about heating systems

Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse in winter in areas of the middle zone and further north will not be possible without installing a heating system. It is necessary to constantly maintain the temperature in the room within the range of +18-25°C, and this is impossible to achieve even with the most thoughtful design and high-quality covering material. Therefore, based on the size and type of room, as well as the distance of heating communications, suitable heating devices are installed.

In most cases, autonomous systems are used, such as electric boilers, collectors, and stove heating.

The last option is the most economical and simple to implement, and if installed correctly, even gives a very high efficiency. Additionally, IR heaters or fan heaters are used to heat the room more evenly.

Artificial lighting is a necessary criterion

Without sufficient light reaching the plants, it is impossible to get a good harvest. Cucumbers require at least 14 hours of light per day, which the sun is unable to do on short winter days.

LED lighting for closed ground

For additional illumination, lamps and installations of various designs are used, but the most acceptable option for growing cucumbers in winter are LED lamps.

Although they are more expensive than, for example, mercury or fluorescent, their service life is much longer - about 10 years. In addition, the spectral characteristics of light waves are in a favorable range, and it is impossible for the plant to get burned from such lamps.

How to Provide Optimal Hydration

Cucumbers are a crop that feels best at maximum air humidity levels - 75-95%. In greenhouse conditions, when heating is on, it is problematic to maintain a high water content in the air. To do this, you can periodically spray water with a spray bottle, place vessels with liquid in the room, and use special humidifiers.

Plants require frequent watering, so for large-scale greenhouses, in most cases, automatic systems are used for this, or cucumbers are grown hydroponically. Installation of such equipment at the initial stage requires an investment of certain funds, but later they quickly pay for themselves.

Why do you need a ventilation system?

Without ventilation and free air circulation indoors, especially with high humidity levels, ideal conditions are created for the development of fungal and bacterial diseases. Therefore, a well-thought-out ventilation system is an important condition for successfully growing cucumbers in a greenhouse in winter. You can stimulate air circulation in 2 ways: naturally - through open doors or vents and forcefully - through ventilation devices.

The simplest fan

In winter frosts there is no question of ventilating through a window; this entails large heat losses and sharp drops in temperature. A regular fan can help, which must be turned on 2 times a day for short intervals of 5-10 minutes. Additionally, unless you are growing parthenocarpic varieties, aeration will aid the pollination process.

When purchasing a fan, you need to pay attention to its power: for an air volume of 10 cubic meters. m there will be enough power up to 200 kum. m per hour. Too powerful devices in a small greenhouse can only do harm.

Fans equipped with humidity and temperature sensors automatically turn on and off when the set values change.

The effect of light on crops

Without light, no plant will grow. Without it of sufficient intensity and duration during the day, it will happen, but it will be bad. In any case, there is no need to expect a good harvest. Moreover, all plants, including cucumbers, need a certain area of the light spectrum at different periods of the growing season.

Principles of additional lighting for cucumbers

Based on these postulates and taking into account the needs of cucumbers, the following principles should be observed when growing them:

Advice. Continuity of lighting can be ensured by using light relays that respond to a decrease in its intensity and automatically turn on the lighting fixtures.

There is absolutely no need to light the greenhouse at night

Despite the almost unlimited possibilities of artificial lighting, it is advisable to make maximum use of natural sunlight. And not only for the purpose of saving energy and own funds. Because only in conditions as close as possible to natural conditions can you obtain high-quality, tasty and aromatic products.

The sun is the best lamp

Benefits of additional lighting

If you grow vegetables in a greenhouse only in the summer, and your region is in an area of high light activity, there will be no practical benefit from artificial light sources. But it is very noticeable in northern latitudes, as well as in winter greenhouses and shelters for growing seedlings. So:

For reference. Electricity costs depend on the latitude in which the greenhouse is located, the time of year, the technology used for growing cucumbers and the degree of their early ripening. And also on the type of lamps used.

Only artificial lighting allows you to obtain ripe fruits in winter. True, this requires an increase in the power of the lamps and the duration of additional illumination over several months. To make this event economically profitable, it is necessary to choose the right type of lamps.

Harvesting

Young greens are picked at about 7 days of age, without waiting for them to outgrow, because the more fruits you pick, the more they will set and grow in the future.

Sick and twisted ones also need to be removed . If you do everything right, you can get up to 30 juicy and fragrant, strong cucumbers from each plant right in the middle of a cold winter.

And once your cucumber growing skills are polished, move on to growing ginger at home. And your winter will pass with fresh salads and aromatic teas.

And for the most curious, we suggest watching a video about growing cucumbers

Choosing a lighting method

As mentioned above, plants at different growth periods respond better to certain light spectrums. The ones most “in demand” by them are red and blue, while yellow and green practically do not participate in the processes of growth and fruit formation. However, monochrome lighting for cucumbers in a greenhouse, even if changed as needed, does not produce as good results as full spectrum light. The fact is that it causes stress in plants, the reaction to which is rapid growth and premature ripening of fruits, but the fruits themselves become tasteless and of little use. Therefore, it is very important to correctly select and use artificial lighting. Let's figure out which lamps are most suitable for this, focusing on their efficiency and ability to properly influence cucumbers.

Incandescent lamps

From a human perspective, conventional incandescent lamps provide a lot of light and also heat the air. Is it bad? Cucumbers feel bad because they emit mostly orange, red and infrared rays, causing plant stems to stretch and become distorted . And the absence of the blue spectrum does not allow fruits to set and develop normally. It’s also bad for the owner of the greenhouse, since incandescent lamps consume a lot of energy, significantly increasing his costs for growing cucumbers.

Fluorescent lamps

These lamps emit a spectrum favorable for greenhouse plants and consume less energy. Until recently, the instructions for equipping greenhouses recommended installing lamps with lamps that could be mounted both vertically and horizontally.

Lamp with energy saving lamp

The advantages of fluorescent lighting also include the durability and low cost of the equipment itself; moreover, energy-saving analogues have recently begun to be produced. But, unfortunately, they are capable of illuminating a very small area, so we have to increase the number of lighting points.

Sodium lamps

Possessing high luminous efficiency and efficiency, these lighting devices create monochrome lighting in the orange-yellow spectrum in the greenhouse. They are successfully used during the flowering period of cucumbers, positively influencing the formation of ovaries and fruit growth. But the lack of blue part of the spectrum in sodium lamps does not allow their use in the vegetative growth phase of plants.

Photo of a sodium lamp

Metal halide lamps

They have a wide range of powers and a wide spectrum of radiation, as close as possible to sunlight. These characteristics would make halogen lamps ideal for use in greenhouses, if not for the high price and short lifespan.

This lighting method is more suitable for growing seedlings in small volumes

LED bulbs

If you watch the video presented in this article, you will see how LED lighting for greenhouses is installed and used in practice. Currently, this is not the cheapest, but the most modern and effective method.

LED lighting in the greenhouse

Using LED lamps, you can illuminate cucumbers with the desired light or combine radiation from different spectra. They do not heat up, so even if they are close together they are not able to increase the air temperature or burn the plant. Cucumbers in greenhouses equipped with such light sources grow faster and produce more fruits even with minimal use of fertilizers. But the best part is that LED lights consume little energy and last for decades without replacement.

Types of greenhouse lamps

You can illuminate a greenhouse with several types of lamps:

incandescent;
luminescent;
sodium;
mercury;
metal halide;
LED;
infrared.

Incandescent lamps

They illuminate the greenhouse room well and also warm the air a little. Their disadvantage is that they consume a lot of electricity and have low efficiency. Their incandescent spectrum is 600 nanometers. If plants are overheated, they will get leaf burns. Burns occur due to excess infrared, orange and red light. Also, when overheated, the stems become unnaturally stretched, and the foliage becomes deformed, becoming small and limp.

Fluorescent lamps

The color spectrum of fluorescent light bulbs works well for greenhouse crops. They last a long time and their cost is low. These lamps work in the same way as energy-saving lighting fixtures, but can illuminate a larger area. These are fluorescent lamps: they illuminate both seedlings and grown plants. For their installation, metal boxes are used, as well as special lighting fixtures made of plastic.

Sodium lamps

These are economical light bulbs that operate under high pressure. Previously, their color spectrum was only red-orange, close to the rays of the sun. There were few blue rays from sodium lamps. In this regard, a modification was made, as a result of which lamps with a blue spectrum of light rays appeared.

On a note!

Despite improvements, sodium-based lamps attract harmful insects. This makes them difficult to use in greenhouses and greenhouses.

Mercury vapor lamps

Mercury lamps provide near-ultraviolet light that is beneficial for crops. These are compact and bright light sources. Ultraviolet light helps to activate photosynthesis processes, but it should not be abused. The use of mercury lamps is possible provided they are combined with natural lighting. They are used when the fruits begin to ripen. To work with mercury, a stable voltage in the electrical network is required. In this case, differences of no more than 5% are allowed.

Metal halide lamps

The light spectrum of metal halide lamps is well suited for plants. These light sources are compact but difficult to install. After their service life has expired, they must be recycled and not thrown into the general garbage chute. Despite this specificity, metal halide lamps have a high level of light transmission. They are ideal as daytime lighting sources if the mains voltage is not subject to strong surges. With the slightest change in voltage, the color spectrum of these lamps will change. If the light source is turned off, a short time must pass before operation is restored.

Not every gardener can afford to use metal halide lamps due to their high price and sensitivity to mains voltage.

LEDs and their applications

LED lamps are so diverse that you can choose any color spectrum by making a combination of several lamps. Gardeners select different colors for each plant crop. LEDs last a long time and consume minimal electricity. They are placed at different heights, adjusting the light intensity. Light bulbs that produce blue colors are suitable for seedlings. For fruit ripening, rays of the red and orange spectrum are used. It is necessary to take into account the sensitivity of LEDs to voltage changes and monitor the condition of the electrical wiring. If the electrical wiring is in good condition, they will justify their cost in the first season of use.

Ultraviolet lamps

They work in the same way as fluorescent lighting sources. Ultraviolet radiation appears in the flask container. It appears due to the reaction between mercury and an electromagnetic discharge. The gas discharge tube is made of uvila or quartz glass, which transmits UV radiation. Uviol glass is considered safe because it produces less ozone. The composition of glass used to make UV lamps varies. This allows you to create light sources that operate in a specific color range.

Infrared heaters

They are used to heat plants. Infrared light sources are classified as energy-saving systems. They create a favorable microclimate in the greenhouse. Thanks to him, cultures develop no worse than in the natural environment. The luminaires are equipped with a manual or automatic control function that allows you to control and change the indoor air temperature. Convector heaters can only heat air.

Information!

Infrared lamps first give off heat to plants and the ground and only then heat the air.

The effect of light on crops

Without light, no plant will grow. Without it of sufficient intensity and duration during the day, it will happen, but it will be bad. In any case, there is no need to wait for a good harvest. Moreover, all plants, including cucumbers, need a certain area of the light spectrum at different periods of growth.

Based on these postulates and taking into account the needs of cucumbers, the following principles should be observed when growing them:

To ensure continuity of lighting, it is possible to use light relays that respond to a decrease in its intensity and automatically turn on the lighting devices.

If you grow vegetables in a greenhouse only in the summer, and your region is in an area of high light activity, there will be no practical benefits from artificial light sources. But this is very noticeable in northern latitudes, as well as in winter greenhouses and greenhouses for growing seedlings:

The cost of electricity depends on the latitude in which the greenhouse is located, the time of year, the technology used to grow cucumbers, and the degree of early ripeness. And also by the type of lamps used.

Only artificial lighting allows you to obtain ripe fruits in winter. True, this requires an increase in the power of the lamps and the duration of illumination for several months. To make this event cost-effective, you need to choose the right type of lamps.

Ways to grow cucumbers in winter

Cucumbers can be grown in winter on an insulated balcony, windowsill, or in a heated greenhouse.

Cucumbers on the windowsill in winter - a method for beginners

Growing cucumbers on a windowsill will not be difficult, even for inexperienced gardeners, since this crop grows quickly, is easy to care for, and can produce several harvests. In order to provide yourself with homemade cucumbers for the entire cold season, it is better to sow seeds in several stages:

to get a harvest for the New Year, sowing begins in the first half of October;
if you plant in the first half of December, you can enjoy the healthy vegetable already in February;
If the goal is to grow by March 8, then sowing should be done in early January.

It’s quite possible to grow lightly salted cucumbers for the New Year’s table if you carefully read the recommendations of our portal

Technology for growing greenhouse cucumbers in winter

Before you start planting greens in a greenhouse, you must first learn about the difficulties that may be encountered during cultivation:

Dry air due to greenhouse heating . Cucumbers love moisture very much, so care will need to be taken to maintain the required humidity. To do this, install containers with water in the greenhouse and regularly spray the plants.
You also need to maintain optimal air temperature . Cucumbers cannot be grown at temperatures below +10°C, as this will not give positive results. The best temperature for fruit formation is from +22°C to +25°C.
The disadvantage of daylight hours is that additional lighting is required in the morning, and in cloudy weather throughout the day.

Option for additional lighting of a winter greenhouse

Selecting a lighting method

As mentioned above, plants respond better to different light structures at different stages of growth. The most “declared” by them are red and blue, while yellow and green practically do not participate in the processes of growth and formation of fruits.

However, monochromatic lighting for cucumbers in a greenhouse, even when modified as needed, does not produce as good results as full spectrum light. The fact is that it causes stress in plants, the reaction to which is rapid growth and premature ripening of the fruit, but the fruits themselves become tasteless and useless. Let's consider what lighting can be like in greenhouses for cucumber seedlings.

Sodium

With high light output and cost-effectiveness, these lighting fixtures create monochrome orange-yellow spectrum lighting in the greenhouse. They are successfully used during the flowering period of cucumbers, which has a positive effect on the formation of the ovary and the growth of fruits.

But the absence of sodium lamps in the blue part of the spectrum does not allow their use in the vegetative growth phase of plants.

Metal halide

They have a large power range and a wide emission spectrum, as close as possible to sunlight. These characteristics would make halogen lamps ideal for use in greenhouses, if not for their high cost and short lifespan.

Incandescent lamps

To the human eye, ordinary incandescent lamps provide a lot of light, and even the air heats up. This is bad for cucumbers because they emit predominantly orange, red and infrared rays, causing the plant stems to stretch and become distorted.

Luminescent

These lamps emit a greenhouse-friendly spectrum and consume less energy. Until recently, instructions for equipping greenhouses recommended installing lamps with lamps that could be installed both vertically and horizontally.

The advantages of fluorescent lighting can also be explained by the durability and budget of the equipment itself; in addition, energy-saving analogues have recently been released. But unfortunately, they can only illuminate a very small area, so you need to increase the number of lighting points.

LED

Currently, this is not the cheapest, but the most modern and effective method. Using LED lamps, you can provide cucumbers with the necessary light or combine radiation from different spectra. They do not heat up, so even if they are close, they cannot raise the air temperature or burn the plant.

Cucumbers in greenhouses equipped with such light sources grow faster and produce more fruits even with minimal use of fertilizers. But the best part is that LED lamps consume little energy and last for decades without replacement.

Lighting time

The lighting time depends on how light-loving the crop is. For tomatoes, cucumbers, salads and bell peppers, the length of daylight should be 10 hours or more.

There are short day plants. It is the short daylight hours that cause them to begin to bloom. When daylight hours become longer, their growing season comes to an end and they begin to develop as usual. In long-day plants, flowering occurs when the daylight hours are more than 13 hours. If it is shorter, their fruits will become small or stop appearing altogether.

There are cultures for which the length of daylight hours does not matter. They grow independently of it, the main thing is that there is not too little light. If there is not enough of it, the plants will die.

Video

You can also watch a video where they will tell you in detail how to make lighting for cucumbers in a greenhouse and what agricultural technology should be used for growing cucumbers.

This information should not be taken as advertising for one type of greenhouse lighting. Yes, LEDs have many benefits, but they also have other bulbs. Only you can decide which one suits you best and create your own DIY oasis for your favorite vegetables.

Source

Varieties of cucumbers

Scientists have developed hundreds of species and varieties of cucumbers, but not all of them are suitable for growing on a windowsill. It makes sense to try several varieties at once to see where the result turns out better.

Bee-pollinated varieties recommended for growing in an apartment: Rodnichok, Room Rytova, Druzhny 85, TSA-211. Self-pollinating varieties (parthenocarpic): Romance, Moscow Greenhouse, Legend, Gribovchanka.

Of course, cucumbers pollinated by bees have a more attractive appearance than self-pollinated hybrids, but they are much more capricious, and in addition, these varieties will have to be pollinated by hand .

How to reduce costs in a cucumber greenhouse using lighting

Polish scientists have calculated which combination of lamps will bring the greatest benefit to cucumber growers - this is hybrid lighting

A team of scientists from the Institute of Horticultural Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland (Katarzyna Kowalczyk, Dawid Olevnicki, Małgorzata Mirgos and Janina Gajc-Wolska) carried out a series of experiments to find out the advantages and disadvantages of different lighting systems in cucumber greenhouses.

The amount of energy used in greenhouse agricultural production is constantly increasing. During the winter months in the greenhouse industry, the additional lighting required to maintain production levels results in high costs.

Current technologies use broadband high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps, which are not the most efficient light source for horticulture. Recent advances in light source technology have led to new opportunities for sustainable and highly efficient greenhouse lighting in the form of LEDs (light emitting diodes).

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of three different types of lighting in cucumber production and their impact on variable costs.

Cucumber is an economically important vegetable, grown in more than 80 countries worldwide, and its annual production is estimated at approximately 80 million tons, including approximately 3 million tons grown in the European Union (EU 28).

High temperature, humidity, light intensity and nutrient availability are all important for the production of cucumber, a typical subtropical plant that is very sensitive to adverse environmental conditions.

Cucumbers develop in a temperature range of 18.3 to 23.9 °C, with a minimum temperature of 15.6 °C and a maximum of 32.2 °C. Cucumber germination occurs in soil with a temperature range of 15.6 to 35 °C. However at temperatures below 15.6 ° C, germination is significantly more difficult.

When growing cucumbers, as with other plants, light energy is of great importance, and temperature control must be considered in the context of light intensity. In addition, cucumbers harvested under reduced light levels contain less dry matter and are light green in color when picked, but the fruit quickly turns yellow on the store shelf.

The use of dynamic supplementary lighting patterns in greenhouse crop production is becoming a clear necessity for growers around the world.

In northern latitudes, where the level of solar illumination (daily integrated luminous flux) is insufficient in autumn and winter and even on cloudy summer days, additional lighting is used throughout the year - high-pressure sodium lamps (HPS).

However, due to their high operating temperature, HPS lamps can only be used as overhead lighting when placed above the plant canopy, resulting in uneven vertical light distribution on tall crops such as cucumbers.

An alternative solution could be LED lighting. LEDs are suitable for both top and mid-lighting, which direct and focus growth-promoting light to the most important parts of the crop. Research has proven that all LED lighting effects improved the visual quality of the fruit and also increased the yield by more than 10%.

The results show that light efficiency was highest in the LED-LED combination and lowest in HPS, and the use of additional tube lighting in the LED-LED combination (mid-lighting and top lighting) gives the most favorable excess of all variable costs over the cost of the product to be received.

In general, LED lighting is considered beneficial in the following ways: small size, long lifespan, fire safety (as no excess heat is generated) and low voltage ratings allowing the use of battery-powered devices. And, of course, low power consumption is of paramount importance.

In the case of lighting with LED lamps, thermal energy costs increase. However, the increase in production cost caused by the use of LED-LED combinations certainly offsets the thermal energy costs in this case.

Despite the highest absolute level of variable costs in this type of supplementary lighting, crop costs were 32.55% higher compared to the HPS combination, which also resulted in higher gross margins.

However, it is worth noting that in the HPS-LED combination, the share of lighting and heating costs in the total product cost was the lowest. This is also the combination that is currently recommended as most beneficial for greenhouse production. Therefore, it is economically feasible to use HPS lamps as overhead lights. A properly designed hybrid lighting system using ceiling-mounted LED-lit HPS can reduce the cost of supplemental lighting while also increasing crop yields at the same time.

“One of the key factors slowing the adoption of LED technology in greenhouse lighting is recognized as high capital costs: five-year costs for LED fixtures are more than double the cost of HPS fixtures.

Despite this shortcoming, due to strong, widespread demand in the current and potential greenhouse industry, technological innovation and large-scale production are expected to significantly reduce capital and operating costs in the future,” the authors conclude.

Source

Features of lighting for different types of greenhouses

In addition, take into account the design features and materials of the greenhouse, since the result of lighting crops in them depends on this. The most popular in use are polycarbonate models made of translucent materials or solid buildings.

Polycarbonate

An important factor in polycarbonate greenhouses is the presence of natural light entering from the sun during the daytime.

Thanks to the presence of transparent walls and roof, you can save a significant percentage of the electricity consumed for lamps. However, the conditions for maintaining such greenhouses have a number of important nuances:

At the installation stage of the greenhouse, take into account its orientation relative to the cardinal points and other buildings on the site in such a way as to obtain the maximum duration of illumination from the sun.
During operation, wash the polycarbonate greenhouse in spring and autumn. It is advisable to use a disinfectant mixture to prevent the development of moss, lichens and other flora that impair the penetration of natural light.
The installation of lamps should be done in such a way that their design does not cast a shadow on the seedlings, while at the same time providing uniform lighting over the entire area.
Place foil or other reflective elements around the perimeter of the greenhouse that will increase the intensity of light near the ground. Try to avoid absorbent surfaces.

Industrial

Due to the complete absence of natural light, the intensity of illumination by lamps should provide the daily norm for the inhabitants of the greenhouse. Therefore, here you will definitely need different options for lighting devices; for example, infrared lamps are well combined with sodium lamps. Do not forget that in addition to lighting, in industrial buildings it is also necessary to provide crop heating, which can also be obtained from lighting equipment. Periodically, lighting is combined with ventilation of the space to prevent the formation of mold or mildew, which will certainly arise in the absence of sunlight.

Required amount of light for different crops

For good growth of any plant, both in natural and artificial environments, light is necessary. For greenhouse plants, along with the amount of light, its quality is also important: light spectrum and photoperiodism (alternating lighting and shading).

Advice. Most plants need at least 12 hours of light per day, so when organizing a greenhouse it is important to take into account its location: the best place will be an unshaded, open space.

This condition must be observed in order not to resort to artificial lighting in the summer, and to make the most of sunlight in the winter.

Tomatoes, cucumbers and greens are light-loving plants, so during cold weather, when the length of daylight hours is reduced, they need additional lighting. For each of these crops, according to experienced breeders, it is necessary to provide individual lighting conditions:

Most plants need up to 12 hours of light

Wiring Tips

To organize lighting in a greenhouse, be sure to use the advice of experienced specialists:

Before you start installing lamps, be sure to plan the location and the required quantity;
the housing of the lighting equipment in the greenhouse must be connected to protective grounding in accordance with clause 1.7.51 of the PUE ;
all wire connection points are fixed by soldering, crimping or clamping in accordance with the requirements of clause 2.1.21 of the PUE ;
At the entrance to the greenhouse, install a shield and equip it with a protection system against overloads and emergency modes;
When mounting lamps in polycarbonate greenhouses, use special stands or frames.

Source of the article: https://www.asutpp.ru/osveschenie-v-teplitse.html

Proper lighting for cucumbers and tomatoes

Additional lighting for cucumbers and tomatoes in a greenhouse is required already at the stage of the first shoots in order to speed up the growth of seedlings and increase productivity. At the same time, for the correct flow of biological processes, they need to be provided with at least 6 hours of complete darkness. If you do not follow this rule, the plant may begin to lag in growth and drop flowers.

At the stage of vegetative growth, plants are recommended to be illuminated with a blue spectrum of light, and during the period of fruit set – with red light. Also, depending on the stage of development, the amount of light should be different: in the early stages it is better to organize lighting for 20 hours, gradually increasing it to 12 hours. Also, when organizing artificial lighting, it is necessary to take into account the light power: for plants, the radiation range should be from 400 to 700 nanometers.

During the period of fruit set, plants are illuminated with a red spectrum

How to manage lighting correctly

According to research, red light is recommended during the active flowering period, and blue light is suitable for growth. But this does not mean that plants should be left without natural light. Artificial lighting during prolonged exposure causes negative changes in plants and contributes to stress. Therefore, the owner should worry about proper planning of the greenhouse in advance, and then in winter it will be possible to harvest an excellent harvest of cucumbers and tomatoes.

Experienced owners advise not to leave the lamps on around the clock, because 6 hours is enough for plants. Other tips for improving the conditions for greenhouse development can be read on the forums.

Types of lighting for greenhouses and their properties

The following types of lamps can be used for artificial lighting of greenhouses:

Let's look at each type of lighting in more detail.

It is better not to use ordinary incandescent lamps in greenhouses, since their light is unfavorable for plant growth. In addition, they are not economical to use and have a low radial radiation spectrum. They are not suitable for growing cucumbers and tomatoes: their strong heating can leave burns on the leaves.

Mercury vapor lamps produce very bright light and have a long service life. They are also not suitable for growing cucumbers, because, like incandescent lamps, they heat up very quickly and strongly during operation.

Lamps should not heat up when lit

Sodium lamps are used mainly in industrial greenhouses: their light is close to natural, they have a high degree of yellow-orange spectrum output, and also provide additional heating. It is better to place them away from plants to avoid burns. They are also not recommended for growing cucumbers and tomatoes, since they only emit red light, which is only useful during the flowering period.

LED lamps are environmentally friendly lighting for modern greenhouses. Their main advantages are the following characteristics:

Also, one of the best lamps for lighting greenhouses are fluorescent lamps: their light is very soft, gentle, they do not heat up during operation, create a favorable microclimate, are economical to operate and have a low cost.

For a group of plants, it is recommended to install 50-watt lamps at a height of 40-60 cm from the top. If the greenhouse area is large, then it is better to use 250-watt lamps and place them at a height of 1 to 2 meters.

In a large greenhouse I place the lamps at a height of 2-2.5 meters

When choosing artificial lighting, several parameters must be taken into account:

If additional lighting is organized correctly, then a high yield of tomatoes and cucumbers can be obtained even in winter.

Source

How do different greenhouses light up?

Polycarbonate greenhouses are often found in summer cottages and private areas. Greenhouse structures for industrial purposes are made of glass. Different types of greenhouses use different light sources, depending on the crops growing in them.

Lighting for polycarbonate structures

Small greenhouses are built from polycarbonate for growing homemade vegetables, fruits, and berries. The good light transmittance of polycarbonate sheets makes it possible not to use additional light sources in the summer. In autumn, winter and early spring you need to learn the right combination of natural and artificial lighting. If you calculate everything correctly, you can make a profit from every square meter of a greenhouse or greenhouse.

The following are used as artificial light sources:

fluorescent lamps;
LEDs;
ultraviolet.

Industrial greenhouse complexes

Incandescent lamps are not used in industrial greenhouses. For lighting industrial greenhouse complexes the following is used:

sodium lamps;
metal halide lamps.

As already noted, the light spectrum of sodium lamps is similar to sunlight. Despite the risk of attracting harmful insects, sodium light sources are economical and can be used for a long time. Growers value sodium lamps for their red and blue spectra, which are necessary for all types of crops.

The wide spectrum of radiation of metal halide lamps also allows them to be used on an industrial scale. The high price does not stop professional growers, because metal halide lamps are compact and have a wide light spectrum.

Lighting in greenhouses when growing cucumbers or how to choose the best method of supplementary lighting

Correctly selected lighting is a guarantee of a good harvest

Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse in winter: the best varieties for indoor ground

It is convenient to grow cucumbers in a greenhouse that do not produce long vines. Such plants are compact, the delicate stems are not damaged during care and harvesting. It is worth paying attention to varieties and hybrids with a short growing season that do not require pollination. There are a lot of suitable options, it is recommended to try several varieties and choose 2-3 of the most suitable ones.

Valaamsky is a very productive early ripening hybrid, suitable for temperate and cold climates. The fruits are very tender, without bitterness, rich green in color with small black tubercles.
Suomi is a hybrid suitable for winter cultivation and easily tolerates slight drops in temperature. The fruits are small, neat, and almost never outgrow. They have a pleasant, not watery taste.
Bouquet is one of the earliest varieties; the hedgehog can be harvested a month after the seedlings are moved into the ground. “Bouquet” fruiting is characteristic, producing several fruits from each leaf axil.
Sarovsky is a productive hybrid, characterized by endurance and productivity. “Bouquet” option, which gives high yields of medium-sized, even and very tasty cucumbers.
Okhotny Ryad is an early ripening hybrid with an extended fruiting period. The fruits are small, elongated, very delicate in taste.

The effect of light on crops

Without light, no plant will grow. Without it of sufficient intensity and duration during the day, it will happen, but it will be bad.

In any case, there is no need to expect a good harvest. Moreover, all plants, including cucumbers, need a certain area of the light spectrum at different periods of the growing season.

Principles of additional lighting for cucumbers

Based on these postulates and taking into account the needs of cucumbers, the following principles should be observed when growing them:

Advice. Continuity of lighting can be ensured by using light relays that respond to a decrease in its intensity and automatically turn on the lighting fixtures.

There is absolutely no need to light the greenhouse at night

Despite the almost unlimited possibilities of artificial lighting, it is advisable to make maximum use of natural sunlight. And not only for the purpose of saving energy and own funds.

Because only in conditions as close as possible to natural conditions can you obtain high-quality, tasty and aromatic products.

The sun is the best lamp

Benefits of additional lighting

For reference. Electricity costs depend on the latitude in which the greenhouse is located, the time of year, the technology used for growing cucumbers and the degree of their early ripening.

And also on the type of lamps used.

Only artificial lighting allows you to obtain ripe fruits in winter. True, this requires an increase in the power of the lamps and the duration of additional illumination over several months.

To make this event economically profitable, it is necessary to choose the right type of lamps.

Choosing a lighting method

However, monochrome lighting for cucumbers in a greenhouse, even if changed as needed, does not produce as good results as full spectrum light. The fact is that it causes stress in plants, the reaction to which is rapid growth and premature ripening of fruits, but the fruits themselves become tasteless and of little use.

Therefore, it is very important to correctly select and use artificial lighting. Let's figure out which lamps are most suitable for this, focusing on their efficiency and ability to properly influence cucumbers.

Incandescent lamps

From a human perspective, conventional incandescent lamps provide a lot of light and also heat the air. Is it bad?

Cucumbers feel bad because they emit mostly orange, red and infrared rays, causing plant stems to stretch and become distorted . And the absence of the blue spectrum does not allow fruits to set and develop normally.

It’s also bad for the owner of the greenhouse, since incandescent lamps consume a lot of energy, significantly increasing his costs for growing cucumbers.

Fluorescent lamps

Lamp with energy saving lamp

Sodium lamps

But the lack of blue part of the spectrum in sodium lamps does not allow their use in the vegetative growth phase of plants.

Photo of a sodium lamp

Metal halide lamps

This lighting method is more suitable for growing seedlings in small volumes

LED bulbs

LED lighting in the greenhouse

Cucumbers in greenhouses equipped with such light sources grow faster and produce more fruits even with minimal use of fertilizers. But the best part is that LED lights consume little energy and last for decades without replacement.

Care during the growing season and fruiting

Cucumbers are planted in prepared and warmed soil. To do this, prepare holes, water them and wait for moisture to be absorbed. Carefully remove the plant from the cup, place it together with a lump of earth in the hole, deepening it to the cotyledon leaves, and sprinkle it with earth.

Planting cucumbers in warm beds in a greenhouse

After planting cucumbers in a greenhouse, it is necessary to provide them with conditions for the best growth and development. Cucumbers do not like strong changes in day and night temperatures: rot of various origins appears, growth is inhibited, ovaries fall off, and the fruits become bitter. Optimal conditions for cucumbers in a greenhouse are shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Microclimate in a winter greenhouse for cucumbers.

Parameter	Optimal values	Critical values
Daytime temperature, °C	23-25	Below 8, above 37
Temperature at night, °C	17-18	Below 8, above 37
Soil temperature, °C	20-22	Below 15, above 35
Humidity, %	75-80	Below 40
Illumination, lux	10000-15000	Long lasting below 2500

Watering cucumbers

The soil for cucumbers should ideally be moderately moist. This can be achieved using drip irrigation or regular watering at the root. Cucumbers are watered only with settled warm water at a temperature of 25-27°C until a ten-centimeter layer of soil is moistened. To reduce the amount of watering, the beds are mulched with sawdust, peat or straw.

Watering cucumbers from a watering can

To soften the water, you can add a minimum amount of organic fertilizer to it - 5-10 ml of mullein infusion or bird droppings per bucket of water. With this type of watering, root feeding with organic fertilizers will not be needed; the plants will receive nitrogen fertilizers with watering. Soft water is better absorbed by the roots.

The best varieties of cucumbers for polycarbonate greenhouses
The choice of varieties depends on what kind of cucumbers you plan to cultivate and what expectations you have for the future harvest. Now there are many such varieties of seeds on the market, but in order to choose the most suitable option, we recommend reading this article.

Fertilization and disease prevention

It is necessary to fertilize plants regularly - cucumbers build up a large vegetative mass and quickly consume useful elements from the soil. A lack of nitrogen affects the growth of bushes and the process of photosynthesis, a lack of phosphorus and potassium affects the shape and size of the fruit.

For feeding, use an infusion of mullein 1:5 or chicken manure 1:15. To enrich the infusion with potassium, calcium and microelements, add wood ash to the solution - a glass in a bucket. Stir the components in water and leave for two to three days.

Preparation of chicken manure solution

You can also use complex fertilizers for melons and melons to feed cucumbers. They are bred according to the instructions and watered at the root or sprayed on the leaves.

Note! When the fertilizing is infused, carbon dioxide is released from organic matter. It is beneficial for plants, so a bucket of infusion can be left in the greenhouse near the ridges.

Video - Feeding cucumbers

To prevent diseases, plants are sprayed with Fitosporin three times during the growing season with an interval of 15 days. It helps prevent the occurrence of fungal diseases. You can also use watering the soil with warm solutions of potassium permanganate and boric acid.

Spraying with Fitosporin - prevention

Forming and collecting fruits

To prevent plants from shading each other, they must be formed correctly. In greenhouses, cucumbers are grown vertically - this ensures ventilation, reduces the likelihood of diseases and makes access to the plants easier. In addition, with a vertical garter, more plants can be placed on one meter of area.

Rules for shaping cucumbers

After the plants are planted and the first flower stalks appear, the main stem is tied with twine to the supports or structures of the greenhouse. The first flower stalks are immediately torn off - they mainly consist of barren flowers, but at the same time they inhibit the growth of cucumbers. After the first side shoots appear, pinching begins according to patterns depending on the variety.

Cucumbers with a bouquet type of fruiting produce many fruits in each internode. The main harvest of such varieties and hybrids is obtained from the main stem. Their side shoots are pinched, allowing the plant to yield maximum yield.

Forming cucumbers of bouquet type of flowering

Cucumbers with a small number of ovaries in each internode are formed differently. On the fifth and sixth side shoots, one leaf and ovary are left, on the subsequent ones - two leaves and two ovaries. This way the yield will be maximized.

Forming parthenocarpic hybrids of cucumbers

Video - Forming and gartering cucumbers

After the start of fruiting, cucumbers are collected regularly, ideally daily. Even one large fruit left on the plant inhibits the setting of new cucumbers and the growth of the bush. Harvesting is carried out in the morning or evening. It is more convenient to do this after watering - this way the cucumbers prick less.

Picking cucumbers

Cucumbers from the winter greenhouse will delight you throughout the cold months. To extend the period of active fruiting, they can be planted in several stages, constantly renewing the plantings. With the right agricultural technology and selection of varieties, fresh vegetables will always be on your table.