Mills Q&A: Growing with LEDs – Seaweed Extracts

Thanks to Jim at Mills Nutrients for the guest Q&A.  If you have any questions relating to growing plants indoors, especially at this time of year, then send them over to mailbag@ghedirect.co.uk.

Mills Q&A Part 2: Growing with LEDs – Seaweed Extracts

Q:

What are the benefits of using Seaweed extracts when growing with LEDs?

A:

Growing plants under LED lights has become increasingly popular among indoor gardeners due to their energy efficiency and ability to control light spectra. However, this method does come with its own set of challenges and benefits, especially when combined with the use of seaweed extracts.

Benefits of LED Lighting

LED lights offer several advantages for plant growth. They provide improved wavelengths of light that are essential for photosynthesis and secondary metabolites promoting healthier and more robust plant development. Unlike traditional HID lighting, LEDs emit less heat, reducing the risk of overheating plants. However, this low heat emission can also be a drawback, as plants rely on both air and leaf surface temperatures to drive growth. Therefore, maintaining an optimal growing environment is crucial.

Enhancing Growth with Seaweed Extracts

Seaweed extracts are a powerful addition to any plant-feeding regimen. They act as bio-stimulants, enhancing nutrient efficiency, stress tolerance, and overall plant health. Seaweed contains growth promoters such as cytokinins, auxins, and gibberellins, which are essential for plant development. These compounds help balance new growth, promote side branching, and encourage lateral root development.

Key Benefits of Seaweed for Plants

1. Disease Management: Seaweed extracts effectively manage various fungal and bacterial diseases by boosting plant health and vigour.
2. Stress Resilience: Betaines in seaweed act as osmolytes, regulating fluid flow within plants and improving tolerance to high temperatures, drought, and salinity.
3. Nutrient Uptake: Humic and fulvic acids in seaweed enhance water and nutrient uptake, conditioning the growing medium.
4. Growth Promotion: Seaweed’s amino acids are vital for protein and chlorophyll production, while auxins and cytokinin promote balanced growth and root development.
5. Immune Response: Seaweed triggers a positive immune response, helping plants cope with environmental stress and transplant shock.

Combining LEDs and Seaweed for Optimal Growth

When growing plants under LED lights, incorporating seaweed extracts can significantly enhance plant growth and resilience. The combination of precise light spectra from LEDs and the nutrient-rich, stress-relieving properties of seaweed creates an ideal environment for plants to thrive. This synergy leads to higher germination rates, increased vigour, and improved nutrient uptake, ensuring healthy and productive plants.

In conclusion, growing plants under LED lights, complemented using seaweed extracts, offers a modern and effective approach to indoor gardening. By addressing the challenges of LED lighting and leveraging the benefits of seaweed, gardeners can achieve optimal plant growth and health.

Mills is a highly concentrated blend of mineral and organic inputs we have high levels of calcium oxide in our base feed, higher levels than some cal/mag products on the market and trace elements throughout. Both Start-R and C4 are predominantly organic matter and contain the highest quantity of seaweed extracts, Amino acids, carbohydrates, vitamins and carbon please see the full list of ingredients.