Additional lighting for seedlings is a priority for beginners and experienced gardeners. Light is one of the most important components of active growth and healthy development of cultivated plants. Providing illumination for seedlings, it is desirable to have an idea of what kind of light spectrum is necessary and as close as possible to sunlight.
- The simplest lighting
- Growing in artificial light
- What should be the rack
- Lamp selection
- Backlighting for seedlings with their own hands
- Master shelving
- Adding Highlighting
The simplest lighting
Today, gardeners prefer to make phyto-illumination on their own: firstly, this is a significant savings for the family budget, and secondly, by studying the characteristics of various artificial light sources, you can choose the most useful combination. 
The easiest way to provide light for seedlings is its location on the windowsill. To plants get the maximum light, use the simplest device. In a regular carton box, the upper and lower sides are cut off, leaving only the side boards. Board boxes pasted over with foil.
Sunlight, falling on the foil, is refracted and gives a reflection on the seedlings. This method is economical and simple, but in cloudy weather it is absolutely useless. By itself, the foil will not provide illumination for plants.
Growing in artificial light
The main condition for artificial lighting is the maximum similarity with the radiation spectrum of sunlight.
Necessary for the growth and development of cells and tissues in the natural spectrum are red and blue. Before doing phytolamp with your own hands, this fact should be taken into account.
What should be the rack
The rack on which the seedlings will be located, and designs with lamps must meet the following criteria:
- strength and stability;
- invulnerability to moisture;
- convenience of access to all the shelves;
- correspondence of distances between light and landings;
- durability.
Lamp selection
To make a phytolamp for plants with your own hands, you need to purchase a lamp that is suitable for its characteristics. Unscrupulous manufacturers to increase sales called fitolamps ordinary incandescent bulbs.
When choosing a light source, carefully inspect the package, it always indicates the value of the color temperature:
- warm with a red spectrum have an indicator from 2000 K;
- cold with blue - closer to the value of 8000 K.
For example, a lamp with a value of 2700 K contributes to the strengthening of shoots, the formation of peduncles; the value of 6500 has a greater effect on the root system, its development and strengthening.The most popular lamps for illumination:
- luminescent;
- sodium;
- metal halide;
- LED.
Backlighting for seedlings with their own hands
The advantages of illumination are indisputable, most plants need light at least 12 hours a day at the beginning of the growing season, and daylight hours do not always provide such an opportunity. 
Without light, the seedlings will stretch, all the efforts of the plant will be spent on growth, and not the development of future fruits. Therefore, for a normal stage-by-stage development, as in the natural development environment, seedlings in the home conditions are completed.
Master shelving
The construction of the shelving with your own hands is convenient in all respects: the right size, material, appearance. The building itself does not take much time. 
So, we buy in the hardware store bars, thick plywood for shelves, fasteners. You can fasten parts together with self-tapping screws. The length and width of the shelves are made, focusing on the length and number of their crates. For convenience, make a drawing with the necessary measurements.
To work you need tools:
- hand or circular saw;
- screwdriver;
- drill;
- simple pencil.
Since the rack will not be needed all year round, giving it the most aesthetic look, at other times you can use it as an interior item, for example, for books or decorative trinkets. 
In order to be able to move it from place to place, you can give it mobility with the help of special wheels for furniture.
Adding Highlighting
Today in the environment of gardeners, LED lamps are considered to be the most popular illumination for seedlings, they are easy to make with their own hands, and in addition to combine a different spectrum of illumination.
- as close as possible to sunlight;
- work without interruptions and defects;
- economical - consume little energy;
- even when close enough, do not cause burns to the foliage.
To make an LED lamp for seedlings with your own hands you will need:- blue and red diodes;
- thermal grease;
- aluminum or any other profile for mounting;
- power supply, cord and plug;
- soldering iron and solder;
- the bolts.
