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
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 simplest provision of light for seedlings is its location on the windowsill. To plants get the maximum light, use the simplest device. In a conventional carton box, the upper and lower sides are cut off, leaving only the side boards. Board boxes pasted over with foil.
On the rack made by yourself you can put the seedlings of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes, leeks, cabbage, zucchini, strawberries.Containers with seedlings are placed inside the box, it is desirable that its sides be higher than containers with vegetation. All this design is located on the windowsill.
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 light for plants will not provide.
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;
- the correspondence of the distances between the light and the landings;
- durability.
Lamp selection
To make a fitolamp 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.
Did you know? The impetus for the emergence of LEDs was the discovery by the Soviet physicist Oleg Losev of luminescence in 1923. Scientific journals in Germany, where often published articles of the scientist, called this discovery Losev Licht. Later in the early 70s, thanks to the discovery of Losev, red, yellow and green LEDs appeared. A blue LED created Suji Nakamura in 1990.
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. Attach the parts to each other can be 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.
Important! When using wooden bars, it is advisable to process them with wood stain in order to protect them from moisture and insects.Having measured the required values, cut the parts and proceed to assembly. Places tie-in parts (shelves in the edges of the support), it is desirable in addition to fastening the screws with glue for greater reliability.
Since the rack you will need is not all year round, giving it the most aesthetic look, at other times it can be used 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 the most popular illumination for seedlings, they are easy to make with their own hands, and in addition to combine a different spectrum of light.
Under the LED lamps, seedlings of violets, mimulyus, levkoy, and salvia will feel well.LED benefits:
- 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 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.
Important! Instead of a power supply, you can purchase a driver equipped with a current stabilizer and thus provide protection against power surges in the power grid.Growing seedlings will become doubly more comfortable and will bring more pleasure if you put your hands not only to the sowing, but also to create a place of upkeep for your sowings. By providing additional light to your pets at the seedling stage, you will get excellent fruiting in open soil.
