Herbal House • 23rd November 2022

How does green light affect plant growth | NZ

This part will breakdown everything you need to know about the effect of green light on plants. For the most part, green light is actually seen as the least effective wavelength for photosynthesis. But it still has its uses. While some of the light is reflected by the leaves, rather than absorbed, the majority of the green light will get through to be used.

Herbal House • 16th November 2022

How infrared light effects plant growth | NZ

The latest research into how plants are impact by light shows that the usable spectrum goes further than originally thought. Although infrared light isn’t within the ‘visible’ light spectrum, it’s been found to be particularly helpful for photosynthesis. In fact, it actually stimulates growth and enhances flowering. The infrared spectrum is between 700-850nm, with plants responding to up to 780nm. Far-red lighting can create a shade avoidance response, which is what leads plants to stretch and

Herbal House • 9th November 2022

Beginner guide: LED grow light installation | NZ

So, you’ve got everything you need to set up your grow space. But how do you do it? In this post, we’re going to work through how to hang grow lights. We’re going to focus on LED grow lights in particular, as LEDs are the type of lighting we recommend to most growers.

Herbal House • 3rd November 2022

How to use grow lights for indoor plants | NZ

How to use grow lights for indoor plants? When growing inside, you can manage the temperature of your grow space much better, as well as the humidity. We don’t all live in the right climate to be growing succulents or cacti. But by growing indoors, we can create the perfect environment for these types of plants. Using LED grow lights allows you to provide your plants with all the light they need. And in this post, we’re going to talk about how to use grow lights for indoor plants. • How long s

Herbal House • 19th October 2022

Light spectrum and the effect on plant growth | NZ

We spend a lot of time talking about grow lights and the light spectrum. But very little time try to explain what the light spectrum actually is. Today’s post is going to do just that. By the end, you’ll know way more about what the light spectrum is, and which parts of the spectrum are important for your plants. In science at school, you’ll no doubt have learnt about the electromagnetic spectrum. Well, the light spectrum is part of

Herbal House • 12th October 2022

Which is the better grow light, HPS vs LED | NZ

Which is the better grow light solution, HPS vs LED? HPS grow lights are one of the original grow lights, and have been used throughout the industry for decades. LEDs on the other hand, are already becoming a favorite across the world. Depending on the types of plants you’re growing, and the size of your operation, there may be one light type that’s better than the other. Which is why in this article, we’re going to compare the two lights to help you understand which may be best for you. To

Herbal House • 5th October 2022

What’s the running cost of LED Grow light | NZ

When growing plants indoors, even if it’s just a small space, there are plenty of running costs to consider. Between lights, filters and fans, monthly power bills can quickly rise as soon as you start your growing journey. The major consumer of energy is going to be your grow lights, so use our LED grow light cost calculator below to give yourself the heads up about how much your monthly bills might be. How much power do LED grow lights use? The good news is that LED lights are incredibly eff

Herbal House • 28th September 2022

How to calculate grow light coverage | NZ

When preparing your grow space, ensuring you have enough lighting to cover the area is crucial. The aim is to give your plants as much light as possible and this can be done in two ways: - Calculating how many grow lights you’ll need for the size of your plant canopy

Herbal House • 21st September 2022

How are LED grow lights made? | NZ

LED lighting is a much quicker acronym for ‘light produced through electro-luminescence'. Inside, there are two materials – N-type and P-type - which are filled with negatively charged electrons and positively charged holes which attract. When the negative electrons go to slot into the P-type gaps, they have to release energy to fit. And it’s this release of energy that creates the light. The intensity of the energy released will determine how bright the LED is. When talking about different col

Herbal House • 14th September 2022

Blue light and the effect on plant growth | NZ

Whether you’re a new grower, or a seasoned hobbyist, you’ll likely already know that a major part of your plant’s growth potential is dependent on the light spectrum. And in this post, we’re going to discuss the wavelength of blue light in particular.

Herbal House • 9th September 2022

What is photoperiodism in plants | NZ

What is photoperiodism in plants? While some plants flower in the Winter, others can produce fruit in the summer. But how does the plant know when it’s the right time? Plants have naturally light-sensitive receptors called phytochromes. And these cells can detect light, as well as light duration. The duration of light and darkness a plant needs to flower can be called the critical photoperiod and it’s something that growers need to be aware of to get the most out of their crops. Do plants n

Herbal House • 25th October 2021

Common nutrient deficiencies for Indoor Growing

Both beginner and expert growers have a bad habit of trying to diagnose nutrient deficiency purely from a plant’s appearance. However, as plants can have very similar physical symptoms for different deficiencies, this could lead you to trying to fix the wrong problem – and as a result, making the original problem worse.

Herbal House • 4th October 2021

What Is Mycorrhizae Fungi

For gardeners, even the word ‘fungi’ screams danger. Nobody wants to think about their hard, growing work being damaged by pesky fungi. Fungi has been linked to all sorts of conditions in plants like rust and botrytis. However, there’s research to suggest that some fungi are actually good for plants like tomatoes. There are millions of fungi species, so it was always inevitable that some would be beneficial to other plants, right? Mycelium in fungi can actually warn trees or plants about pest

Herbal House • 7th September 2021

How To Propagate

In our last post, we talked about propagating plants. However, you can also propagate trees and more woody plants, by using hardwood cuttings.

Herbal House • 25th August 2021

Monstera Propagation | Plant Propagation Guide

If you’re new to growing, or have a few plants you’d like to reuse, propagation is a great thing to learn.

Herbal House • 20th July 2021

How light spectrum affects plant growth | NZ

When we talk about optimizing our grow space for plant growth and development, we’re talking about two different types of change: Plant growth refers to how much plant there actually is in dry weight. Meanwhile, plant development is all about the shape of the plants. Photosynthesis impacts plant growth, but doesn’t have the same effect on plant shape, as the way plants process light is the same in just about every species. In the same vein, colored lighting doesn’t really have an impact on phot

Herbal House • 13th July 2021

How UV Lights Help With Plant Growth

Plants are living, breathing organisms. Like us humans, they need the perfect conditions to survive, grow and thrive. We all remember learning about photosynthesis at school, right? Well, while plants use water and soil for nutrients, they use light to create energy. The sun produces light for all forms of life on earth, and the varying types of radiation are situated on something called ‘the electromagnetic spectrum’. The spectrum is broken into three categories: Ultraviolet, visible, and inf

Herbal House • 11th May 2021

5 Tips to Improve Your Grow Room | New Zealand

Whether you’re a beginner, a hobbyist or expert in your field, creating the perfect grow space for a new type of plant is always a case of trial and error with a finishing result that is super satisfying.

Herbal House • 31st December 2021

How To Clean Your Grow Tent & Indoor Growing Equipment

Whether you’re starting from scratch, or are setting up your grow space for a new season of growing, it is vital that you know the correct way to clean up your grow tent. Cleanliness is incredibly important when it comes to monitoring your plant’s environment, as dirt or grime could potentially impact the nutrient or CO2 levels in the tent – or invite pests to feast on your new crops.

Herbal House • 29th December 2021

How To Install LED Grow Lights

In our previous how to guide, we discussed all things ventilation. However, today we’re talking about grow lights; how to set them up and how to use them to get the most out of your plants.