There are certain tools that are necessary for plants to grow. With many demands, including water, nutrients, and light, it’s important to make sure that as a grower, you offer your plants all of these. A lot of grow lights definitely come with a big range, and it’s important to make sure that you have the right tools to ensure that it goes back to the location that you want it to be, and it’s important to figure out how to utilize each of these in your space.
What are they
Reflective materials basically are what the name intends. They bounce off the light, especially back to the plants themselves. The light that goes above where the canopy is doesn’t just beam them down, but the light is more in a cone shape, so the middle part will hit the buds and leaves, but it can also hit the wall, floors, and sides, which creates leaky light, and then it’s basically a waste. Basically, what this is, you’ll be able to bounce this all the way back, fostering the growth and development of the buds.
This is vital for a lot of growers, as this can help with improving light exposure. It doesn’t require you to spend a ton on new lights either, but you just need to optimize the resources that are already there and it’s something that’s great for boosting the yields that are there for you to enjoy.
The best reflective materials.
There are a variety of different reflective materials for you to enjoy, and it’s important to make sure that you know what the options are out there. It’s also important to focus on the budget that you have when choosing this, so here are some for a variety of budgets.
Foil
Aluminum foil is the cheapest, as you probably will have some of this on your own. It’s good for covering tiny areas, cutting costs, but it does come with the price of it’s not that good, especially compared to the other kinds of materials. However, covering at least half of the light is good, as it keeps the light more inside one space. You can even find different adhesive sprays to help with this, reducing crinkles, and try to use the dull side to help with reflecting the light.
Emergency blankets
This is also something you might have on hand if you’re someone who has survival equipment you’re willing to forgo. This is great because it traps light, the same way it can trap heat. They’re made of mylar, which are somewhat reflective, and are better than foil in most cases. It doesn’t cost much either, and you can put tape against these edges, or strips that are double-sided.
White sheeting or paint
This is also something that works for a lot of grow tents. As you probably know, black paint will absorb the light, but white paint reflects this. Basically, you can slather the white paint on the walls, and it doesn’t take a ton of time or money, or crazy DIY skills. It’s pretty easy, and relatively cheap, and it comes with up too 90% reflectivity, so it’s one of the best bangs for your buck.
Panda film
Finally, there is panda film, which is black one way, white on the other, and you want to have the white side face away. This is also easy to erect, but this is one of the more expensive options, so if you have a big space, it’s better if you try to find a different kind of reflective element to help.
