Preventing plants from overstretching in retail

Hans explains how plants that take in sufficient blue light, ‘will feel a lot better’: "Simply put: the plant uses the amount of blue light to gather information about the location where it is placed. When there is a shortage of blue light (in nature, this can occur underneath foliage), the plant ‘knows’ that it is in a place where there is little light and the plant ‘goes looking for it’. It usually does this by increasing the size of the leaves and by stretching the stems. These longer stems and larger leaves are often thin and weak and are therefore not beautiful. When you add enough blue light, the plant ‘knows’ that it is in a place with sufficient light and it will remain compact and put the assimilates into the thickness / quality of the leaves and stems."

The size of the problem varies greatly. It really depends on the space in which the plant is placed and the amount of light it receives. Whether a retailer would like to invest in such an installation, depends on the situation. "But it's not necessary that such a department should be fully outfitted with LED lights. With a relatively low light level, we can ensure that the plants feel good and will behave."

Finally, the LEDs have an aesthetic advantage: the plants look, literally, more beautiful. "We not only adjust the light spectrum to the plant's needs, but also to the human eye. With blue light only, almost nothing is visible. By providing a 'beautiful' spectrum, the plants also become more attractive. Win / win!"