Temperature affects many physiological and biochemical responses in the plant, not the least of which are photosynthesis and transpiration. The temperature that controls these plant functions is really the plant temperature or leaf temperature. Which we can manipulate with Heat Control. Every plant species has an optimal temperature for growth, which when increased along with CO2 and light, will allow plants to maximize photosynthesis. If plant temperature is below or above this optimal level, plants will photosynthesize less and grow more slowly. At low temperatures, metabolic functions will be lower. At high temperatures, plants may become stressed and transpiration will reduce.

When LED lights are used, less heat is generated in the space and less radiation is transmitted to the plant in the absence of those “wasteful” spectrums of light. Without these sources of heat, the temperature of plants will be lower than those grown under HID lighting. And that can slow them down…unless something else is done to raise their temperature for optimal performance.

As many growers have learned in switching from HPS to LED lights, a higher room temperature improves growth rates and yields. This is because plants have more heat to absorb from their surroundings. To achieve these higher room temperatures, less air conditioning is required to remove the heat we want plants to absorb.