Which reflective foils work better in a growing space? Glossy or matte?
Recently, in the field of indoor plant cultivation, we have noticed one significant trend concerning reflective film, or rather the colour and surface finish of the reflective material on the inner walls of a grow tent or grow room. Many growers prefer, or at least believe, that the best reflective material is matt white. So read on to find out why diamond, mylar and glossy reflective materials in general are a better choice for any growing space.
Many growers think that white, more precisely matt white, is always the best option for the inside of a grow room. To settle the matter once and for all, it was necessary to test a wide range of grow lighting inside growing spaces of different designs and sizes. The result may come as a surprise to many.
Independent tests show that matt white reflective surfaces are just as effective inside growing spaces as the standard reflective lining commonly found in grow tents, such as the bestseller Mammoth Pro+ 120 with 600D Mylar reflective material on the inside.
Matt white is therefore no better in practice than silver reflective film for indoor plant cultivation. In this case, the simplest and cheapest solution is simply the best - standard silver Mylar. Here are three more tips for reflective films that reliably outperform matt white in practice:
- Silver ECO film
- Diamond ECO film - 99.9% light reflection!
- Diamond REFLECT-A-GRO film
Advantages of silver reflective films and diamond reflective films
In both cases, this is a very good, proven reflective surface that does not crease and, above all, effectively directs light radiation. This means that light radiation from a discharge lamp or another artificial light source is reflected from the wall of the grow tent or room and directed downwards, in the case of a grow tent to the bottom of the tent. As shown by the results of independent testing, the disadvantage of a matt white reflective surface is that it reflects light radiation in all directions.
This fact is nicely illustrated by the photographs from the testing of reflective surfaces in diamond (fig. 1) and white (fig. 2) versions. The light source is on the right and the PAR sensor is on the left. The crosses simulate the tops of plants inside the tent.
Can you see the difference?
- When light hits a matt white surface, it is scattered, i.e. emitted in all directions. A lot of the light then reflects back to the upper part of the tent, where it is of no use to the plants and its energy is therefore wasted. It is therefore true that when using matt white film, we are literally wasting light in the tent.
- And now the better option. As soon as light reflects from a silver Mylar surface or from diamond film, it is reflected down onto the tops of the plants. This means that the vast majority of the light falling on the side walls of the grow tent or room is directed exactly where it should be. That is, into the growing area, where the light energy is used to the maximum for the healthy development of your plants.
The images come from an elegant and convincing experiment, which you can watch in full in the video. To save you time, however, we have already told you which type of reflective surface will serve you more effectively, meaning one that ensures the light is evenly distributed in the tent while also directing it towards the growing plants. If you would like to ask us anything, not only about reflective film, we are here for you at the well-known e-mail address info@higarden.cz. We look forward to your questions!
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