Can you fix outdoor solar lights on trees?

Garden, lawn, or patio is a very important part of your home. As it gives the first impression to your visitors and the neighbors, everyone loves to well maintain their garden, lawn, or patio. Rather than keep your outdoor in dark by using lights you can make your outdoor more comfortable, attractive, and safe place.

Not just that but in the festive season many love to decorate their outdoor with festive lights. But to fix those extra lights, you have to spend some extra money too.

Not just for buying the lights, but for installations also you have to pay money to hire an electrician. And all the wires you have to put across your lawn to get power for your lights will definitely make your outdoor dangerous place rather than making it safer.

This is where outdoor solar lights come to your aid. You do not have to hire an electrician to fix these lights also you do not have to worry about wires as they do not need any power from the grid.

But when fixing wires many face troubles as they have a lot of trees in their garden and they do not have space with abundant sunlight on the land to fix a solar light.

Also, some may need to fix lights on trees to light up more perimeters or just for decorations. So can you fix solar lights in trees?

Yes, you can fix outdoor solar lights in trees. Some come with hanging hooks to hook to the tree. Also, there are string lights that can be wrapped around trunks or branches of the trees. They are designed to work under low sunlight. You have to make sure to choose the best quality solar lights to get the best performance.

How outdoor solar lights work?

Outdoor solar light has the main 3 parts;

• Photovoltaic cells/ solar panel.
• The battery.
• Bulb.
• Sensor.

Solar light works from sunlight, not heat. So a solar light does not need direct and harsh sunlight to work. When the sunlight falls on the photovoltaic cells, the cells produce a direct current. Then the produced current will be stored in the battery until night time or when there is no sunlight. Then at the night, the stored energy will be used to light up the bulb. The day-night difference will be identified by the sensor.

Different types of outdoor solar lights

There are different types of solar outdoor lights available in the market. Even though the basic structure is the same according to the application of the lights there are some differences among them. You have to keep in mind that you cannot hang or fix all the lights in trees. Only some types can be fixed on trees. Follow are some types that you can fix on the trees.

• Solar spotlights.
• Solar lamps.
• Solar string lights.
• Security lights.

How to fix the solar lights on trees?

Fixing depends on the type of solar panels you are using. If you are fixing spotlights or security lights or solar lamps you can fix them by using hanging hooks. Sometimes you can drill holes into the trunk and fix them. But you must make sure that the tree is not harmed.

It is better if you can fix the lights on a higher branch with less overhead branches. But the branch must be strong enough to hold the light.

If you are using string lights you can place the panels in a bright place and wrapped the lights around the trunk or branches.

If the trees are very thick and the shade is very dark you can place the panels in different are or on the roof and then wired it into the lights.

Always you must make sure to place the panels in the direction of light. But keep in mind solar lights do not need direct high-intensity sunlight. Higher quality lights work even on cloudy days.

There are many options in the market so you can buy the best solar lights that match your requirements.

What you should consider before buying solar lights?

1. Quality – even though the quality solar lights are expensive they are more durable than the low-quality solar lights.
2. Water-resistance – you should check whether the lights are resistant to the water. As you place them outside it is very important for your lights to be water-resistant.
3. The capacity of the battery – capacity of the battery is very important as if you go for a high capacity battery it can hold a charge for even days without recharging.
4. The intensity of the sunlight requires by solar panels to generate current – higher quality solar lights work even from a low amount of sunlight. So you can use your solar lights even on cloudy days.
5. Availability of ON/OFF switch – this is very important if you want to fully charge the solar lights without using it to use in a later time. Some of the lights even come with a remote control too.
6. The bulb – usually the recommended bulb is an LED bulb as it wastes very little energy. Also, the LED bulb is very bright and suitable to light up your garden. But to give a very soothing ambiance or for decorative purposes, you can go for other bulbs too.
7. Way of mounting – to fix the trees the lights needs to have a hanging hook or some other ways. So you must make sure you can mount the lights into the trees before buying these.

What you should consider when fixing solar lights on trees?

1. Availability of sunlight – you do not have to worry about getting direct sunlight. But there should be adequate sunlight to power up your lights at night. Also, you should consider the direction of the sunlight and the duration the selected area gets the sunlight.
2. Overhead branches – this will shade your panels and block the sunlight. So there will not be enough sunlight to produce the power it needs. So this will decrease the efficiency of the lights. So when fixing solar lights it is better if it has fewer branches. Palm trees are very much suitable to fix solar lights.
3. Strength of the tree or branch – this is very important. If the tree is not strong enough then fixing the lamps on its branches or trunk is not safe. Also when the tree is not strong it can be easily damaged by wind or any other force. This can damage your solar lights.
4. Moisture – most solar lights are water-resistant or waterproof. So the moisture will not cause any damages to the lights. But low-quality solar lights can get easily damaged by the moisture of the tree. So you must buy a good quality solar light to avoid any damages.

Can you place outdoor solar lights under trees?

Yes, you can but not all solar lights. Only good quality solar lights can work with partial sunlight. So if you buy a good quality solar light you can place it under trees without worrying about sunlight.

But if the area is really dark and there is no sunlight at all. Then you have to place the panel on a separate area with adequate sunlight and wire it to the lights.

How to maintain solar lights fixed on trees?

1. Clean the panels – cleaning the panels is very important as it is the main component that generates the power the solar light needs. But cleaning has to be done carefully as these panels can get damaged if you mishandle it.
2. Check the battery compartment and the battery – as the battery life is limited you have to check the battery from time to time.
3. Check for moisture damages – you have to make sure there are no moisture damages to the panels or the battery compartment. Higher quality solar lights are resistant to water but lower quality solar lights are not.
4. Check for physical damages from animals.
5. Make sure the branches and trees you fixed the lights are strong and stable from time to time.
6. Check the hangers, hooks, or any other devices you used to fix the solar lights to the branches or trees.
7. Check the wirings if you had used extended wires to connect the panels and lights.

Disadvantages of fixing solar lights on trees

Trees are usually grown in such a way that they are always directed towards the sunlight. So theoretically by fixing solar lights in trees you can get a lot of sunlight. But sometimes this can fail. There are many reasons for that.

• Snow, dust, leaves, and other debris collected on panels – unlike the lights or panels placed on an open area leaves and other debris accumulated more on the panels of these solar lights. Also as the rain blocked by the leaves and the branches dust on the solar panels will not be removed naturally. So you have to clean the panels frequently to maintain efficiency.

• Damages from animals – there are many animals on trees such as monkeys, squirrels, birds, etc. These animals can damage the panels and break them permanently. Also, their droppings can get accumulated on panels and decrease the efficiency of the lights.

• If you buy low-quality solar lights it can get damaged by the moisture of the trees.

• You may have to cut off some branches to get good sunlight on the panels.

• You may have to wire solar panels to lights if the lights are placed in very dark areas. So this needs some professional help which cost you money.

| Conclusion |

Fixing solar lights on trees is possible if you find suitable high-quality solar lights. But this can be disadvantageous in some cases as it needs more maintenance. Anyway as there are many options in the market it is better to get help from professionals or a solar company to select the most durable and suitable solar lights for you.