Re: Lighting
- To: pumpkins
- Subject: Re: Lighting
- From: G* S*
- Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 18:49:56 -0500
Brad,
With regards to artificial lighting you will find an entire field of
science behind it when you start looking. For home experimenters my
suggestion
Is to focus on one word. Intensity! You can find fascinating studies on
spectral output of various bulb types and their relationship to
photosynthesis but when it comes right down to it plants respond to
intensity. Most fluorescent bulbs are far too weak for fruit bearing
plants. Low light levels yield weak and spindly plants. Leaf inter node
length can be reduced using bluer light but trying to alter plant growth
by varying light color (usually measured in Kelvin's) is not practical.
If you are interested in using artificial lights save yourself some work
and pickup the largest wattage Metal Halide lamps you can afford. Be
prepared to deal with the heat produced by these bulbs as they produce
considerable wattage. High pressure sodium lighting is another good
choice (often picked over MH due to lower operating cost) but has a
narrower light spectrum. Note, also that each of these
bulb type, fluorescent, MH and HPS use different ballast's. They are not
usually interchangeable. Lookup Ice Cap Industries for some state of the
art
electronic ballast's. Hope this helps.
Greg
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