Re: Grow lights- a scam

>Olin:
>
>When I was studying at the University I was told that there is absolutely
>no benefit to the colored "grow lights", except a significantly higher
>price.  Despite the fact that they are marketed as superior growing light
>sources and they appear colored to your eyes, all that matters is what the
>plants need.  As far as photosynthesis and most all plant functions are
>concerned the absorbtion peaks at the blue (550 nanometers) and the red
>(660 nanometers) wavelengths are by far the most important to the plants.
>
>Regular cheep cool white flourescent tubes have beautiful absortion peaks
>at 550 and 660 nanometers.......all your plants need.   All your paying for
>in grow lights is nice packaging and a neat violet colored light bulb.
>
>Hope this helps, and maybe saves a little bit of fertilizer money!!!!!

>Rick from Wisconsin
=====================================================

Rick,

As you know I performed a large number of seed start experiments this past
winter. One of the experiments was fluorescent lights Vs. grow lights. I
used a 48" double tube shop light with  hood. I first started with
fluorescent lights using seeds from several different stocks. I noticed that
the cotyledons and new leafs were burning with the light 3" above the
cotyledons and first leafs. I then left the lights on continuously for a
month to see if this would reduce some of the intensity of the bulb. They
still burned at the 3" level. Over the course of about another month and
multiple starts I slowly raised the light from the initial germination point
(seed broke ground) to a height at which the cots. and leafs would not burn.
This worked, however at this height the plants rapidly became spindly trying
to reach the light. I then changed out the fluorescent lights for grow
lights and dropped the level of the light back to 3" above the plants at the
point which the seed broke ground. I experienced no leaf burn and the plants
appeared to grow faster and looked much healthier. The later two
observations are subjective but the fact the leafs were no longer burning is
evidence there are some differences between the two types of bulbs. What
these differences are I do not know?  These are just my own observations.
Fluorescence will certainly do the trick and are very cost effective
compared to grow lights.  I intend on staying with the grow lights based on
what I have found. Just my humble observations.

Chris Andersen
Moraga, Calif.

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