The Sun: Nature's Perfect Plant Light?

[American Beauty Gardener]

One measure of how well an artificial plant light works is how
well plants grown
under the grow light compare to plants grown outdoors in natural
sunlight. Does
this mean the sun is the perfect plant light, and that the artificial
light that is most
like sunlight is the best? Let's take a look at the good and bad
features of sunlight.

Without a doubt, the sun gives plants more useful light than any
other light
source. If there's some type of light a plant needs, it can be sure
to find it in
sunlight. Sunlight is the ultimate broad spectrum plant light. Yes,
sunlight is also
free, so it's difficult to beat it for growing plants. Artificial
plant lighting sources vary
in price, but none are as inexpensive as sunlight.

Can plants use all of the sunlight they get? Actually, no, they
can't. The reason
plants have pigments to protect them from too much light is because
they can't use
some of it, but it can still cause damage. The noon sun in summer is
particularly
strong and damaging to plants. And not only does this extra light
cause damage
directly, some of it is absorbed by plants and converted to heat,
adding stress to
plants already struggling to survive in the hot summer sunshine.
Beyond one end
of the visible light spectrum is UV light. This high energy light
causes sunburn in
people and damages plant cells. Sunlight contains a lot of UV. Going
past the
other end of the visible spectrum we come to IR light. Infrared light
also adds heat,
another source of damage and stress for plants.

All of today's conventional plant growing lights began their lives
as general
purpose room lamps, used for lighting indoor spaces for people.
Because of the
need for artificial grow lighting, all of these bulbs have been
modified to enhance
their light output to make them better able to grow plants. From the
humble
suburban incandescent bulb to the ubiquitous fluorescent tube, and the
blazingly
bright high intensity discharge lamps, makers of these modified bulbs
claim their
lights really "do the job" of growing plants without sunlight. The
operating cost is
high, they generate a lot of waste heat that has to be removed, and in
the case of
metal halide lamps they emit a lot of UV.

New technology only recently available have allowed the creation of
the next
generation of plant grow lighting. Targeting only frequencies of
light that plants
can use, the LED Grow Master line achieves the dream of a small, cool
operating,
efficient plant light.

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LED Growth Characteristics

LEDs are an entirely new light source. The qualities of the light
that is emitted are
different than the qualities of light from traditional light sources
which is why the
plants grown under the new light source will also have different
qualities. Plants
grown under LEDs will exhibit compact growth. The quality wavelengths
emitted
from the LED Grow Master line satisfy the plants light requirements
and eliminate
the need to "stretch" toward the lights.

LED plants will show no signs of heat stress. Too much heat in your
environment
causes the roots to stop growing, flowers to wilt prematurely, "sun
spots" to occur,
leaves droop, and reduction in chlorophyll may leave white or brown
foliage.
Plants may survive for years in this stunted state but ultimately they
will die. This
issue becomes extremely problematic when growing in small areas under
light
sources that are sometimes 1500 degrees F. Take the rose for
example- spotting
and edge burning are commonplace under the sun and traditional white
light
sources. Miniature roses have been grown under LEDs with blooms that
were
picture perfect and unblemished, with some varieties having flowers
that lasted for
months without change.

There are other positive differences that you may notice such as
increased
symmetry and deeper colors in your foliage. All of these changes are
brought
about by the unique blend of wavelengths incorporated into the LED
Grow Master
line of lighting. These are growth characteristics that were
previously not
possible. LEDs not only grow plants- they grow them better. Out with
the old and
in with the new. -AL

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What LEDs Don't Have

When we look at the way companies promote their products the norm is
to list the
added features. The way to understand LEDs benefits can be better
described by
the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery when he wrote "Perfection
is achieved
not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left
to take away."
Here is what the LGM line does not have. They do not have lead or
mercury
known for their toxic effect on humans and the environment. They do
not have
glass parts to break or cut. There is no UV and only trace amounts of
heat. We
have taken away the high voltage that causes shock and fire risks. We
have taken
away the need for ballasts and external reflectors. LEDs emit a
focused light that
does not scatter around the room like traditional light sources,
eliminating wasted
light that translates as white light pollution. We have removed the
high energy bills
and frequent replacements. We have eliminated the bulk.

What the LED Grow Master line represents is plant lighting in a pure
form. Light
that is completely absorbed by your plants to promote healthy, robust
growth with
an efficiency that is unparalleled in grow lighting. Simplified to
perfection.

Taken from
LED Gardener Nov 1st 2007 Online Newsletter:
http://www.led-grow-master.com/LEDGardenerNov2.html