Light Mismeasurement (Part 1)

Most farmers today use some sort of ‘light sensor’ to optimize plant
placement and spacing.  Everybody knows plant quality increases as the daily
light integral (DLI) in the greenhouse increases, meaning more light equals better
crops providing other environmental variables are in balance such as
temperature, humidity, and CO2 concentration.    When using a meter to
measure foot candles, remember the meter is gathering mostly green and yellow
wavelengths, which are the colors humans perceive as ‘brightest’.  When using a
meter to measure PAR, remember green and yellow hog up to 50% of your reading.
Light meters express the amount of measured light using different variables
including PAR (measured in micro-moles of quanta per second per square meter
µmol s-1 m-2 (measuring 400nm-700nm) for plants, Foot candles Lux (for
people), and in Watts/m2 (for solar radiation).
Meters displaying foot candles are measuring mostly the green and yellow
quanta from a light source.  Meters displaying µmol s-1 m-2  for PAR are
measuring all the visible light  between 400 and 700 nanometers, as this is the
range of quanta used by plants for photosynthesis.   A 42-LED Panel filled with
green “550nm” LEDs will register up to 20 times the FCs as the same Panel filled
with “680nm” red LEDs.  Light meters are designed to measure broad spectrum
light (Sunlight, HID, Fluorescent), and not LED grow lights.
Green is perceived brightest by the human eye, so it makes sense to measure
foot candles for offices, classrooms, and assembly benches, but not for
greenhouses.  Since HIDs  and fluorescent tubes were  originally developed  as
area lighting, these less absorbed wavelengths came along for the ride when the
lights were re packaged for the greenhouse industry in the 70′s.  LGM-5 covers
up to 12sqft per 9 watt bar in a greenhouse, and up to 1ft x 3ft over plants
indoors.  The new lighting variable is LGM5. Get it, grow it, love it.

Making the Most of Your Garden

The number one limiting factor in efficient photosynthesis is Carbon Dioxide. What this means is  although plants need led grow lights, nutrients, and water, it is the make-up of our air that is holding the majority of plants  from reaching their full potential. For centuries we have grown our plants in fields where we had little choice but to accept the level of CO2 in the air. By placing compost around the plants we were able to reap some of the benefits of enhancing CO2 concentrations but there was no way to trap the CO2. As more and more growers choose to grow in greenhouses and indoors where it is easier to manipulate and control their environment, it has become more practical to utilize CO2 to help plants reach their full potential. Plants need CO2 much in the same way that we need oxygen. They cannot live without it. We can keep ambient levels through proper ventilation but plants are able to utilize much more than nature provides. The average air we breathe is 300-400 ppm.  Plants will stop growing at 150ppm.  In a closed growing environment this level is quickly reached as the concentration is constantly being depleted by the process of photosynthesis.   Researchers studying the effects of CO2 on plants have found that under otherwise optimal conditions-  we can gain a 40% increase in yield by simply raising the CO2 level to 700-1600 ppm. So how do you do it?  There are CO2 sensor kits that range from $20 and up to gauge the concentration of CO2 in  a room. It is important to know the CO2 levels before you start adjusting them.  Levels of 20,000 ppm will make humans pass out and 2500 ppm can give you a headache. Ventilation should protect against these high concentrations, but better safe than sorry. The most common method of boosting CO2 you use already,  if you spend time with your plants.  Our breath contains 35,000 to 50,000 ppm of CO2.   Two affordable methods that would be appropriate for small areas include keeping composting material in a bucket with a gas release valve or creating CO2 by mixing sugar, water, and yeast.  To get the most of these methods you will want to be sure that you have a low level oscillating fan to circulate the CO2 which has a tendency to sink to the ground. The ideal methods will require an investment.   A CO2 injector utilizes a basic CO2 tank that you fit with a regulator to adjust flow.  The basic system will cost around $150.00 and you will need to replace the tank periodically. A CO2 generator generally runs off of propane and can run anywhere from $450.00 to $1,600.00.  The upscale versions will monitor the CO2 concentrations and turn themselves on or off when levels are in the range you have selected. We learn about the Carbon Cycle in Elementary school so when I talk to clients I’ve found that the topic of CO2 often gets washed into the “yeah, yeah, I know” category.  But what many people don’t know is that extra lighting and nutrients provided to your indoor garden may be going to waste without it.  Plants use the light energy to combine Carbon Dioxide and water which it turns to sugars that form carbohydrates that mix with the nutrients in order to increase biomass. This means that you can pump your garden full of light, water, and nutrients but if the CO2 isn’t available to put this process into motion- the plant cannot use it.  The moral- make sure you are making the most of the equipment and supplies you purchase by supplementing CO2.  Your plants won’t grow without it.

What The Sun Can Do With LED’s

Leonardo Da Vinci predicted a solar industrialization as far back as 1447.
Now Australia announces their plans to build the world’s largest space-age solar
power station.  It will power 45,000 homes, cost about 420 million dollars, and
save the earth from 400,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year.  The
President’s proposed 2007 budget includes a Solar America Initiative that
promises to make solar technologies more affordable by 2015.  The advantages
are clear.  Solar energy can be used without the emission of pollutants, is
unlimited in supply, and can be stored and used to do just about anything.
Thanks to the engineering genius of Solar Oasis, that now includes solar
powered plant lighting.
The low power requirement of LED grow lights simplify the conversion to
a solar energy system. A solar “photo voltaic” panel/battery system of 324 watts
@ 24Vdc will supply ample power for a 56 Gro-Bar light grid layout, allowing
the lights to operate continuously, 24 hours per day. A solar system of this size
has an estimated cost of under $3,000 per planting bed, for 100% power grid
independence while maximizing grow chamber utilization. The implication for a
solar community is food, grown anywhere, using the least amount of water,
regardless of the availability of farmland.  Go Sun, and go SolarOasis!

Advantages of LED Grow Master Global

HPS lighting is the most common form of supplemental lighting currently used in commercial greenhouse production. There are many drawbacks associated with this technology. HPS lights are high voltage devices that create fire and shock risk as well as high energy bills. The energy factor is raised further by the high heat output of HPS. Heat management becomes a priority as energy costs are at their peak in the warmer months. This same radiant heat causes high rates of evaporation resulting in increased water and nutrient needs for your plants. Replacement costs of HPS are a source of concern as well. Bulbs and ballasts must be replaced regularly creating a recurring cost for your operation. These factors make LED Grow Master lighting the most cost effective option for meeting year round demand. The LED Grow Master line of plant lighting uses 90% less energy than the most efficient of these traditional light sources and puts off only trace amounts of heat. Our LED’s are rated for at least 10-12 years of life operating 24/7 with no light degradation. They contain no mercury, lead, or glass parts and represent no shock/burn/or fire hazards making them safer for staff and an excellent choice for your greenhouse.

LEDs Extend Greenhouse Season Safely

LED grow lights target colors of light that plants rely on for growth and
health. Using this technology in place of traditional lighting will reduce water
and energy use up to 90%.  This number does not include the energy
savings obtained  by reducing your cooling costs in the summer months.
Saving energy while increasing greenhouse yield as much as 40%.  Include
these factors with the long lifetime of the LGM5™ led grow lights and it
equates to saving some of your hard earned money.
Each LGM5™ bar draws less than 9 watts of power.  And will light
any greenhouse for as little as 10 watts per M².  When used over planting
beds the LGM5™ is mounted side-by-side or end-to-end using  the
SunMount™ or LEDstick™..  The LGM5™ bars have a DC plug on each end
allowing up to 4 bars to be run in series.  When operated on 240vac,  the
cost of operation drops about 40% over the same setup running on 120vac.
The LGM brand is designed for solar and wind powered systems but can
plug right in to any standard outlet without the need for a ballast.
A typical HID lamp uses the majority of its energy creating heat that
must then be ventilated from the growing area. Temperatures at the bulb’s
surface are around 1500 degrees F.. Because of this heat- traditional grow
lighting requires a large amount of space between the plants and the light
source as well as precautions to avoid shock/fire/and burn risks that are
associated with high voltage devices.  LGM light bars operate at less than
15 degrees above ambient temperatures. LGM5™ are designed to operate
in greenhouse environments with very little fire or shock risks.  This
intelligent design opens up new methods to improve yield in a given area.
For example, with the bulb-heat issue solved, greenhouses and indoor
gardeners have the option of multi-tiered planting beds. Both planting beds
and lighting can be built into movable frames with  simple hanging systems.
Three or more vertical layers will exist where once there was only one. This
would effectively triple biomass production in a given area and is only one of
the doors opened by LGM5™

LEDstick for Greenhouses

LEDstick™ for Greenhouses
With electricity costs being prohibitive from the onset, even limited use of
HID/Fluorescent lighting in greenhouses is expensive at best, limiting farmers to
mostly spring and summer months.         
Prohibitively, the general plan is to use artificial lighting only when absolutely necessary, perhaps 2-6 hours per day.  Farmers burn sodium, halide, or fluorescent lighting but bulb replacements and electrical costs quickly add up. What if we add light to our greenhouses without the heavy electric bills and using bulbs which last 10-20 times longer? How much would we all benefit from year- round greenhouse crop production?
With LEDstick™, up to 50sqft of canopy can be illuminated extending day period and augmenting existing daylight. LEDstick™ (ref. photo 96″L x 2.5″W) uses just under 40 watts of electricity (Easy Solar/Wind Power).At 10 cents per kWh LEDstick™ will cost just 10 cents per 24 hours of operation, whilec HIDs will cost up to $3.00 per 24 hours of operation.  LEDstick™ requires no fans or heat sinks, because they emit very little heat. LEDstick™ is easy to raise and lower; using aircraft grade 3/64″ stainless cables and tiny Griplocks. Also light weight, and the slim design won’t block out sunlight.  Built to last for a lifetime of 11+ years, say goodbye to lamp and ballast replacement.LEDstick™ is how.

Lighting for the Show

For some of us our garden is more than just a source of food.  For
many,  it is also the place where we bring visitors and customers so they can
be filled with the awe of our green thumb.  It is times like these that LED
gardeners are prone to be aware of the “graying” of plants under LED’s.
The reason for this is the plant specific spectrum used in the LED Grow
Master bars.
Plant leaves reflect light colors that are not used efficiently for growing.
Under white light, most plants look some shade of green.  This is because
traditional plant lights are based on room lighting that uses the colors that
the human eye is most sensitive to- green and yellow.  But since the LED
Grow Master line of lighting supplies colors that the plants can use, very little
light is reflected from the leaves.  The plant absorbs nearly all of the light
with the exception of a very small amount of green light included in each
bar.  The result is a plant that looks like it’s in a darkroom.  This is also a
sign that you are not spending money to create light that your plants aren’t
using.
In conclusion,  our motto is “Light for plants, not people.”  So when the
day comes to show off all of your hard work, you may want to keep this in
mind.  Just supplement a little sunshine.  If that is not an option-   full
spectrum lighting will give excellent color rendering and is an efficient
alternative to incandescent bulbs.   Garden on.–AL

Nothing But the Best

With the continuous increases in raw materials, transportation costs, and random
fees, many business owners are feeling the impact of the current business
environment.   It has been an especially difficult year for electronics manufacturers
as the core materials used have all gone up substantially in cost.  The cost of
copper has more than doubled in the past year.  The price of oil and other metals
have also gone up substantially.   When these, and other factors are taken into
account, the result is a 20-30% increase in the component parts of LED lighting,
driving competitors to scramble for overseas manufacturers of street light reds.
The manufacturer of the LED Grow Master line, SolarOasis, is not willing to
compromise quality by using substandard materials or components.  While
mathematically, LED’s have already surpassed HID lights in cost efficiency,
SolarOasis continues to push forward with greater improvements.  Over the past 5
years SolarOasis has reduced our product wattage from 60 watts in 2002 to now
only 6 watts for the LGM3.  During that same period, our light energy emission has
increased nearly 10 fold. The new year will bring only slight price increases for consumers.  The majority of the burden of price hikes will be absorbed by the manufacturer. Retailers can be assured that SolarOasis continues to lead the industry in scientific LED based lighting applications around the world.  You can expect to see more products and greater improvements in 2007.  Products will continue to be made in the USA, and represent the most efficient, spectrally rich, plant lighting available. -CEO SolarOasis

Plants, Light, LEDs Putting it all Together

Why do some colors of light work better than others for growing plants?  As we noted earlier, plants use pigments to catch light.  Every pigment has something called an absorption curve that shows how well that pigment is able to catch light of different colors.  Each pigment has one or more absorption peaks, which show the colors of light which that particular pigment absorbs best.  That doesn’t mean it can’t absorb other colors of light, just that it doesn’t absorb them as well. We’ve also learned that chlorophyll is good at absorbing red and blue light, but not so good at absorbing green light.  Since chlorophyll is used by plants during photosynthesis, which is a major plant process, we know that if we shine red and blue light on a plant it will drive the photosynthetic engine better than an equivalent amount of green light would. For many plants it seems that they just look green, and we don’t see any other colors that might hint at the existence of other pigments.  In the fall, though, the spectacular color show put on by deciduous trees show us some of the other pigments within the leaves of trees.  These other pigment colors are masked by the green of chlorophyll during the growing season.  Then when autumn comes and the leaves lose their chlorophyll, the hidden pigment colors are suddenly revealed.  Since these autumn colors are not green, but are instead yellows, purples, and reds, we also know these other pigments are absorbing different colors of light than chlorophyll. Sunlight contains roughly the same amount of each color of light that plants use, so when you grow plants outdoors you don’t have to worry about whether or not the light is good for growing plants.  Nothing works better than sunlight for growing plants.  But when you’re considering using a man-made light source such as led grow lights (i.e. a grow lamp) to grow your plants it’s important to know whether or not that lamp will provide an appropriate mix of light colors for growing plants.

–CEO SolarOasis

Call Today for your Free Consultation 1-866-774-0108 or visit our website at www.illuminatetodayled.com for more info.

Lumens and Grow Lights

Carl Sagan made an interesting point when he said, ” We live in a society exquisitely dependant on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.” In the world of lighting- this is most evident in the use of lumens as a standard for measuring the output of grow lighting. We’re talking about measuring light in relation to a candle’s flame. As defined by Wikipedia: “The lumen (symbol: lm) is the SI unit of luminous flux, a measure of the perceived power of light.” Lumens and Lux, by definition, are used to measure how bright a light source appears to the human eye- or what we perceive as bright. Although it has become common-place for grow light manufacturers to rate their grow light output in Lumens, they are only telling you how bright their light will appear to you and light your room, not how well it will grow your plants. Since the human eye is most sensitive to colors plants don’t need, and least sensitive to colors plants prefer, Lumens can’t be used to accurately compare the plant growing capability of grow lights. Light comes in many colors, or wavelengths. To the human eye, the colors green and yellow appear much brighter than the colors red and blue which are the primary colors used by plants for photosynthesis. HID, incandescent, and fluorescent lighting were all originally designed to light rooms. The manufacturers took these bulbs and added bits of impurities to get more of the colors that plants need and labeled them “grow lights”. As much as 82% of the light coming out of these traditional light sources is not absorbed by plants or is in the form of UV, or IR (heat). HID lighting can reach temperatures of over fourteen hundred degrees Fahrenheit at the bulbs surface. This excess heat is then ventilated and directly translates into wasted energy that is included in a lumen rating. In 2002, the engineers at Solar Oasis introduced the world’s first patented LED grow light. LEDs offered a unique opportunity to the designers. Instead of starting with an existing lamp designed to light rooms for people- the LED grow lamp designer can select LEDs that generate exactly the colors of light needed to target wavelengths that are needed for plant growth. Designers are able to add as many colors as they would like and add them in their proper proportion. Finally, the individual LEDs can be arranged in whatever pattern desired to create the final lamp design. By leaving out colors of light that are useful for human vision but not useful for plant growth, incredible levels of efficiency are attained in comparison to other types of grow lights. With this modern lighting- comes modern measurement. A typical grow light produces light wavelengths from 380nm (UV), up to and beyond 880nm (IR). Plants use light wavelengths from 400nm (blue) to 700nm (red). The most accurate unit of measurement for comparing grow lights is the micro Einstein, which measures how many photons of light strike an area per second. Using the micro Einstein we are able to measure how much useable light is emitted (aka wavelengths that fall between 400-700nm). But, while this is a much better way to estimate a lamp’s plant growing ability than Lumens or Lux, it is still very difficult to directly compare two different types of grow lights. All grow lights except the LED Grow Master grow light emit large amounts of light plants don’t use very efficiently, so including that light output in a light’s plant growing measurement is misleading. To those of you that feel like this is all Greek, an analogy… What is now called an inch was originally the width of a man’s thumb. The word carat comes from the weight standard for precious metals of the olden days- the carob bean. We promise not to send you bar measurements in thumb widths, or the weight in carob bean. Along these same lines, we do not measure our output in lumens. We understand the need for, and beauty, of accurate measurement. Human View