LED Gardener

   Light For Plants, Not People
             How do plants capture and use light?  This question has been studied
    and researched for decades, and researchers have long known that plants
    use different frequencies of light,  for different purposes.  Some colors of
    light make plants grow and bloom, while others promote compact growth.  
    Scientists used this knowledge to develop lamps that would let them raise
    plants without sunlight.  Their new “grow lights” were’t developed from
    scratch.  They took existing lights and modified them to produce more of the
    colors of light that are used efficiently for plant growth.  And they were
    successful.
            Today we have many lamps that can be used to help grow plants.  
    They range from incandescent bulbs to fluorescent tubes, to the very
    powerful metallic vapor lamps, such as metal halide and high pressure
    sodium lamps.  And they all have the same problem:  they produce a lot of
    light that plants can’t use efficiently.  
           The researchers at SolarOasis took a different approach with their LED
    grow lights.  They designed grow lights from the ground up, optimized for
    plant growth, not human vision.  Using LED grow lights, they selected the
    colors of light that plants use most efficiently  for vigorous growth and
    health.  The result is a plant grow light that uses very little energy yet
    provides all the light your plants need to thrive indoors.
    --CEO Solar Oasis


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    Venus Fly Traps & LEDs
           Named after  the Greek goddess of love and beauty, the Venus Fly Trap
    is a fascinating variety of carnivorous plant.   They naturally grow in
    boglands and sandy areas that are almost devoid of nutrients.  The Venus
    Fly trap is able to survive using hair triggers on each lobe.  When these
    hairs are stimulated properly, they will snap shut to capture insects from
    which to draw the food they need.  
           Venus Fly traps require full sun to grow well which makes them difficult to
    grow indoors.  This is where the LED grow light shines- allowing maximum
    light and avoiding the usual problems.  The ideal indoor environment is a
    terrarium.  One of the problems we encounter when we begin to use
    traditional plant lighting- is often times the added heat creates condensation
    on the sides of the terrarium; making it difficult to see the fruits of your
    labor.  The slight warmth of LED lighting eliminates this problem.
            We also find many growers wrapping their terrarium in a reflective
    covering in order to optimize the scattered light of fluorescents or HID
    lighting.  The LED grow lights eliminate the need for this unsightly step.   
    LED’s are fitted with a built in reflector to ensure that all of the colors of light
    are focused on your grow area.  These built in reflectors also eliminate the
    glare associated with traditional plant lighting, making them a welcome fixture
    in your home or office.
    For more information about Carnivorous plants and Orchids…
    www.phantomplants.com

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   Temperature and Plant Growth
           Heat plays a vital role in your garden.   Temperature is a major factor in
    determining, among other things, transpiration rates.  Transpiration involves
    the use of about 90% of the water that enters the plants through the roots.  
    It is necessary for mineral transport from the soil, to move sugars and plant
    chemicals, and for the maintenance of Turgor pressure.  An increase in
    temperature or air movement decreases relative humidity and causes the
    guard cells in the leafs to shrink, opening the Stomata and increasing the
    rate of transpiration.  With all of these processes depending on us to keep
    up the heat- taking a closer look at the root zone may be an excellent way to
    save some energy.
           The majority of plants will do well if the soil temperature is kept above 73
    degrees Fahrenheit.  While conventional grow lights such as metalic vapor
    and high pressure sodium lamps are very hot, running from several hundred
    degrees to over fourteen hundred degrees Fahrenheit at the bulbs surface;
    when using LED grow lights, the heat has been eliminated from the
    equation.  To ensure adequate transpiration rates we often need to
    supplement heat in order to maintain ideal growing conditions.  The lack of
    heat also requires additional attention to the root zone,  check the optimal
    root zone temperatures for the plant species you are growing.     
           The root zone temperature needs to remain consistent for ideal growth
    rates.   One of the common ways in which we can throw off this consistency
    is cold water. Cold water can stress out plants and reduce water uptake.  
    Studies point to the idea that root temperature is more important than leaf
    temperature in achieving plant growth. Heat mat anyone?  --AL  
LED grow lights

In This Issue:

Lights for Plants, Not People

Venus Fly Traps & LEDs

Temperature and Growth



Distributor Links
www.cleanairgardening.com
Dallas, TX 210-370-0530

www.phantomplants.com
Dracul, MA 978-761-6348




Educational Links
www.gardenorganic.org.uk

www.schoollunchinitiative.org

www.ecoliteracy.org

www.organicconsumers.org



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SolarOasis Distributors
August 1, 2006              Volume 1, Issue 1
grow lights