In This Issue Lumens... Please A Credit to Good Lighting Nothing But The Best Phantom Plants www.phantomplants.com 978-761-6348 Phantom Plants is a family business specializing in carnivorous plants and orchids. Dave has had success with the LED Grow Master line, enabling him to give first hand knowledge to those who need it. Educational Links National Wildlife Federation Let's start a garden Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education Ecological books, tools, and products. Care to Comment? The LED Gardener appreciates all the input we receive from our readers. If you would like to submit an article or pictures; or if you would like to comment on a current article please send submissions and comments or questions to angela@led-grow-master.com You are receiving this email because you subscribed at led-grow-master.com If you do not wish to receive this newsletter :Request your name removed angela@led-grow-master.com Contact LED Grow Master Global: Admin@led-grow-master.com |
| LED Gardener |
Lumens... Please The most accurate way of measuring a light's plant growing capabilities is the microEinstien, which is able to measure how many photons of photo synthetically active radiation strike an area per second. This information doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, or even register to many. If this is you, feel free to skip ahead to the last paragraph. 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. This is evident in the number of people who fill our inbox wanting lumen comparisons for our led grow lights. We're talking measuring light in relation to a candle's flame. Not only is this an old-school standard, it does not apply to led grow lights at all. Let's look at the definition of lumen. The unit of luminous flux, (energy within the range of frequencies we perceive as light) given out through a solid angle by a source of one candela intensity radiating equally in all directions. This measurement is relative to the human eye. The interesting thing is that the colors that plants use fall within a spectrum that is barely visible to the human eye. The colors that we equate with room lighting are those that plants do not need. The second part of the definition states that the light is radiating equally in all directions. By measuring the lumen output of a plant light you could measure the overall luminous flux being radiated but not the amount of light that is reaching your plants. The LED Grow Master lighting incorporates a reflector in each diode that ensures light is focused on your plant and not scattered around the room. Generally I prefer to explain it like this... 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. LED Grow Master understands the need for, and beauty, of accurate measurement. --AL ******************************************************************************************************** A Credit To Good Lighting The genus Heliamphora contains 16 species of pitcher plants native to the mountain tops in South America. They have tubular shaped leaf forms that have evolved mechanisms to avoid completely filling up with water and attract, trap, and kill insects. The leaf size ranges from a few centimeters up to more than a meter. Small pitcher plants trap flys, beetles and ants. A clever design attracts insects with a sweet nectar spoon feature. The nectar acts as a drug that makes the insect unsteady as if drunk, and the tube offers an unstable foothold with smooth pitcher walls. The lowermost region of the pitcher have sharp, downward pointing hairs that prevent the upward movement of prey becoming a watery, digestive prison. Growing Heliamphora in a terrarium is recommended for this particular carnivore. The best coloration develops with bright, diffuse light and cool conditions. The heat from windows and artificial lighting is often too intense in a terrarium. The ideal night/day temperature range is 50-75 degrees Fahrenheit. LED Grow Master lighting has overcome these obstacles and will achieve an intense red color- a credit to good lighting. By using LED Grow Master grow lights to light your terrarium, no heat is added, over 85% of the light from the LED Grow Master grow light passes through to your plants, and the glass stays mostly clear of condensation. Heliamphora provide an exotic touch to terrarium growing and can be an excellent learning tool for the classroom if the conditions can be provided. If you would like to know more about the fascinating genus of Heliamphora, or other carnivorous plants contact dave@phantomplants.com . --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 |
 |
| |
 |
| December 1, 2006 Volume 1, Issue 5 |
