| LED Gardener |
Rooftop Gardening St. Hilda's & Saint Hugh's is an independent, Episcopal school in New York City that is devoted to changing the world one child at a time. Children enjoy organic milk and pesticide free fruit. Food is purchased from local vendors so as not to contribute to the environmental impact of shipping food cross country. Solar- powered, sensor-activated hand washing sinks are available alongside the waterless urinals and dual flush toilets. Their 2.5 million dollar renovation utilized recycled, natural, non-toxic, and renewable materials. And the most recent edition- LED grow lights. These changes and more have made them one of the first schools in New York City to reduce their annual electricity related carbon emissions by 100%, saving the city approximately 376 tons of emissions per year. They are not stopping there. In the past, school greenhouses in New York City have been limited to operation in the spring and fall simply because they do not have a natural photoperiod that will support growth year round. Safety issues prevented the use of traditional greenhouse lighting as a supplement. As a general rule of thumb- schools do not mix children and hot, fragile, high voltage devices that contain lead and mercury. The safety and efficiency of LED lighting has made it the perfect choice for St. Hilda's & St. Hughs to extend the photoperiod for year round gardening. Toddlers through eighth graders will soon be enjoying their own greenhouse. Located on the rooftop high above the busy New York City streets below. Scheduled for completion later this month, the greenhouse will be an extension of their science curriculum. Cucumbers, tomatoes, sprouts, and other fruits and vegetables will be grown under LED grow lights and then made available in the cafeteria's salad bar. Providing the students with hands-on experience of how their food comes to the table, as well as the satisfaction and delight that come from eating the fruits of their labor.-AL
Using LED lighting as a plant growing light source reduces the distance between the planting bed and the lights, allowing more efficient use of the available growing chamber volume. Using LED grow lights as the plant light source, it is possible to employ up to three or more vertical layers of planting beds in the area now being used by each single planting bed. This would effectively at least triple the biomass production of the growth area. The low heat output of LED lighting makes this further feasible. HID lighting operates at temperatures above 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. Which is why adding an additional layer to a grow chamber utilizing this light would make the heat unmanageable. Our LED grow lights operate at less than 15 degrees above ambient temperatures so they will not overheat the area or burn plants and people. Farmland is shrinking and the number of people to feed is growing. Why not turn that wasted four feet at the top of your grow space into a second crop? The technology is here, and you know what they say... "Waste not, want not."--AL *****************************************************************
We have developed general guidelines to follow when hanging the LED lighting. For instance, a single LGM5 should be mounted 28-18" from the top or sides of your plants. One of the few common characteristics of traditional lighting and LED lighting is that they both follow the Inverse Square law for light intensity. The light intensity decreases as the square of the distance from the light. For example, an LGM5 LED grow lights hung at 36" will have approximately 1/4 of the intensity of the LGM5 led grow lights at 18". This is a large range of light intensity that enables growers to adjust for the needs of different plants. Because 100% of the light emitted is being used by your plants (as opposed to 10% of the light from traditional lighting) there is a danger of giving your plants too much light. Hanging the bar further away will increase your coverage area but decrease the intensity. Hanging the bar closer will decrease your coverage area but increase your light intensity. The exact mounting height that will satisfy your plant's light requirements can only be judged by observing your plants reaction to the light, and of course, good old fashioned common sense. Changes in light intensity should be gradual. A plant that naturally grows in the deep shade of the rainforest will likely suffer if an LGM5 is placed at 20 inches over the plant. A plant that naturally grows in the bright sunlight may thrive at 20 inches. Like all light sources, the bars will need to be raised to maintain this distance from the plant. Remember that plants will generally survive a period of low light but too much light may permanently damage them. This is why we recommend that you start your bars off close to the maximum distance recommended and then watch for signs to determine if the bars should be lowered. If you have a nearby window and you see your plants leaning toward the window you may want to lower the bar. If there is not another light source and the plants are leaning away from the LEDs it could be a sign that they are getting too much light. Not enough light will cause leaves to turn yellow but too much light will bleach the leaves. If the bar needs to be closer you may see reduced leaf size and longer internodal lengths. If upward growth stops the lights should likely be raised. Once you have determined a distance that is promoting the vigorous growth you are looking for you can assume that this is the optimal mounting height. Different plants have diverse needs and there are many environmental factors that can also cause the above symptoms. If you are having difficulties determining whether your bars are mounted properly please do not hesitate to call or email for product support. Representatives will ask for basic information about your grow area and research the light requirements of your garden or help troubleshoot environmental factors. We are available seven days a week for your convenience. -- AL |
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| December 1, 2007 Volume 2, Issue 11 |
In This Issue Rooftop Gardening Vertically Stacked Planting Beds Determining the Mounting Height Featured Distributor MPlus Trading Authorized European Dealers www.ledgroeilampen.nl info@ledgroeilampen.nl info@ledgrowlights.eu +31618785301 Postbus 91247 3007 ME Rotterdam Netherlands 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 Featured Product: The LGM1 For leafy plants, seedling to early vegetative, where compact vegetative growth is desired. LGM1 is perfect for countertop gardens Easily mounted anywhere you would like to grow. Receive 10% off of your purchase of the LGM1 model in the month of December by simply mentioning that you are a reader of the LED Gardener. Order now. 1-866-414-7244 |
| LED grow lights in New York City. |
| Reduce Your Environmental Impact and Increase Biomass Production with an LED Plant Growing Light |