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In This Issue

Too Much of a Good Thing

Plants, Light, and LEDs
Part 11
















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February 1, 2009             Volume 4,  Issue 2
    Too Much of a Good Thing
         What happens when your plants are getting too much?  There are four main areas
    where your plants might be getting more than they need or want.  Because the factors
    of plant growth are so interdependent,  if any one of these areas is out of balance, it will
    affect the way your plants are able to use the other factors in an environment to their full
    potential.   Water, nutrients, light, and heat are prime categories of excess,  and in an
    LED garden the probability that you are getting too much is even greater.
            Consider that over watering is the number one cause of death in indoor plants.  
    Now consider that under  LED plant lights you eliminate the radiant heat that is
    responsible for much of the evaporation.  While most  plants can easily bounce back
    from a lack of water,  over watering is not easy to recover from.  By over watering your
    plants you have shut off the root’s supply of oxygen and created a breeding ground for
    fungus that will turn healthy, creamy white colored roots into brown, mushy, slimy, or
    smelly roots.   Other symptoms of over watering include standing pools of water,
    leaves turning yellow or developing soft, rotten, brown patches that fail to grow.  Young
    and old leaves falling off at the same time or flowers that are rotting.    Generally,
    aeroponic and hydroponic systems will reduce the risks of over watering.  If you prefer
    to use a  grow medium, choose something with the ability to hold oxygen in your root
    zone.  Expanded clay pellets, perlite, freshwater Diatomaceous earth, or even adding
    gravel to your soil will help with drainage and hold oxygen.   Water plants once, then let
    them run low on water.  This will establish the water usage rate for your plants and
    allow you to set a schedule for when to water.
        Do your leaves appear to be burning at the tips with brown, black, or dark spots?  Are
    they wilting even when they are well watered?  This may be too much fertilizer.  Since
    the amount of fertilizer your plant is able to use, is dependent on the light, water, CO2,
    and heat  in the room,  if any of these variables change,  your fertilizer regime should
    change as well.  By simply replacing an HID lamp with an LED lamp your water
    requirement is reduced, heat is eliminated, and the plant is receiving more quality
    light.  My suggestion, regardless of the light source is to always start out using ½ of the
    nutrients recommended by the manufacturer, and only up the dosage if your plants
    show signs of malnutrition.  If you are certain that your plants have been overfed-
    remove the plant from the medium, rinse the roots, and then transplant into fresh
    medium immediately.  
                 Temperature and light are the two factors of plant growth that  are most
    entwined in a traditional garden.  When outdoor plants receive a high level of light- this
    is usually accompanied by an increase in temperature which helps the plants to make
    use of the light.  This is true of HID lighting, as well, adding light equates to adding
    radiant heat.  The advent of LEDs has allowed us to add light without adding heat, and
    because 100% of the light emitted is being absorbed by your plants (as opposed to
    10% of the light from traditional lighting) there is a danger of giving your plants too
    much light.  It is important to transition plants into any new light source.  Starting with
    less is always better than starting with more. Plants will generally survive a period of
    low light, but a prolonged exposure to excess light can cause permanent damage.  
    When adding LED lighting it is wise to start the light at the maximum distance from the
    plant
    canopy.   Only if plants show signs of needing more light should you slowly lower lights
    an inch or two at a time.  Always give plants a chance to adjust and watch for
    improvements before  lowering the lights further or adding additional lighting.
               The problem of too much heat can first appear in many different parts of the
    plant: Flower buds may wither, leaves may droop or become more attractive to insects,
    chlorophyll may disappear so that leaves appear white or brown, or roots may cease
    growing.  The plant may survive in a stunted or chlorotic state for years but once the
    damage is done- it is difficult to recover from.  The best weapon against heat damage
    in an outdoor garden is choosing plants that are appropriate to your climate and area
    you are planting.  For the indoor gardener, over heating is generally associated with
    HID light sources.  The solution here is simple.  Instead of running 1,000 watts of HPS
    for the entire photoperiod, you would run the HPS for one hour in the morning, one hour
    in the afternoon, and one hour before the lights go off (or 30 minutes every 3 hours).  
    Then, run the LED plant lights for the entire photoperiod.   The radiant heat from the
    HPS will keep growth rates on par with what the indoor gardener has come to expect
    and the LEDs will provide quality light, prevent over heating,  increase the lifetime of
    your HPS, and reduce your electrical use by over 70%.  By eliminating this gluttony in
    the garden, your plants can be healthier and your wallet thicker.--AL

    Plants, Light, and LEDs part 11
         In the earliest parts of this article we have shown that plants have very specific
    lighting requirements in order to support both growth and development.  We also
    looked at the characteristics of conventional grow lighting products and discovered that
    they are merely modifications of standard room lighting products which are very
    inefficient grow lamps.  In this part we'll look at how SolarOasis is striving to meet the
    special challenges encountered in designing long-lasting, efficient plant grow lighting
    products.  
          What does SolarOasis grow lighting offer?  Superior engineering as well as
    research and development.   Our engineering staff have been designing and
    developing LED-centric lighting appliances for the consumer market since 1992.  This
    gives us particular expertise in creating highly optimized LED lamp circuitry, which
    translates into products delivering optimal light intensity while maintaining the long
    service life expected of LED lighting.
        SolarOasis received the first patent for an LED-based plant grow light designed
    specifically for use in commercial greenhouses and the home.  By combining our
    knowledge of plant physiology with years of field testing, we created a blend of light
    colors designed to promote both plant growth and development.  By targeting specific
    plant processes with colors of light plants use efficiently we improve the efficiency of
    our products, which translates into savings in the greenhouse.
        Whenever possible, technological advances made during the development of future
    products are backward engineered into the current product line.  This incremental
    development in two directions ensures  our products are always as good as they can
    be.  Historically this has meant that successive generations of our grow lighting
    products have increased light output while decreasing both energy use and waste heat.
         SolarOasis products are manufactured in the USA from the finest electronic
    components we can procure.  When the correct component isn't available, for instance
    if LEDs manufactured for general lighting aren't generating the particular wavelength
    we require, we work with manufacturers to custom manufacture components to our
    specifications.  At the same time we are directing the development of radical new LED
    designs for use in our future products.
          Using just-in-time production techniques means that as products are improved, the
    improvements move into production immediately.  There's no point stockpiling
    products only to have them fall behind the latest technology.  We carefully schedule
    production runs to supply enough product for current needs, and no more.  
        Each year SolarOasis provides time and expertise to both public and private
    researchers, helping them keep their own research projects on the cutting edge of
    their fields.  University researchers, major research institutes and exciting technology
    start-ups have all benefited from our help.  Helping other researchers often helps us
    see ways to improve our own technology, adding yet more depth to our research
    efforts.  
    --CEO SolarOasis


                 

                  Copyright 2009  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  LED Grow Master Global, LLC
Factors of Plant Growth.  Lack of Water vs
Over Watering
With almost no radiant heat to
cause evaporation, LED
gardeners need to look out for
over watering.