As mentioned at the end of the last discussion, this time I want to talk about lighting.
Once the seeds are planted (in the soil, in the pots, etc.) and the waiting starts, there are two critical tasks that will determine the success of your indoor garden – providing light and watering. Just try doing without one or the other – you will not have to wait long to see the results.
Let me make a statement here… the following discussion is based on my personal experience. Not being an expert, my outlook is based on a lot of reading, at home testing, and talking with users at trade shows and such. If you want a more technical version of lighting – there are some excellent sources on the internet that discuss all the fascinating details. We have given a more technical version in our “Welcome Guide” to Indoor lighting available for download at: www.asylumresource.com/lightngrow.html – (go to the bottom of this page).
For this discussion I’m going to keep it simple (ha-ha).
Which Light to Use?
For the purposes of this discussion I am going to talk about fluorescent lighting as this is the type of light I use (and promote).
Before using a Light Garden for plants, I was growing everything in our kitchen. We have 7 – 48” fixtures on the ceiling surrounding the counter-top. This means 14 lamps at 40 watts each = 560 watts of light. Plants love the kitchen, but it’s not the place to grow things: the kitchen is for cooking.
I know I want to save money on electricity and the cost of lamps. When choosing lights, keep in mind you want light – not heat. Heat is a by-product of the light source and consumes energy.
For the sake of clarity, the word lamp refers to the “light tube” or “light bulb”.
Getting right to the point – the latest fluorescent light fixtures utilize the combination of electronic ballast (the electronics controlling the energy to the lamp) and the lamp itself. Check to see that the light garden you purchase is using the newest technology.
Being partial to “Light N’Grow™”, I can note here that the use of the newest electronic ballast combined with a T-8 style lamp means they are one of the most energy efficient fluorescent light fixtures available. Versatility is expanded by the ability of the fixture to use T-8 (32 watt) or if need be, T-12 (40 watt) lamps. The T-8 lamp at 32 watts with the correct ballast will provide equal light to a 40 watt T-12 – just this factor alone is a 20% savings. Other benefits of the “electronic ballast” are more consistent light, longer lamp life, no flicker and no hum (vs. conventional magnetic style ballasts). Old technology vs new technology, when all factors are taken into account, could reduce energy costs by as much as 60% (I’m guessing more).
Knowing at times you may need to run your indoor light garden 16 hours a day, the discussion above could help in the choice of your light system.
Colour Me…Light?
As we all know, light is made up of colours – the light spectrum. For simplicity, when discussing fluorescent light we have a lot of choices (just go to your local fish store and see the variety of lamp colours they have for fish!). For this discussion there are 3 fluorescent lamps to consider. My first consideration being availability, my discussion is based around what can be obtained easily. Here is my take on the choices:
Cool White:
Use for: Green leaves. Use for vegetables and starting plants that will flower later outside.
Availability: Broad, easy to obtain. Look for colour temperature 3,000 – 3,500K.
Cost: Least expensive of fluorescent tubes. The 48” T-8 is the most economical buy and can be purchased through your local hardware / house-ware store. A pack of 2 x 48” T-8 CW lamps appear to be the best buy in all the fluorescent lamp choices!
These are fluorescent tubes that cast a blue-white colour. They deliver mainly light from the blue end of the spectrum. This is what green leaves need and prosper on.
Warm White:
Use for: Flowing plants, to promote colour and health.
Availability: Reasonable, should be easy to obtain. They are sometimes referred to as Bath and Kitchen. Look for colour temperature 4,000 – 4,500K.
Cost: More expensive than cool white, but still a good buy considering other choices. I suggest using 1-warm with and 1-cool white in each fixture. It keeps the cost down, and the extra blue spectrum is really a bonus.
Warm white are fluorescent lamps that cast a gold-like colour. They deliver light from the blue + red part of the spectrum. This assists flowering plants. The blending of cool-white and warm-white is a great way to go. I use the CW + WW in 2 fixtures and CW only in 1 fixture (for vegetables/herbs).
Full Spectrum:
Use for: All plants, to promote colour and health.
Availability: Limited. You may need to mail order or order on-line. There is a variety available under different names and claims. Look for colour temperature 6,000 – 6,500K.
Cost: Most expensive. Many are only available in T-12 size. Claims about their abilities vary so ensure you purchase something that will give you value for the price you have paid (i.e. – research the claim).
These fluorescent lamps provide the full spectrum of colour. Visibly viewing things under full spectrum light provides life-like and more brilliant colour than utilizing cool-white or warm-white. The sun provides full spectrum colour, however what a plant needs to grow satisfactorily and what spectrum the sun provides may be different. With my own experience, the cool-white lamps have grown plants beyond my expectation. If you have exotics or plants that require the full-spectrum, these lamps may be necessary. If you are growing flowers with beautiful colours and want to have the complete colour in the light garden, then full spectrum lamps will give you the best visual experience, however they may not be necessary to provide the light needs of your plants.
Turning Off
So that is my light discussion. Some opinions and some food for thought. What it really gets down to is to decide your direction, do some quick research, get going and then do more research. You cannot go wrong starting with cool-white and moving up if necessary. The cost is minimal and the lamps are re-usable if you decide to go with a different light colour.
Today, I start planting – a great subject for the next post. See you then!
