Subject: Re: indoor lighting

From: [email-masked] (Birdmommy)
Date: 2 Mar 1995 11:19:10 -0500

I have used the "daylight" lamps.  I bought them first for a totally
unrelated reason (sunlight for my pet birds) and wound up putting them
into my plant room.  I now run them only 4 hours a day. They put out so
much light my African Violets were growing very tight leaves down around
the pots instead of spreading out like they should.  I've hung them about
3 feet above the plants and it's still too much light.....

molli
denver

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 1 Mar 1995 06:39:32 GMT

MarkS45467 ([email-masked]) wrote:
: I an thinking of buying an HID lamp to get on the Wisconsin growing
: season.  I'm familiar with advantages/disadvantages of flourescent vs high
: pressure sodium vs metal halide.  Can anybody tell me if "Daylight" metal
: halides or "Super Agro" (blue spectrum enhanced) bulbs are worth the extra
: money?  Also, has anybody tried to grow using those nice, cheap mercury
: halides that you can get for forty bucks at K-mart?

  "Daylight" MH isn't worth the x$.  The various blue enhanced bulbs are
nice but the extra blue doesn't <IMHO> justify the added cost *or* the
reduced lifespan of the bulb. 
  Personally I just added 2 of those 2 bulb shop shop lite fixtures with 
gro-lite bulbs ($45 out the door) one on either side of the MH, pumped up 
the blue just fine.
  BTW, if you go for the MH instead of HPS don't let anyone con you into 
buying the "slightly cheaper but just as good" multi-vapor bulbs, looks 
brighter but the spectrum sucks for plant growth.

L8r

Cyberberus
<[email-masked]>

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From: [email-masked] (Steve Zinski)
Date: 2 Mar 1995 17:40:15 GMT

Anyone have any comments regarding the GE "Grow & Show" incandescent 75-watt
spotlights?  I purchased two of these from Wal-Mart at $5.00/each and have
them pointed at my seedlings... which are going great, I might add.  The
bulbs put out heat (which the flourescent bulbs do not) and plenty of bright
light.

						--Steve

--
=================================================================
==  Steven C. Zinski - N9VAH  ==  [email-masked]       ==
==  Champaign, Illinois, USA  ==  N9VAH@N9LNQ.#ECIL.IL.USA.NA  ==
=================================================================

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From: [email-masked] (john shakula)
Date: 2 Mar 1995 13:53:45 GMT

Anyone interesting in the subject might want to read _Gardening
Indoors_ by George F. Van Patten, Published by Van Patten Publishing, 
Portland, Oregon.  I found that it answered many of my questions and 
helped me get started extending the growing season.

JR  
    Draper, Utah, USA
    [email-masked]

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From: Susan Sanders <[email-masked]>
Date: 3 Mar 1995 14:17:09 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> Stan, [email-masked] writes:
>if you are refering to mercury vapor lamps, do not use them for
horticultural
>purposes, because the output colour spectrum is not suited for plant
growth.
>they do not emit enough blue or red light needed by plants for
photosynthesis.

I just wanted to mention one exception to the above:  There is a
color-corrected, self-ballasted horticultural mercury vapor lamp called a
WonderLite that works very well--I currently have orchids in bloom which
receive most of their illumination from them.  But these are specialty
lamps available in the US, as far as I know, from only one source
(they're made in Canada).											-Sue Sanders

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From: [email-masked] (Stan)
Date: Sat, 4 Mar 1995 16:41:22 GMT

<[email-masked]> <[email-masked]>
Organization: IQuest Network Services
X-Newsreader: WinVN 0.91.6

In article <[email-masked]>, Susan Sanders <[email-masked]> 
says:
>(they're made in Canada).                                                                      

Sue,

could you email some contact info on the manufacturer, or distributor of
the WonderLite?

how does the colour spectrum (and cost) compare to the MH and HPS lamps?

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From: [email-masked] (Stan)
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 03:42:17 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (MarkS45467) says:

  >I an thinking of buying an HID lamp to get on the Wisconsin growing
  >season.  I'm familiar with advantages/disadvantages of flourescent vs high
  >pressure sodium vs metal halide.  Can anybody tell me if "Daylight" metal
  >halides or "Super Agro" (blue spectrum enhanced) bulbs are worth the extra
  >money?  Also, has anybody tried to grow using those nice, cheap mercury
  >halides that you can get for forty bucks at K-mart?

if you are refering to mercury vapor lamps, do not use them for horticultural
purposes, because the output colour spectrum is not suited for plant growth.
they do not emit enough blue or red light needed by plants for photosynthesis.

using Super Agro lamps on leaf crops (non-flowering/fruiting) will have little
benifit, and might actually decrease overall yield compared to a close wattage
metal halide.

i have never used a Daylight lamp... just couldn't justify the cost... but i
was not doing research or going for the ultimate in plant growth rates either.

if you use metal halides, use the high-output varieties (10% more lumens).

DO NOT BUY 1000 watt Sun/Super Agro lamps (at least right now / early 1995)
because the lamp manufacturer(s) are having production problems, and *most*
available today are FAKES.

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From: [email-masked] (Stan)
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 03:42:17 GMT