disengaged
Member
I'm a little confused about the desire of some to build lamps with a high Color Rendering Index. Isn't CRI simply a comparison to how "normal" colors appear under it?
Plants don't use the same spectrum as the human eye to grow, so just because the light may not render colors in a way that is pleasant / familiar to the human eye it has little to do with what plants need for photosynthesis.
I'm not going to argue against the discovery that some "multi-color" and perhaps "full spectrum" LED lamps may produce less than ideal results - it seems the forum members here have proven more "white" was needed than scientists and lamp builders had thought. On that subject I might guess the designers were not accounting for the relatively insane amount of light used for "flower production" in comparison to growing lettuce. It's been a year since I spoke with my local retailer, but in reference to the expensive light bars he phrased the benefit of switching to newer (at that time) LED bars as superior "oil production".
High CRI, that's what I'm searching for when I shop for LED's to replace the tungsten / CFL lights around the home. It is not what I'm searching for in a light for plant growth.
The most beautiful, and heaviest flowers I've seen were those along the edge of a MH lamp's coverage area, surrounded by HPS on either side. Heavy as in a Grapefruit (dating myself to the last century) cola the size / shape of an American football, but such flower clusters would often rot from the inside out from mold growth before harvest which sucked. Not just the Grapefruit strain, but others which made large diameter / dense colas. The beautiful growth an indication that neither HPS / MH was a perfect spectrum on its own.
Yes, I'm new to LED's... but is there a reason for high CRI? Have the light spectrum of these been measured to indicate it is better for plant growth, observation of certain qualities, etc... ?
If my cabinet is raided you will find basil and lettuce and would really prefer to avoid the stress of having my door smashed in and possibly being shot... because that would suck for everyone.
Plants don't use the same spectrum as the human eye to grow, so just because the light may not render colors in a way that is pleasant / familiar to the human eye it has little to do with what plants need for photosynthesis.
I'm not going to argue against the discovery that some "multi-color" and perhaps "full spectrum" LED lamps may produce less than ideal results - it seems the forum members here have proven more "white" was needed than scientists and lamp builders had thought. On that subject I might guess the designers were not accounting for the relatively insane amount of light used for "flower production" in comparison to growing lettuce. It's been a year since I spoke with my local retailer, but in reference to the expensive light bars he phrased the benefit of switching to newer (at that time) LED bars as superior "oil production".
High CRI, that's what I'm searching for when I shop for LED's to replace the tungsten / CFL lights around the home. It is not what I'm searching for in a light for plant growth.
The most beautiful, and heaviest flowers I've seen were those along the edge of a MH lamp's coverage area, surrounded by HPS on either side. Heavy as in a Grapefruit (dating myself to the last century) cola the size / shape of an American football, but such flower clusters would often rot from the inside out from mold growth before harvest which sucked. Not just the Grapefruit strain, but others which made large diameter / dense colas. The beautiful growth an indication that neither HPS / MH was a perfect spectrum on its own.
Yes, I'm new to LED's... but is there a reason for high CRI? Have the light spectrum of these been measured to indicate it is better for plant growth, observation of certain qualities, etc... ?
If my cabinet is raided you will find basil and lettuce and would really prefer to avoid the stress of having my door smashed in and possibly being shot... because that would suck for everyone.
