Reflecting the Sun for Bigger Yields

So I was super baked last night thinking about a kind of reflector that could reflect the sun onto your plants for optimal photosynthesis.

Many people are building solar cookers which are built from old satellite dishes. Parabolic dishes are also used to reflect sunlight into homes of people suffering from "seasonal affective disorder" or winter depression. They are automated to follow the sun and only direct it into your windows. Obviously you don't want to cook your plants, and hopefully your plants aren't depressed, but it seems something like this could direct more lights onto your plants.

There seems to be no reason this wouldn't work if the correct setup was installed on a few plants. A few pointed at a small greenhouse seems like an interesting experiment, does anyone have information on this?

What are you asking.... just need some support or something?

It makes sense and lights grow plants, yes.

tafbang said:

What are you asking.... just need some support or something?

It makes sense and lights grow plants, yes.

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I am looking for someone to reply with more information on this.

No lights here, just the sun and reflectors.

SUN IS LIGHT! omG!

tafbang said:

SUN IS LIGHT! omG!

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Please don't waste my time.

I'm wasting your time by saying that it will obviously work. you're an idiot for saying "no light here"

U's r both bitches

Edskins said:

U's r both bitches

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Please don't waste my time...


How hard is it to get useful information around here...

B.U.D.S.I.C.L.E.S said:

Please don't waste my time...


How hard is it to get useful information around here...

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pretty hard sometimes...i would have to say though that any reflective material outside would draw unwanted attention from the air.

Could direct too much heat onto the plant and ultimatley fry it, leave it up to mother nature when it comes to the sun its already ther ultimate grow light

What about like... putting mylar around the plants? that could work...

plants can't even use all the light provided by the sun under normal circumstances, so boosting sunlight would definitely be overkill.

unless you're in alaska or somethin..

I think you have a brilliant idea man, the benefits could be immense. I see it presenting the most advantage on greenhouses... it creates more location opportunity. For example, a reflector could divert light to a site with partial shade increasing the daily sunlight all the while controlling temperatures more effectively. Indeed it would not be practical in terms of stealth, though greenhouses can be used for fruits and veggies anyway. I can't seem to find anything on google, but we certainly need to investigate this more

without CO2 enhancement you'd see no benifit.

I have an 8x10 greenhouse made out of sliding glass doors and plastic. The winters sun is low, and I was thinking of a way to direct more light into the greenhouse. I had a couple of ideas...
1) I was thinking 6 sheets of 4x8 sheets of plywood painted white and placed at a slight angle around the greenhouse reflecting the sun back into the greenhouse.
2) Instead of plywood I was thinking of using decorative white rocks around the greenhouse. The rocks would less suspicious then the plywood.

White dont feflect like a mirror would at the plant
(specular vs diffusion reflcection in wiki or somthing)

Mirrors pointed at them outdoors could burn them to death.
They kill grass that they are pointed at.
If you leave a big mirror in the yard for awhile reflecting at the grass its DEAD.
Then your boss resods the customers soil there an takes it out of your check. DAM!!!!


I agree Reflective stuff outdoors is overkill an its very suspicious an easy to spot.
Buy if security isnt a concern, an you got free wood, go for it.

Ps I do use mirrors in my lil cab for reflection.

I would say do it one one plant for about two weeks and see how it likes it!! im sure it wouldnty get that hot if where u live theres a breeze or just by the mountains

Unless u are experiencing shading or something thats blocking the light out, if you live in a warm area like myself you will fry those plants fast

SCARHOLE said:

White dont feflect like a mirror would at the plant
(specular vs diffusion reflcection in wiki or somthing)

Mirrors pointed at them outdoors could burn them to death.
They kill grass that they are pointed at.
If you leave a big mirror in the yard for awhile reflecting at the grass its DEAD.
Then your boss resods the customers soil there an takes it out of your check. DAM!!!!


I agree Reflective stuff outdoors is overkill an its very suspicious an easy to spot.
Buy if security isnt a concern, an you got free wood, go for it.

Ps I do use mirrors in my lil cab for reflection.

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so you work for a guy that puts in lawns, and you left a mirror on a customers property? why was the mirror there? just curious haha cuz you said it came out of your check

i think this idea could work, but be careful about pointing it at a greenhouse. if the plastic of the greennhouse gets too much light and gets hot, it could melt/bend/whatever. or the inside air could get too hot. watch temps carefully and make sure the girls dont get burned, and it should work. if its just one or two reflectors, i dont see it being too much of a problem unless theyre big, or your greenhouse/plants are small

I install glass, we put big new mirror agingst the house tell we removed the old.
In about a half hr It had burned a bout a 4x8 spot in the grass.