UV-C : The new weapon against indoor garden pests.

no absloutely not. the only benefit to uvc is that in a strictly controlled setting it can help with bugs, mold, pathogens, etc. But exposure to this light (for you or your plants) for any extended period of time WILL HARM YOU AND ANYTHING ELSE IT COMES IN CONTACT WITH. This stuff passes right through cell walls and is very damaging. I'll say it one more time, UV-C LIGHT KILLS STUFF! AND CAUSES CANCER! IT SHOULD ONLY BE USED BY A PROFESSIONAL IN A CONTROLLED SETTING! NEVER EXPOSE YOURSELF OR ANY OTHER MATERIAL YOU VALUE TO UVC RAYS FOR ANY PERIOD OF TIME! EVEN A FEW SECONDS CAN DO EXTENSIVE DAMAGE!
 
I think I'll stick with my HPS and MH, and let my ladybugs take care of any whiteflies, rather than risking destroying my medicine's value, or my own health for that matter... Id stay away from the UV-C's alltogether... The Uv-B that MH's emit is quite enough UV radiation to aid in trichome prduction, and if ladybugs dont solve pest problems, then a lil neem py diluted with water in a foliar spray during veg will...
 
That article talks about using UV-C in-line with an air filtration system (isolated from exposure to plants/people) and the plants are exposed for about 1 second for a reason. and I guarantee that where ever these plants are on this "conveyer" mentioned in that article is isolated.

UV-C is not for increased production of any kind (yeild, potency, etc..) It is for use in eliminating pests and pathogens, and purely experimental. DO NOT EXPOSE YOURSELF OR YOUR PLANTS TO ANY WAVELENGTH OF UV-C LIGHT FOR ANY PERIOD OF TIME! THIS STUFF IS EXTREMELY HARMFUL AND WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!
 
I have never said something about yield. Never even thought of that.
My whole purpose is killing mold with UVC. And seems like its possible.
My bad, if I couldnt make my self clear.
 
No it's cool I just don't want anyone to have the wrong idea about what I'm referring to here. What I would recommend is building an isolation chamber to 'flash' plants. But make sure you do your research on what wavelengths of light to use because they are pretty specific about which ones will penetrate bugs, mold, plant tissue, etc.. Then there is the length of time you expose the plant which corresponds with what you're trying to kill as well as the wavelength. Most exposure times are rather precise and less than a second. When this article was written there wasn't a ton of info on these specifications but a good amount.

So more important than anything, just make sure you do your homework before you dive into it because this stuff can be dangerous.
 
squ1rrely said:
No it's cool I just don't want anyone to have the wrong idea about what I'm referring to here. What I would recommend is building an isolation chamber to 'flash' plants. But make sure you do your research on what wavelengths of light to use because they are pretty specific about which ones will penetrate bugs, mold, plant tissue, etc.. Then there is the length of time you expose the plant which corresponds with what you're trying to kill as well as the wavelength. Most exposure times are rather precise and less than a second. When this article was written there wasn't a ton of info on these specifications but a good amount.

So more important than anything, just make sure you do your homework before you dive into it because this stuff can be dangerous.
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I'm going to follow this more closely... lately I've been having an issue with powdery mildew (NEVER had it before... so it's pissing me off to no end) and of course the almost mandatory mites visit now and then... the idea of a "flash cabinet" is really appealing to me.

alp
 
Since two months or so I am using a special lamp to kill PM, this lamp is a mix of uvb and uvc. it kills all the fungus, bacteria and viruses that grow from the outside in.. i've had no problems regarding safety, this light is not that strong but you have to use uv safety glasses! I'm using a clean light hobby unit at the moment, it is very effective and kills the PM instantly. You have to watch out with how long you light your plant because if you do it too long it will get a little brown and you have to wait a day or two for the next treatment.. they said it is best to use this every day because PM establish itself in 24 hours!
 
You are right: All plants need a little bit of UV light, on a daily basis. Assimilation lamps are not giving it to them. Your UVc lamps gives something similar. Not identical, but similar. That has been proven to help the plants. Besides, reducing the chemicals makes the plants grow better too !
 
Hi Magic,

We have modified the UVc plants in order to overcome the problems you are concerned about. So, these are now safe for people and safe for the ladies.
 
Where to Buy: UV-C Emitting Germicidal Bulbs can be found at these two websites:

http://www.bulbs.com/Germicidal_Lamps/results.aspx?in_dim_search=1
http://www.bulbconnection.com/ViewItemCategory/bcrw/catid/33/pg/1/item.html

I'm sure there are other websites that carry UV-C Germicidal bulbs.

Safety: The Philips Sterilamps do not produce ozone from what I've found. Here's a safety article I found that notes the dangers of UV-C radiation and also lists what protective gear to wear (if you care about your vision). Not all safety glasses are the same:

http://publicsafety.tufts.edu/ehs/radiation-safety/ultraviolet-radiation/
Eyeglasses-Should be ANSI-Z87 rated and provide protection from side exposure via a side lens or “wrap around” lens. Normal eye protection and/or prescription glasses provide little to no protection! To determine if eye protection is rated for UV safety, contact the manufacturer or look for the Z 87.1 label on the lens.
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Your eyes should be your greatest concern. Even a few seconds of exposure is unacceptable. If you are not interested in covering your body and wearing safety glasses, then you should rig your setup to either automatically shut off when a door is opened (interlock switch) or have a manual exterior switch to turn on/off the light from outside of the exposure area.

I realize that this is a rather old thread. I've been researching UV-C radiation recently for my own applications and just wanted to share what I've found.
 
a year ago I bought a home security 150w double ended metal halide lamp & reflector, I decided to use it to veg my plants and it did a good job until I decided to remove the glass shield on the reflector, it burned my plants & killed them :(
 
MarWan said:
a year ago I bought a home security 150w double ended metal halide lamp & reflector, I decided to use it to veg my plants and it did a good job until I decided to remove the glass shield on the reflector, it burned my plants & killed them :(
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Are you talking about a UV-C lamp? I don't think that anyone here was suggesting that UV-C would directly help plants grow better. UV-C would be great to prepare an environment where plants will be growing in the future. Some people think that exposing their plants to UV-C for a short period of time could help an active mold/mildew problem. I have no experience with this sort of direct exposure, but using UV-C radiation to prepare an environment is a great application. It is also VERY useful for preparing a Psilocybin mushroom grow chamber to greatly reduce the chances of contamination.
 
What I meant was some metal halide lamps must be shielded with glass, or it will kill the plants, I don't know if it was radiating UV-A or B or C, I know when I removed the glass shield my plants started getting the burn look then died.
 
Man it amazes me, as much as I have learned, I just keep finding out things that I never knew...
Very exciting as I have been battling these issues for... ever.....
Seems difficult to obtain the chips but I'll figure it out and try this experiment eventually.
 
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