Artificial Lighting...

murihikukid · September 25, 2016

Hi....I am still trying to understand the value of light to a tomato plant and how best to apply artificial light (not to a seedling),,, My plants are inside and I have some ideas but I require some basics before trying out ..So my question is pretty simple ..

IE..

Is light more beneficial to the top of the plant or right round the plant or both ?....
Thanks Ron

KarenO · September 25, 2016

I am no expert but I would think the idea is, as much as possible, to mimic natural daylight. As such, natural daylight comes from above the plant but the angle changes throughout the day. therefore, if possible, light the plants from above and the sides. No matter what artificial light source is used it will still be a poor substitute for natural daylight imo.

KarenO

Cole_Robbie · September 25, 2016

It probably depends on the variety of tomato, size of the plant, pruning techniques, stage of growth, and all sorts of other things.

The greatest weakness of artificial light is inadequate spectrum. Unless you have the latest, greatest LEDs, an easy way to balance spectrum is to add another light of a different type. For example, if you are using a metal halide, add another high pressure sodium, or vice versa. That also gives you an additional point source, which helps, too, to reduce shadows.

murihikukid · September 25, 2016

Karen..Thankyou for your reply ...I understand what you are saying..Regards Ron...

murihikukid · September 25, 2016

Cole Robbie ..I have HPS and Metal Mercury (which I know is not Metal Hallide.) and my electric bill has been nearly $1200 for 3 months....my plants have a problem and I tried a bleach solution and now I have Tomatoes on stems ....

So basicly I am back to square one and before giving up I am going to try out a couple of ideas using " individual " plant lighting....Which may allow me to interchange their lighting to a degree....So as I see it its going to be CFL or LED but saying this I cannot get the variety of lighting available over in America...I wish I had electronic knowledge as I just came across this and wondered if it had any use in Tomato growing...I just cannot get over the brightness of this bulb...I Presume it has something to do with the spectrum he switches it on to....???

http://www.instructables.com/id/Conv...50-Smart-Lamp/
Play the video?
Anyway...At the moment I cannot even get over 50% of my seeds to grow in a commercial self watering propagator ??? Amazing how it had a great success rate 3 years ago when I purchased it which seems to indicate the more I try and learn the less success I have...

Cheers Ron

Cole_Robbie · September 25, 2016

Good golly. My power consumption costs 1/10th of that, and at the time of year, I need the extra heat anyway, so a big light makes sense for me. If your electricity is that expensive, LED would be the way to go, at least for fruiting plants. You can get by with CFL for seedlings.

Worth1 · September 26, 2016

I went to several sites in NZ and I have to say that place sucks for CFL lights.
The highest output I could find was 75 watts equivalent.
And they only have two spectrums 2700 and 6500.
I also found other people on line complaining of it.

KarenO · September 26, 2016

Hmm it's spring in New Zealand. Sun is the best light ��

berryman · September 26, 2016

Commercial growers of light loving indoor plants will often use reflectors around the plant(s).
In the past I have used the rigid foam insulation that has shiny aluminum on it and when using a HPS or two it creates a dazzling bright space for the plant that I think maximizes growth.
In order to make it cost effective to use all artificial light, the crop must be quite valuable....and probably illegal!

dmforcier · September 27, 2016

Not in Colorado, man.

biscuitridge · October 3, 2016

I was able to grow a 3lb-12oz.tomato indoors in the basement during the winter by using MH for plant growth and HPS for blooming and fruit maturity.

dmforcier · October 3, 2016

Given your electric bill, how expensive was that tomato?

Still, quite impressive!

murihikukid · October 4, 2016

Hi ...I have come across Zoomable Flashlights that seem to have an incredible amount of Lumens....So I have a question ....Can a torch/flashlight be powered via a PSU instead of batteries providing the PSU has a rail equivilant to the battery power..... Thanks Ron

September 25, 2016	#1
murihikukid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Invercargill New Zealand Posts: 1,022	Artificial Lighting... Hi....I am still trying to understand the value of light to a tomato plant and how best to apply artificial light (not to a seedling),,, My plants are inside and I have some ideas but I require some basics before trying out ..So my question is pretty simple .. IE.. Is light more beneficial to the top of the plant or right round the plant or both ?.... Thanks Ron

September 27, 2016	#10
dmforcier Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,825	Not in Colorado, man. __________________ Stupidity got us into this mess. Why can't it get us out? - Will Rogers

October 3, 2016	#12
dmforcier Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,825	Given your electric bill, how expensive was that tomato? Still, quite impressive! __________________ Stupidity got us into this mess. Why can't it get us out? - Will Rogers

September 25, 2016	#2
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,931	I am no expert but I would think the idea is, as much as possible, to mimic natural daylight. As such, natural daylight comes from above the plant but the angle changes throughout the day. therefore, if possible, light the plants from above and the sides. No matter what artificial light source is used it will still be a poor substitute for natural daylight imo. KarenO

September 25, 2016	#3
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	It probably depends on the variety of tomato, size of the plant, pruning techniques, stage of growth, and all sorts of other things. The greatest weakness of artificial light is inadequate spectrum. Unless you have the latest, greatest LEDs, an easy way to balance spectrum is to add another light of a different type. For example, if you are using a metal halide, add another high pressure sodium, or vice versa. That also gives you an additional point source, which helps, too, to reduce shadows.

September 26, 2016	#7
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I went to several sites in NZ and I have to say that place sucks for CFL lights. The highest output I could find was 75 watts equivalent. And they only have two spectrums 2700 and 6500. I also found other people on line complaining of it.

September 26, 2016	#9
berryman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: central utah Posts: 233	Commercial growers of light loving indoor plants will often use reflectors around the plant(s). In the past I have used the rigid foam insulation that has shiny aluminum on it and when using a HPS or two it creates a dazzling bright space for the plant that I think maximizes growth. In order to make it cost effective to use all artificial light, the crop must be quite valuable....and probably illegal!

October 3, 2016	#11
biscuitridge Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: washington Posts: 499	I was able to grow a 3lb-12oz.tomato indoors in the basement during the winter by using MH for plant growth and HPS for blooming and fruit maturity.