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Post by hotwired on Feb 1, 2013 20:46:09 GMT -5
It makes sense that it's the UV that is harmful. But what would happen if you grew plants in an environment that filtered out UV light completely? Plants don't use wavelength below 380nm which is ultraviolet, however Plant usually build a resistance to it so the leaves won't sunburn and turn white. Plants are the same as people when it comes to UV. After a winter indoors, prolonged exposure to the sun will result in a sunburn. By slowly exposing the plants to UV the leaves can build a tolerance. Clear plastic will block a portion of the UV, so 4 days of sun through the plastic film is like a sunblock lotion. It exposes the plants to lower levels of UV. Here's two plants given 4 hours exposure, with one hardened under plastic and one in direct sunlight. Plants need Blue Spectrum for foliage growth and Red for Flowering. You should use both if you are growing flowers and want to sell blossoming plants. If you are growing vegetables for eventual planting out, then you really need Blue Light. Here are two curves from a Blue 6500K bulb and a Red 2300K bulb. They are overlaid over the PAR curve (plant requirements). I grow for planting outside, so I use entirely 6500K fluorescent tubes and CFL's. I have four 5500K 400w Daylight Metal Halides and my plants do better with the fluorescent bulbs, and so does my wallet. I have four T5 6500K bulbs that output 20,000 lumen(per square meter, so that's a huge amount of light. My halide bulbs drop to 18,000 lumen after the first 20 hours of use, then decrease slowly over time. The sun outputs 35,000 lumen/sq.meter maximum at high noon on Summer equinox. The average lumen for most of us is a peak of 18,000 to 20,000 on a clear day and that's full spectrum, while only 30-40% of that is in the blue spectral range, so my light outperforms the sun at it's brightest, relative to PAR. |
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Post by cortona on Feb 2, 2013 7:31:05 GMT -5
welcome onboard to all the newcomer, i surely will appreciate your posting, welcome welcome welcome!!!!!
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Post by raiquee on Mar 13, 2013 2:15:02 GMT -5
Hello! Newcomer here. Found this from a cross post from joeseph, from idigmygarden. I ended up reading the glass gem corn thread as I was interested in getting some seed. I took a look around and like it here! I've been gardening since I was 12 or so, maybe...15 years now? I'm just starting (the last couple years) on growing my own from seed, saving seed, learning about crosses, etc. I became a member of the dwarf project that Craig from N.C. Is running. Working with three varieties this year. Trying to stabilize these lines. Awesome project and I'm real glad to be a part of it. We are container gardening this year, but hopefully next year we will be planning a full acre garden plot that includes an orchard. I do have a YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/Raiquee Which is about homesteading, gardening, canning, etc. there will be a lot more vids of the dwarf project up there come growing time. |
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Post by stratcat on Mar 18, 2013 0:37:06 GMT -5
Welcome to HG, Raiquee.  |
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Post by bunkie on Mar 18, 2013 10:06:48 GMT -5
welcome aboard raiquee!
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Post by barefootgardener on Apr 13, 2013 0:43:06 GMT -5
Greetings from S. California.  new here but have been gardening for as long as I can remember. Just acquired a community garden plot at our local university's arboretum after years on a waiting list... woot woot. We will be using part of the plot as a learning and giving project for some kids and less fortunate in our area. It should be a win win project. Looks like we will mostly be growing in only partial sun or shade due to a very very old large tree near the plot. Soooo I am glad to be here and look forward to getting acquainted. Read more: alanbishop.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=youself&action=display&thread=7295#ixzz2QJrGNdi9 |
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Post by richardw on Apr 13, 2013 14:52:28 GMT -5
Hello raiquee and welcome,i to are part of the dwarf project and post under the name of Medbury gardens,anyway great to have ya on board.
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Post by allyh on Jun 5, 2013 20:17:36 GMT -5
Hi everybody. I'm newly registered here and new to posting, but I've actauly been lurking in the background reading (mostly)the Cucurbit section for the last couple of years. I found the site when I was googling about winter squash varieties, which I have fallen completely in love with. I posted somewhere else here a bit about myself, but basically I have a bit of space in a suburban backyard, dreaming of one day having more space. I just want to try growing anything and everything. At the moment I've got growing various brassicas, lettuce and lettuc-like things, two varieties of peas which grow well for me every year, some garlic and onions, and I've also got some peppers left over from the summer which are still bearing fruit and flowering. Its only just winter here (Melbourne, Australia) and I'm already thinking about what to plant in the summer - so many seeds I want to try out and not enough space. No doubt this is the lament of many a back yard gardener.  |
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Post by stratcat on Jun 5, 2013 21:43:20 GMT -5
Welcome, allyh. Glad you made it. You're in winter there
while I just started planting my tomatoes yesterday because
of the cold weather here. I hope you find a way to acquire
some of the Red Miracle Corn and Hutterite Soup Beans.
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Post by starry on Jun 6, 2013 13:24:55 GMT -5
New member. Been reading posts for a while....lots of incredibly interesting discussions and projects going on here. This is my first year doing annual gardening. I am very interested in permaculture, forest gardening, plant breeding, domesticating/breeding wild plants. Hope to start a few breeding projects this year. I live in Southern Ontario and have a small backyard but access to a larger 1 1/2 property as well. Look forward to contributing to discussions in the future.
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Post by richardw on Jun 7, 2013 14:41:27 GMT -5
Hi there starry and welcome
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Post by davida on Jun 7, 2013 21:58:53 GMT -5
New member. Been reading posts for a while....lots of incredibly interesting discussions and projects going on here. This is my first year doing annual gardening. I am very interested in permaculture, forest gardening, plant breeding, domesticating/breeding wild plants. Hope to start a few breeding projects this year. I live in Southern Ontario and have a small backyard but access to a larger 1 1/2 property as well. Look forward to contributing to discussions in the future. Welcome, Starry, and glad that you joined the forum. Several of us are interested in permaculture and would enjoy hearing what all you are doing. David |
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Post by nicollas on Jun 9, 2013 3:28:20 GMT -5
Hi, new member here, i have come to this board on an advice of Mike, i'm french, new gardener, and i'm interested in permaculture and rare fruits. I'll try to post here but does not know how i will be confident with english, we'll see I have 3 acres of steep slope, in the SW of France, zone 7b/8a. I have a blog (in french) about my permaculture design process : permaculture.eu.org/blog'Already read good stuff here ! |
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Post by bunkie on Jun 9, 2013 10:09:26 GMT -5
Hi, new member here, i have come to this board on an advice of Mike, i'm french, new gardener, and i'm interested in permaculture and rare fruits. I'll try to post here but does not know how i will be confident with english, we'll see I have 3 acres of steep slope, in the SW of France, zone 7b/8a. I have a blog (in french) about my permaculture design process : permaculture.eu.org/blog'Already read good stuff here ! Welcome to the forum nicollas! |
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Post by stratcat on Jun 9, 2013 11:35:01 GMT -5
Welcome Nicollas. Glad you made it. Don't worry about your English.
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new here but have been gardening for as long as I can remember. Just acquired a community garden plot at our local university's arboretum after years on a waiting list... woot woot. We will be using part of the plot as a learning and giving project for some kids and less fortunate in our area. It should be a win win project. Looks like we will mostly be growing in only partial sun or shade due to a very very old large tree near the plot. Soooo I am glad to be here and look forward to getting acquainted.
