Algae and LEDs

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Administrator
algae

Night Seaweed

Think algae is just a slimy nuisance that signals the dreaded cleaning of the tank?  That’s not all.  Algae supports much of the life  on our planet and has the potential to provide a solution to many of the problems of our time.

Algae occur in almost every habitat on earth.  We are already using forms of algae in everything from ice cream to rubber.  You can eat it, fuel your car with it, clean your smokestack and wastewater with it.

The study of the beneficial uses of algae opens a new world of potential that we have only begun to investigate.  By providing a light source without heat, we are able to mimic the environment of all forms of algae in controlled environments.   LED grow lights will light the way.

For more information visit http://www.led-grow-master.com/Researchers.html

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Year Round Tomatoes

Posted on June 12, 2010 by Administrator

People want a year round supply of high quality tomatoes.  Many potential clients are forced to import them during the winter months.  Economically, it makes sense to create a year round supply because a shortage of local produce creates inflated prices during low production months.  The barrier to local growers has been the shortage of places in the US that get the required 14 hours of sunlight for more than 4 months out of the year.

HPS lighting has been the most common solution to bring a growing operation into year round production.

LED grow lights for tomatoes

Growing Tomatoes under LEDs

The drawbacks are enough to keep most growers producing in season.  HPS lighting uses ridiculous amounts of electricity and reaches temperatures of up to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit.   This excess heat creates a great deal of waste in terms of water loss and ventilation in warmer months when the price of electricity is at it’s peak.  These same lights have a very short lifetime making bulb replacements a recurring cost while adding poisons such as lead and mercury to our landfills.

LED Grow Master lighting uses 90% less energy than the most efficient HPS with only trace amounts of heat.  They are rated for 100,000 hours of life with no light degradation.  LGM products contain no lead, mercury, glass parts, or shock/fire/burn risks that are common in traditional lighting.

We can produce locally, efficiently, and year round.

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The Best LED Grow Lights

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Administrator
LED Microgreens

LGM1 microgreens

All LED grow lights are not created equal.  Among the LEDs marketed as grow lights, LED Grow Master Global chose SolarOasis technology because it was the most efficient,  spectrally rich LED plant light source available at the time.    Almost a decade later-  SolarOasis continues to set the standard for LED plant lighting.   We are now able to offer 6 versions including terrestrial and aquaria models.

Today we will look at the most basic model- the LGM1 LED grow light.  This is the standard model that is recommended for veg and leafy greens such as lettuce that is not expected/desired to bloom.  These LED grow lights are designed for maximum performance at the manufacturer’s recommended hanging height of 12-14″.  This applies to  one-three standard bars hung alone.    When LGM plant lighting is placed in a multi-bar array (4 or more LGM1 on a SunMount) the light from each cluster blends and intensifies the light emitted.  When used as a multi-bar array, the LGM1 needs to be 24″ x 30″ away from the tops or sides of your plants.  This concept of proper placement is very important to the health of your plants.  Unlike HID lighting, light emitting diodes have built in reflectors that prevent the light from scattering throughout the area.  The grow lights must be mounted within the parameters in order to properly blend the different wavelengths needed by your plants.

While our LGM3 and LGM5 are the more advanced models designed to support growth and development through all cycles of growth, if you are just growing microgreens or the sort-  the LGM1 is the most affordable and runs on the smallest electrical draw (a mere 6 watts.)   Our LED grow light is rated for 100,000 hours.  Thrifty shoppers will find that the energy savings and long lifetime of LGM  lighting makes them the most affordable,  long-term LED option on the planet.

Check back next week and I will fill you in on why the LGM3 is equally (if not more) great than the LGM1!

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Living LED Grow Lights

Posted on February 14, 2010 by Administrator
LED Grow Lights

LEDs at the Palms

I have grown with LEDs for over 8 years now.  In the world of LED grow lights, that makes me an old-timer.  Not only have I been growing under LEDs, but also answering emails and phone calls about LEDs from researchers, commercial growers, and hobbyists all over the world.   I’m an expert.  I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t work in most situations.  Thus was born the LED Grow Master gardening tips.

The funny thing is that because the bars are so easy to install, many people do not bother reading the literature included in each package.  I admit that I have a tendency to not read directions.  If something appears too complicated for my common sense- I may read the section I find helpful.   If you are one of these people, I urge you to make an exception and read all the way through the information provided with your LEDs.

LED grow lights are unlike any light source you have used before.   Changing from a traditional white light bulb to LEDs will change your entire environment including the temperature, watering schedule, nutrient, and CO2 requirements.   I have found a range of recommendations from one manufacturer to the next so be sure to follow the advice that is specific to LGM products.   LED technology is advancing rapidly and we are always happy to pass on what we have learned.  Now we just have to get you to read it…  –AL

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LED Aqua-Bar

Posted on February 5, 2010 by Administrator

SolarOasis is shaking up the standard view on aquarium lighting.  Most of today’s freshwater aquatic plants originated in Central and South America.  They are accustomed to bright light.  In order to replicate their natural environment, aquarists of the past were faced with their choice of high heat/ low efficiency lighting.

The SolarOasis Aqua-Bar raises the bar.  Emitting only trace amounts of heat and operating on less than 9 watts of electricity- they have created a low voltage light that is rated for 100,000 hours of life with no light degradation.  This is  10 to 20 times longer than traditional aquarium lighting.  The Aqua-Bar requires no ballast and mounts easily to the top or sides of your aquarium.

Based on SolarOasis patented LED grow light technology, the Aqua-Bar provides excellent primary and supplemental grow lighting to support the growth and development of all photosynthesizing organisms (plants, algae, coral, and bacteria) commonly found in both fresh and saltwater aquariums.   Yet another reason to switch to energy efficient LEDs.  Find out more at:  http://www.led-grow-master.com/Coral3.html –AL

Posted in Algae, Aqua-Bar, efficient lighting, grow light, LEDs, saltwater aquariums, SolarOasis, Technology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

A Credit to Good Lighting

Posted on February 7, 2009 by Administrator

The genus Heliamphora contains 16 species of pitcher plants native to the mountaing tops of South America.  They have tubular shaped leaf forms that evolved mechanisms to avoid completely filling up with water and attract, trap, and kill insects.  The leaf size ranges from a few centimeters up to more than a meter.

Small pitcher plants trap flys, beetles, and ants.  A clever design attracts the insects with a sweet nectar spoon feature.  The nectar acts as a drug that makes the insect unsteady as if drunk.   Next, the unfortunate insect finds that the smooth pitcher walls offer an unstable foothold.  The lowermost region of the pitcher have sharp, downward pointing hairs that prevent the upward movement of prey and becomes a watery, digestive prison.

It is recommended that this particular carnivore be grown in a terrarium.  The best coloring of  Heliamphora develops with bright, diffuse light, and cool conditions.  The heat from windows and artificial lighting is often too intense for a terrarium.  The ideal night/day temperature range is 50-75 degrees Fahrenheit.  LED Grow Master lighting has overcome these obstacles to achieve an intense red color- a credit to good lighting.  By using led grow lights to light your terrarium, no heat is added, over 85% of the light from the LGM line will pass through to your plants, and the glass will stay mostly clear of condensation.  Heliamphora provide an exotic touch to terrarium growing and can be an excellent learning tool for the classroom if conditions can be provided.  –AL

Carnivorous Pitcher Plant

Carnivorous Pitcher Plant

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What the Sun Can Do With LED Grow Lights

Posted on November 4, 2008 by Administrator

alfred29thoct Leonardo Da Vinci predicted a solar industrialization as far back as 1447.  As we speak, Australia  plans to build the world’s largest space-age solar power station.  It will power 45,000 homes, cost about 420 million dollars, and save the earth from 400,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions a year.  Here in the US, Bush’s proposed 2007 budget includes a Solar America Initiative that promises to make solar technologies more affordable by 2015.

The advantages are clear.  Solar energy can be used without the emission of pollutants, is unlimited in supply, and can be stored and used to do just about anything.  Thanks to the engineering genius of Solar Oasis, that now includes solar powered plant lighting.The low power requirement of LGM led grow lights simplify the conversion to a solar energy system.  A solar “photo-voltaic” panel/battery system of 324 watts @24Vdc will supply ample power for a 56 Gro-Bar light grid layout, alowing the lights to operate continuously, 24 hours a day.  A solar system of this size has an estimated cost of under $3,000 per planting bed, for 100% power grid independence while maximizing grow chamber utilization.  The implication for a solar community is food, grown anywhere, using the least amount of water, regarless of the availability of farmland.  So Sun, and go SolarOasis!

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Take It Easy

Posted on October 4, 2008 by Administrator

I come from a family of farmers and carpenters. I was raised on the adage there is no substitute for hard work. But increasingly, I’m finding that actually, there is. Technology seems to be advancing far faster than work ethic.  ”Go mow the lawn.”  is no longer an afternoon sweating in the hot sun.  Now kids can hit the button in the garage that activates their automatic mulching lawn mower.  It parks and turns itself off when the job is done. “Go water the garden.”  Well, it is on a timer.  ”Bring in the firewood.”  Forget about it- all propane.  It seems that these days, even the very lazy can get things done.
 You would think that in a time when our children’s lego set can be programmed to bring you a glass of water, that we could just spend our days relaxing with a glass of wine in a hammock somewhere.  But somehow the
average American still finds 34 hours of work a week on top of their household chores.  Could it be so wrong to take the easy way?  Are dishes really cleaner when you wash them by hand?  Does dinner really taste better when you cook it yourself?  I’m not so sure.
 What does this have to do with LED’s you say? The answer is this. When some people are inserting provided screws into the proper disc holes (A or B) and threading screws into the correct cylinder holes (1,2,3, or 4) while mounting their high voltage 50 pound ballast and glass bulb, I will plug in my LED Grow Master bar and mount it over my plants with two tacks and some dental floss and spend my evening drinking wine in the hammock. Cheers to living easy!

LED grow lights

LED grow lights

Posted in efficient lighting, gardening, grow light, indoor gardening, led gardening, LED Grow Master, led plant light, LED plant lighting, Technology | Leave a comment

The Real Cost of Electricity

Posted on July 12, 2008 by Administrator

Efficient Lighting

Efficient Lighting

 

     According to the Department of Energy, 85% of the electricity used in the U.S. Is generated by fossil fuels.  Of the largest 1000 fossil fuel-fired power plants in the U.S., 77% are not subject to air pollution controls under the Clean Air Act’s New Source Review requirements.  The generation of electric power produces more pollution than any other single industry in the United States. The statistics are similar in other industrialized nations.  Despite the efforts of 1000′s of organizations working towards a sustainable future, energy consumption continues to increase at a time when demand threatens to exceed our limited  resources.
       An important part of reducing our dependence on fossil fuels is improving energy efficiency (that is, getting more use out of the electricity we are already creating.) Ingenuity is addressing the problem head on with Hybrid cars, energy efficient homes, energy efficient lighting, and a move toward renewable, green, energy sources.  
     We have come to the realization that using our resources efficiently is the quickest, cheapest, and cleanest way to extend our energy supply.   LED Grow Master would like to congratulate everyone who has chosen to grow with the most efficient lighting option available.  The LED Grow Master grow lights use 33 times less energy than comparable metallic vapor lights. ( Based on 3 LED Grow Master bars per 400 watt MH.) According to a study by the EPA, this energy savings is equivalent to planting a 1/2 acre of trees per year.  If you would like to learn of more ways to save energy in your home or business-  visit  http://www.led-grow-master.com

 

 

 

 

 

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Lighting For the Show

Posted on March 4, 2008 by Administrator

For some of us our garden is more than just a source of food. For many it is also the place where we bring visitors and customers so they can be filled with the awe of our green thumb. It is times like these that LED gardeners are prone to be aware of the “graying” of plants under LED’s. The reason for this is the plant specific spectrum used in the LED Grow Master bars.

Plant leaves reflect light colors that are not used efficiently for growing. Under white light, most plants look some shade of green. This is because traditional plant lights are based on room lighting that uses the colors that the human eye is most sensitive to – green and yellow. But since the LED Grow Master line of lighting supplies colors that plants can use, very little light is reflected from the leaves. The plant absorbs nearly all of the light with the exception of a very small amount of green light included in each bar to dilate your pupil. The result is a plant that looks like it’s in a darkroom. This is also a sign that you are not spending money to create light that your plants are not using.

In conclusion, our lighting is for plants and not people. So when the day comes to show off all of your hard work, you may want to keep this in mind. Just supplement a little sunshine. If that is not an option- full spectrum lighting will give excellent color rendering and is an efficient alternative to incandescent bulbs. Garden on.

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