Ok, just to start, I have to admit that this post is so far above my head that it might as well be written in Greek!
David, in your first post you mentioned that,
"Only 30 minutes per day of far red (>700 nm) produced a significant increase in size,"
so correct me if I'm wrong, but you are seeking to add far red lighting for 30 minutes per day to increase the size of your plant. Do you think its preferable to have one intense burst of red light at the beginning/end of the day (as in nature) or as a smaller dosage throughout the day? Would it be more efficient to have a few small red LED's strategically placed throughout your grow space that are on through the day or is it better to have lots of lights on for 30 minutes? I ask because I have recently purchased Ray's LED lights that plug into incandescent sockets. They have two small strips of red LEDs with a lot white ones. My guess is that the designer of these bulbs is banking on the importance red light in a small dosage through the day rather than one large dose. I have noticed that my small Stapelia variegata (cactus) has turned a really nice, healthy looking light purple color on the upper surface and I'm curious if this is due to the red lights in the LED. This plant has continued to grow during the winter, even though I understand they are normally supposed to be dormant during winter. I assume the growth is due to the warm temps afforded by indoor care.
I will be buying more of Ray's LEDs in the coming weeks/months as my indoor collection expands and I'm seeking to expand my VERY basic knowledge of the effects of lighting on my plants.
Finally, why did Philips compare their LED systems to T8 bulbs which are old technology and are less efficient than T5s? To me it seems that Philips is trying to bolster their product against a technologically less advanced version of the same product (ie. T8 vs. T5 bulb technology). Am I off base with this assumption?
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