Health Concerns with Grow Lights?

[DesignerofBeauty]

Originally Posted by naoki

UV is emitted from some fluorescent bulbs, but not a lot. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluore...mps_and_health

White LEDs don't emit UV, but majority of white LEDs emit lots of blue light (especially the cooler white ones). Some people are concerned about the effects of blue light. Blue light influences many aspects of health because circadian rhythm can be influenced by blue light. So it might be better to avoid it at night if you are sensitive.

That's another question I had. Most of the LED lights seem to have blue/red in them. Can I use white LED lights to grow my orchids?

---------- Post added at 05:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:20 PM ----------

Originally Posted by u bada

Yeah, lighting would certainly help in that case... the fact the fittonia isn't burning in that spot is telling, didn't notice till looking at pics on my cp just now... the catts and the den would need the most lighting for sure... what catts are they? some can handle less light than others.

I have an "Otaara Hwa Yuan Bay 'She Shu' AM/OROC" a
"Lc.Tropical Chip 'Andromeda'" and a "Slc. Crystelle Smith 'Aileen' AM/AOS".

Also, that fittonia sure is temperamental! It loves very very humid conditions. It also gets wilted even when the soil is very wet.

[Salixx]

Originally Posted by DesignerofBeauty

---------- Post added at 05:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:20 PM ----------
Also, that fittonia sure is temperamental! It loves very very humid conditions. It also gets wilted even when the soil is very wet.

That would be the primary reason I gave my red colored fittonia to my mother. I didn't want to deal with it dropping leaves and pouting anymore. It's probably dead now . I have a green one that's just fine unless it gets really dry. Go figure

I have some grow lights set up in my room in the daylight spectrum and I loosely (within 45min or so) follow outside daylight hours. Currently, they come on at 7am and go off at around 5:30pm. I adjust as day length changes, though generally leave the on time at 7am because any earlier and my boyfriend may kill me. I do use a timer - something that I can't emphasize enough for ease and regularity. Not all my light set-ups have timers, but the plants are probably happier in the ones that do because the sun rises and sets at the right time each day.

As already mentioned, blue-spectrum light has become a concern recently in relation to circadian rhythms and melatonin production. If you limit exposure and don't have them on for at least an hour before bed, you should be fine. This is the standard advice for all blue wavelength emitting lights including phones, tablets and computers.

[naoki]

Originally Posted by DesignerofBeauty

That's another question I had. Most of the LED lights seem to have blue/red in them. Can I use white LED lights to grow my orchids?

Sure. You can grow plants in many different kinds of light as long as you have enough light. For example, incandescent light is considered inefficient for human eyes, but it is not too bad for plants.

People used to think those purple LEDs are efficient, but that is an old thinking. Top-end white grow light is as efficient now in terms of plant photosynthesis (and can be cheaper).

[UserName]

Hi DesignerofBeauty. Here is a very good page for you to look through, relating to protecting yourself from the deleterious effects of sunshine.

Home | EWG's 2016 Guide to Sunscreens

You can do particular product searches on there for ratings based on health considerations.

There is also an "app" you can use with on-the-go internet devices for (health hazard) ratings of many personal care products. It is the Think Dirty app.