@poic.us: Did you know you can use Christmas lights as a low cost alternative to traditional grow lights? The light spectrum plants utilize for photosynthesis is known as Photosynthetic Active Radiation (or PAR). This consists of all light waves from 400-700 nm, including ultraviolet, infrared, and everything in between. We don’t know a lot about how or why this range of light benefits plants, but what we do know is that plants deprived of these essential light waves are greatly outperformed by those that are exposed to it. Here’s the catch–you DON’T have to shell out a fortune to buy fancy grow lights for your greenhouse! Most LED lights are labeled with a CRI rating. Any light bulbs with a CRI rating over 80 will closely resemble the light spectrum of natural daylight, and work great for growing plants! If they aren’t labeled with a CRI rating, any lights labeled as “daylight” will typically get the job done. Generally, cooler toned lights emit more UV waves and are better for producing foliage, while warmer toned lights emit more infrared waves, triggering the plants to produce more carbohydrates–AKA sweeter, more nutritionally dense plants! So how do we use Christmas lights to improve our greenhouse efficiency? Here in Usk, WA, our days are characterized by gray, overcast skies…which are not very helpful in growing tomatoes. We’ve installed a couple of overhead LED garage lights to simulate dawn and dusk conditions, extending our daily growing hours and supplementing our midday sunlight. The Christmas lights are then strung underneath the canopy, near the middle and bottom leaves which would otherwise be blocked from overhead light. This turns every leaf on the plant into a bifacial solar panel, allowing the plant to take in twice as much light and double its rate of photosynthesis! Just take a look at all the beautiful tomatoes we have ripening on the vine–the proof’s in the produce. Merry Christmas from everyone at the Datacenter Greenhouse and thank you for your continued love and support! If you learned something new, give this post a like and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. If you want to donate to help bring local, sustainable food sources to rural communities, click the link in our bio! #greenhousegarden #gardening101 #gardeninghack #plantlightsgrowthlamps #plantlightsetup #growingvegetables #growingveggiesathome #cheapgardening #growingtomatoes #northerngardening #northerngardener #uskwashington #howtogardenlikeapro #petesimmons #poic #barbaraoneill #organicgardening #seedlinggreenhouse #grownindirt #organicgardeningmethods #HowToGrowFood #greenhousegrower #homesteadmama #homesteadtoktok #gardeninghacks #plantgrowthcheck #plantgrowlights #sustainableagriculture

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Sunday 24 December 2023 16:51:40 GMT