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npthaskell

Lamps & UV isssues

npthaskell
18 years ago

In the previous thread, "Why not blue?", the issue came up as to whether bluish fluorescent or metal halide lamps put out too much UV. The "Why not blue?" thread has evolved into a rather technical discussion that may not be suitable for newbies. I hope to keep this thread of interest to newbie gardeners and advanced horticulturalists alike.

The scope of discussion: "Does any lamp (bluish or not) put out too much UV?". "Any lamp" can include solar or filtered solar light. "Too much UV" is from the perspective of the plant, household paint and fabric (will any given lamp damage your home?), or human (skin cancer, blindness).

Also within scope: "Does any given lamp put out enough UV?" Does UV have any positive effects on plants? Also, does UV have any positive effects on the ability of a pollinator or human to visualize flower or leaf color, or the ability of the human to enjoy plant flavor or scent?

I'll start off with a link to a General Electric page, from which you can compare solar to various artificial lamps. Unfortunately, only some of these spectra cover UV. I'll look for a better solar spectrum.

Here is a link that might be useful: GE Spectral Curves

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