cruzmisl, Someone told me that it's better to just leave outdoor CFL bulbs on all the time, it helps them last longer. I guess the on & off is what is hard on the bulb & can shortened the life. And because of their low energy usage, the on all the time thing doesn't cost that much. And then the light is always ready, no warm up time. Do I know this for a fact? No, but I'm trying it for 2 reasons. One is the bulbs I had were not lasting any where near 5 years like they claim so maybe the off & off thing has some merit. And two it's not as obvious we're out of town if the light is always on versus some nights they are on and then for a week or more they are not turned on. If the CFLs lasted as long as they claim I shouldn't be replacing any of them and yet I have. In my kitchen light (see above), my porch lights, the one LR light. Last time I did any research, and I use that word very loosely, LEDs still had a way to go to be practical. I guess it's time to start researching again. Oh joy, can't wait to start reading up on CFLs, LEDs, wattage, snore....

I just found another article, which goes into it in depth - no pictures, but handy to take to the light bulb store. Here is a link that might be useful: article on light bulbs

Hi, Dave. I can see this is bugging you. ;-) The science, simplified: A higher degree of expression of the pigment anthocyanin (which expresses the color red or purple) in juvenile foliage is very common throughout the plant kingdom for a couple of reasons. First, even though the pigment absorbs light w/o being a part of the photosynthetic process, it plays a photoprotective role for new leaves that emerge under high light conditions - when they are in an ontogenetic stage that make them more sensitive/vulnerable to light over-saturation. If you were able to quantify it at home ..... the reduction in anthocyanin's expression would be seen to correspond with a decreased need for photoprotection, this, because photosynthetic maturation allows leaves to utilize higher light intensities. A major consideration (that occurs during photosynthetic maturation) is an increase in chlorophyll, the pigment often referred to as 'nature's sunscreen for plants'. In short the red coloration disappears as photopigment concentrations and leaf cuticle thickness increases, both of which would be occurring as mesophyll underlying the leaf cuticle differentiates into separate pallisade and spongy layers. Second (but probably not a consideration in F benjamina), the red coloration is also very often associated with an increase in phenolic compounds that serve as defense against insect predation or herbivory by making leaves unpalatable. It's also thought in many circles that the red coloration may make leaves more difficult for some insects and herbivores to see, and may signal insects that the affected leaves are a less nutritional food source than bright green foliage elsewhere, or that it would make a poor receptacle for ovaposition. Al

Hi Dave, That is interesting. Most of my bulbs are GE and I haven't noticed a color shift, but I haven't been comparing them like you have. I have a lot of 6500K bulbs, but some with lower K ratings, like 5000K and even a few very warm ones in the 3000K range. All of my bulbs are over a year old, some as old as 10 years. ZM