Low e will certainly effect plant growth. Ultraviolet Light (UV) Ultraviolet light is comprised of three different wavelength ranges of light. UVC (200-280nm) has the shortest wavelength and most energy, but is potentially the most stressful to plants and human skin causing sunburn and can be very damaging to human eyes. Fortunately, for humans and plants atmospheric absorption eliminates the majority of UVC shortwave light. no need for a window film to block it. UVB (280-315nm) has a short wavelength, high energy and also causes sunburn in humans and plants. UVB is known to damage protein and nucleic acids in plant cells, causing decreased metabolism and decreased number of flowers. UVB can have positive effects as well.. A plant responds to the stress and sunburn from UVB wavelengths, by creating it’s own sunscreen in the form of trichomes and cretinoid. Exposure to UVB radiation is also known to reduce a plants biomass, plant height and leaf area, but increase leaf thickness. lack of UVB causes leggy plants. Finally, UVA and near ultraviolet light (315-400nm) has the longest wavelengths of UV light and can be very beneficial to plant development. Wavelengths in the UVA spectral range are included in the absorption spectrum, particularly in the 380nm range. The absorption spectrum is the range of wavelengths of light that are absorbed by green chlorophyll for photosynthesis. Additionally, research has shown that exposing plants to UVA light can also inhibit mold growth and fungal development. Far-Red and Infrared Light On the far end of the spectrum (>700nm) you find far-red and infrared wavelengths of light. Far-red and infrared light have very long wavelengths, and very little energy. Infrared wavelengths are not visible to the human eye and only can be felt as heat. We know that blue and red light is optimal for plant development, but research conducted in 1957 has shown that combining blue light and red light with far-red/infrared light (700-760nm), led to an increased rate of photosynthesis due to the Emerson effect. The protein Phytochrome is the only known receptor that is sensitive to far-red/infrared wavelengths. Plants use Phytrochrome to regulate when a plant is to switch from vegetation state to flowering, and the time of flowering, due to the length of daylight or exposure to artificial light. The appropriate amounts of far-red and infrared light can also be a very effective at promoting robust stem growth, proper node spacing, and more flowers and fruit. Too much IR radiation can also be an issue because to a plant the majority of IR radiation is felt as heat. consider the amount of light (PAR or PPFD) needed to successfully grow your plants. then decide if low e is sufficient for you. It may lack certain lighting requirements.

The ones I purchased on clearance did have black wilted leaves...couldn't tell if it was overwatering, poor air circulation, lack of light, or all of the above. I cleaned them up, removing the bad foliage and trimmed the broken stems. The improvement was almost immediate. They have perked up a lot, but I still will not plant in the ground until they look strong and healthy. I think Lowes felt they were near dead when they put them on clearance, but for us gardeners near dead is not DEAD, right?

Thanks Mike for the correction. What configuration change (if any) would you suggest for creating the growing light arrays with these sets? For the last several days I had visited 4 different Lowes stores only picking up 5 sets or so at a time. I've got about 37 boxes, so I can be creative.. of course some will actually be used on my Christmas trees too! :) If anyone needs the coupon, let me know. I'm not sure if you need to register on Slickdeals to get the coupon page someone assembled that has 4 of them on a single page for printing.

Slightly OT, but a couple of people were expressing surprise at the difference in food prices in different areas. The thing that always amazes me is how different the food prices can be from store to store, neighborhood to neighborhood. Here in my town, there are 3 major grocery stores and the prices vary wildly among them. There is the Raley's which is sort of the "high tone" store...very clean, attractively maintained, with a foo-foo coffee bar, deli, bakery, hot dish take out counter and even a Japanese lady who comes in and makes fresh sushi. Over priced plants and assorted gifts are available, and there is a satellite bank inside. The meats are sold both in packages and over a butcher/seafood counter. The only time I shop there is if I'm looking for some more exotic ingredient I might not find in the other stores because the prices are outrageous. Then there is the Save Mart, which also has a deli and bakery. The deli carries a few hot items, but is not nearly as varied as the Raley's. It has also recently added a butcher/seafood counter, again not quite as extensive as the Raley's. It also offers plants and a few gifts, though not quite as overpriced. It is clean, not as high tone in decor, the prices are lower than Raley's for the most part, though they have been creeping up. Both of these stores are in the heart of town, on the main drag. Last is a Cost Less Market which is in a run-down looking mini mall that generally has at least 2 storefronts vacant, as you leave town. The store itself is clean enough, it just doesn't look so because everything is old...no remodeling done in quite a few years. The aisles are cramped and crowded, the deli consists of a separate counter that offers a few meats and cheeses other than cheddar, Swiss, American and Jack, and a few breads other than what the bread aisle holds. The cashiers tend to be a bit more "earthy", not as er...urbane...as in the other stores. However, the prices are amazingly lower than in the other two stores on most items. Eggs tend towards a dollar less a dozen, milk as well. Having gone into the Save Mart the other day, I happened to notice that their red potatoes were almost 3 times the price they are at Cost Less, the apples double, and many of their sale price meats are a fair amount more expensive than the Cost Less non-sale prices. I know that some people might go to the first two stores because they want deli or bakery items and then just shop for groceries as well, but for a major grocery trip, the Cost Less isn't more than 5 or 7 minutes away from the other two, certainly worth the trip.