understanding light

[Luci_ferson]

Light science

its probably got a proper name but if it has i dont know it. (probably photonics or something weird)
it is covered under the section of science known as physics.
we dont need to go into it too far or this will just get silly.
were not going to bother going into the complications of particles and photons and all the stuff most will never need.

most of you think of light as just something we see by.
it comes from the sun, or an electric light.
some will know it has UV particles etc that bombard our skin, but were not going to cover that either its not necessary
we all know we should wear sun cream by now.(maybe we should look into a simple homemade alternative though)

Light is made up of all colours and it affects all living things.
we think of it as white but it is not, all colours are present we see this as it splits when passing through a prism.
some of you will know that certain colours of light affect out night vision differently etc.

why is this important ?

light regulates all living things. from plants to animals.
light is how we know the seasons other than through the obvious means of cold wet windy snow etc.
some people suffer with winter blues if they dont get enough light, but thats not the only way that it affects us and the world around us.

Learning to manipulate light can bring many benefits.

if we extend the amount of hours a plant gets we can extend its vegetitive state and give us a longer growing period.
by lowering it we can make it flower (depending on the plant) giving us vegetables out of season.

but just altering the amount of light isnt enough. you need to alter the colour too.

this can be done with simple filters.

summer light has a different colour to it than autumn light and so does winter and spring.
the three colours that affect plants the most are red blue and orange. (HPS sodium bulbs are good for orange and red , metal halides are very strong in the blues))
flurescents are best avoided unless for cuttings or seedlings.

if your gonna extend a plants hours of light you need to know what colour the light is meant to be or the affect wont be desirable.
it could keep it in a prolonged growth period , but the growth would be too slow and pointless giving no benefit or the plant would become weak etc.

ive only touched the surface of this subject basically because im far from qualified to teach people about light.
I havent even touched light intensity which is just as important to plants.
My intention here is only to make you aware of a subject that isnt as straight forward as a lot of us think.
Light is a subject that is a lot easier to study whilst you have internet access.
than to try learning about after the SHTF when theres only 1 or 2 books on the subject dotted around the world.

Hydroponics can be a fascinating hobby , give it a try , its the hobby that rewards you with food.
and its always good to have food that shouldnt be capable of growing in england especially in the middle of november.

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to get a good understanding of both light and water there is an excellent book called Golden harvest
and its sister book called green harvest by G. Mayfield .
Its all relating to the illegal indoor growing of an illegal plant ( we all know which one)
but the information in there regarding light and water is the same for all plants.
only the parameters change.

Its only the basics, but its enough for what most people would ever require . its certainly the best book ever written on the subject of light and water from a gardeners point of view.
It even touches on organic hydroponics.
just don't go planting anything illegal.

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its all just science to me .

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bet you didn't know that insufficient light and wrong ph can turn some plants hermaphrodite.
wonder if its the same with humans lol

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and strong uv light will kill every single micro organism in water if its passed through. its why its sometimes in pond filters.

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not all, but all the ones that matter. and the rest of your filter didn't remove.

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the books I mentioned are pretty much classed worldwide as the illegal growers bible . it even shows you stealth methods of growing outdoors.
if its not in those two books then you don't really need to know it. learning more is just 4 fun.