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I know that uv lights are made up of red and blue light. Red light is more for growing and photosynthesis, and blue is more for maturity and reproduction. I've heard of people using red lights to make their plants have stronger and stalkier leaves and stems. Would pure blue lights make them mature faster or make the buds larger/stonger?
It's not that simple...While it's true the plants use a lot of blue and red, the plants need a broader spectrum of light than just red or just blue. They also use different wavelengths for veggin vs. flowering. You can't hardly beat the spectrum of an MH bulb for veggin and an HPS bulb for flowering tho. We are experimenting with a new induction light which seems mostly blue and reddish...strange lookin bulb and all!
Um, what?
UV stands for ultra violet.
Ultraviolet is a band of short wavelength, mostly invisible to the human eye, frequencies of light.
I think you meant to say LED, (Light emitting diodes).
If not, I see a need to read. :)
Aloha,
Weezard
I have a light but need to know if its uv
No.
It's not.
UV is not visible to the human eye.
If you can see it, and you are human, then it's not UV.
Read, read, read.
Weeze
The light is white like a UV is shaped like a UV and it is very hot and bright I was wondering if anything on the bulb (like the amount of watts or something idk) would let me know
can you show us a photo or link to a photo of this UV looking lamp?
This is the info that I found with a little websurfing.
GERMICIDAL BULBS UV-C Bulbs (VIEW ALL GERMICIDAL BULBS) Use these bulbs for: Air & Water Purification Surface & Material Purification
BLACKLIGHT BULBS
Blacklight BLB (UV-A Bulbs) (VIEW BULBS) Use these bulbs for:
Blacklight BLB style bulbs transmit UV light but use a dark filter to absorb visible light.
Special effects; phosphor glow Parties Stage lighting effects Inspections
Blacklight BL (UV-A Bulbs) (VIEW BULBS) Use these bulbs for:
Blacklight BL style bulbs transmit UV light and have a white finish that also transmits visible light.
Photosensitization applications Photochemical reaction applications Insect traps
PHOTOTHERAPY / TEST BULBS UV-B Bulbs (VIEW BULBS) Use these bulbs for: Dermatology phototherapy Tests / Inspections (UV resistance of materials) Scientific Analysis
UV Explanation & Wavelength Specifications
UV-A Bulbs Low-Pressure Mercury Arc Lamps UVA wavelength range: 315nm - 400nm Peak: 352nm or 368nm
UV-B Bulbs Low-Pressure Mercury Arc Lamps UVB wavelength range: 280nm - 360nm Peak: 306nm
UV-C Bulbs Low-Pressure Mercury Arc Lamps Germicidal Peak: 253.7nm Germicidal + Ozone Peaks: 253.7nm / 185nm
WHAT IS ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT?
Ultraviolet light is invisible to the human eye. It is part of the electromagnetic spectrum that lies beyond the purple range of the visible spectrum. The ultraviolet (or UV) spectrum has wavelengths between 100 and 400 nanometers (nm). The UV spectrum is further divided into wavelength ranges named UVA, UVB, UVC:
UVA: sun tanning, testing, inspection, insect traps, stage effects, blacklight, phototherapy* (315-400nm) UVB: sun burning, inspection, analysis, testing, phototherapy* (280-360nm) UVC: germicidal (253.7nm), ozone producing (185nm)
*Phototherapy for treatment of skin diseases uses bulbs emitting in the UVA and UVB spectral range. There is also non-UV phototherapy for treatment of infant jaundice. These bulbs, "bili lights", are low or non-UV emitting fluorescent or halogen sources with strong blue light in the visible spectral range of 425-475nm.
Warning: UV radiation is harmful to skin and eyes.
Grow Lighting Fundamentals.
Plant growth (photosynthesis) is determined by exposure to photons from the blue to the orange/red part of the spectrum (expressed in nanometer units of wavelength: 400nm - 700nm). The energy contained in light is absorbed in the chlorophyll of plants. Not all wavelengths of light are utilized with equal efficiency. The light sensitivity curve shows that orange/red and blue light are the most effective for growth. Blue spectrum light is most important in the active, vegetative phase of plant growth. Orange/red spectrum light is most important in the flowering, fruiting stage.
The spectral distribution charts below show the differences between daylight and typical grow lamp types.
Comparison of Daylight and Grow Light Spectral Distribution Guidelines
Photoperiod: Many flowering plants use a photoreceptor protein, such as phytochrome or cryptochrome, to sense seasonal changes in night length, or photoperiod, which they take as signals to flower. Photoperiodic flowering plants are classified as long-day plants, short-day plants and day-neutral plants. The regulatory mechanism is actually governed by hours of darkness, not the length of the day.
Long-day plants requires fewer than a certain number of hours of darkness in each 24-hour period to induce flowering. Examples of long-day plants:
Aster Nasturtium Dahlia Begonia Clover (Trifolium)
Short-day plants flower when the night is longer. Examples of short-day plants:
Chrysanthemum Poinsettia Strawberry Coffee
Day-neutral plants are not limited by photoperiod. Examples of day-neutral plants:
Carnation Rose
HPS grow lamps: HPS is often selected for photoperiod manipulation when a significant amount of daylight is also available. In situations where there is little daylight, HPS lamps are best used in conjunction with Metal Halide, specifically at the flowering phase of growth. Plants grown solely under HPS lamps have a tendency to stretch and become "leggy".
Metal Halide grow lamps: Strong in the blue portion of the spectrum, metal halide lamps are best used at the propagation, vegetative, early phase of plant growth.
Fluorescent lamps: Generally not as intense a light source as HPS or Metal Halide, fluorescent lamps are a good source when space is limited or the area to be illuminated is relatively small. Standard fluorescent lamps provide a good broad spectrum of light. Modified fluorescent lamps are available that emphasize the red and blue ends of the spectrum. However, experiments done at the Canada Department of Agriculture and at the University of Connecticut show that there is no plant growth advantage in using blue-red fluorescent lamps compared to standard high output cool, white fluorescent bulbs.
and now, why are you using UV lighting to try and grow plants? I don't understand at all.