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09-02-2004, 03:09 PM

Craig,

Just want to correct a few things that you said, but over all you hit the nail on the head. I am a plant physiologist so I spend a lot of time thinking about light. I spose a lot of that has to do with the fact that I study photosynthesis (well thats the short version anyway). The Kelvin rating of the bulb has more to do with how it apears to us then the actual spectrum of light it produces (the appreance issues holds for Lumens and CRI as well). Watts would be a measure of how much energy the bulb uses, not how much it produces. Though you would assume the more it uses, the more it puts off. Point is it is not a measure of intesity. PAR is the only safe bet to go by. Bigger PAR, more energy you to have drive photosynthesis and the more light demanding things you can keep.

The other thing to keep in mind is that the range over which a photsynthetic organism can be acclimated is generally quite large, which may have a lot to do with the reason the lighting needs of these organisms remain so crudely deffined.

09-02-2004, 03:09 PM	#3 (permalink)
jay Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Lighting in Layman's Terms? Craig, Just want to correct a few things that you said, but over all you hit the nail on the head. I am a plant physiologist so I spend a lot of time thinking about light. I spose a lot of that has to do with the fact that I study photosynthesis (well thats the short version anyway). The Kelvin rating of the bulb has more to do with how it apears to us then the actual spectrum of light it produces (the appreance issues holds for Lumens and CRI as well). Watts would be a measure of how much energy the bulb uses, not how much it produces. Though you would assume the more it uses, the more it puts off. Point is it is not a measure of intesity. PAR is the only safe bet to go by. Bigger PAR, more energy you to have drive photosynthesis and the more light demanding things you can keep. The other thing to keep in mind is that the range over which a photsynthetic organism can be acclimated is generally quite large, which may have a lot to do with the reason the lighting needs of these organisms remain so crudely deffined.