Check out the photo above. You might be wondering: why are these plants at a rave party? Is that a night club? Are they growing on a spaceship? Nope! The past few months, I have been talking to one of my bulb suppliers about this New LED technology created by Phillips. Growers are bringing plants from seeding to harvest with only these lights. If we succumb to climate change or a super volcano erupts (wink and sneer) …we will still be able to farm indoors. There’s a company selling trailers for growing out of shipping containers using this technology, Freight Farms.
Growing food in a vacant lot mid winter in Worcester, Mass…how cool is that !
I am not ready for that big of an investment. But I am doing some experimenting and getting a jump start on some flowers by planting them in tulip crates in my basement with these LEDs overhead.
Stock flowers growing in crates ( and they do have green leaves).
There are crops that want cool temperatures. Because our cold frame fluctuates in temperatures so dramatically, the cold frame can change quickly from freezing temps to very warm temps. This creates the effect of a plant “bolting,” or producing a bud and then flower very quickly, on a stem that is so short that it cannot be cut at a desirable length for arrangements or other decorative uses. To heat a greenhouse all winter at a consistent temperature is a frivolous waste of energy and resources.
Example of “Bolting” is the stem on the far right.
So this technology offers a dual purpose: flowers grow longer stems, and are also available earlier.
This technology is fairly new to flower growers. Full disclosure: I’m interested in giving an honest opinion and testimonial for the vendor who introduced me to the technology. I am hoping for great growth but only time will tell if this will be my winter growing panacea. So stay tuned in the next few months to see what’s growing on!
Oh yeah..and I have the added bonus of being super cool with…the best summer backyard party lights…EVERRR!
Nowadays craze of growing flower plants using LED technology is increasing day to day and is really a revolution you can say. There are lots of benefits of LED technology like increase growth rate as well as yields also.