FlowerForcer™

2008-06-30T11:18:00.001-07:00

Order your FlowerForcer™ today

2008-06-30T00:18:00.000-07:00

We currently have the 8% Blue FlowerForcer™, the Original FlowerForcer™ and the Xtreme Blue in stock. The Emerald and Platinum LED panels must be pre-ordered. We also have power supplies in stock.

All of our 900 LED FlowerForcer™ panels are complete and include the necessary components. Upgrades to existing FlowerForcer™ panels can be made by special request. We have LED bulbs in a variety of wavelengths with which we would be pleased to upgrade your FlowerForcer™ panels.

Due to fluctuating gas prices there are no prices on this website and shipping costs can vary. Please send an email to flowerforcer@gmail.com for more information and to place an order. We accept payments via PayPal and money orders.

Growing vegetables indoors with LED grow lights

2008-06-29T23:17:00.000-07:00

Some interesting links to get you started growing with LED grow lights:

The Potted Garden
http://www.pfaf.org/leaflets/potted.php

There are many people who would like to be able to grow some food plants but do not have a garden or access to an allotment. All is not lost, however, if you have a small back yard or a balcony - even a few square metres of outdoor space is enough to grow a surprising amount of food in pots. Indeed, I remember seeing a gardening programme on television where a person living quite high up in a tower block has filled his balconies with pot plants to such an effect that the area looked more like a woodland garden than the balcony of a high-rise flat!

This leaflet will look at some of the perennial plants that can be grown in pots and tubs to provide food all the year round. Whilst, in theory at least, it is possible to grow most plants in pots, this leaflet will concentrate on the smaller plants that can be grown in restricted spaces, especially those that are very productive even in pots or provide smaller quantities of very nutritious foods.

Grow Light Systems Add Value for City Gardeners
http://www.articlesblogger.com/uncategorized/928/grow-light-systems-add-value-for-city-gardeners/

Indoor gardeners and horticulture enthusiasts alike can benefit from the added value that grow light systems provide. While many gardeners have the luxury of spaces available outdoors for gardening, others live in ideal climates the majority of the year. Then there are those of us who have neither perfect conditions or the landscape available for outdoor gardening. But for every challenge, there is a solution. Grow light systems not only enable indoor growing during colder months, but for city dwellers where space is limited, they provide the ability to literally turn an enclosed patio, basement or even a closet into a garden. Plants that are fairly easy to grow include berries, tomatoes, herbs and flowering bulbs such as daffodils, onions and lilies.

Hydroponic Gardening
http://hydrogarden-hydroponic-gardening.blogspot.com/2008/02/personal-benefits-of-hydroponics-indoor.html:

Hydroponic systems allow for greater yield. Your plants are healthier and larger and the controlling of the environment allows for faster growth, enabling a person to produce a greater number of crops each year. Water usage is lower because the hydroponic system makes it unnecessary to constantly hose down your plants to prevent damage from dry weather and “recycles” the water that it does use. Gardening tools can cost a great deal of money, but an effective hydroponic system can be set up for little cost. Something as simple as a fish tank, with pump, can be a container and grow lights are inexpensive to run. If a gardener opts for LED grow lights, which are just as effective as high intensity discharge lights, the cost can be reduced even further.

Progressive Gardening on Grow Lights
http://progressivegardening.com/plantgrowinglights.html:

To determine how much light a plant will require, consider where and how it grows best in its natural environment. Most vegetables, for instance, grow best in full sunlight, which means as much light as possible must be supplied to grow vegetables indoors. Foliage houseplants like the Philodendron grow in full shade and therefore can grow normally with relatively little artificial light. Exotic plants, such as Bromeliads and Orchids, grow in varying conditions depending on the species. Some grow in deep shade in the jungle, while others grow in bright sunlight. The lighting level required for growth indoors depends upon the characteristics of the particular plant being grown.

Growing under artificial lights
http://www.wegrow.in/growing-under-lights/

Advancements in artificial lighting technologies over the past decade have introduced a whole new generation of plant growing lights for the indoor seed starter, gardener, and houseplants enthusiast that are brighter, more efficient, and better looking than ever. Now it is possible to remove the weather aspect of gardening forever, by bringing your garden into your home. Now you can even grow vine-ripe tomatoes indoors, all year long with high intensity garden lighting!

Advantages of LED Lighting

2008-06-29T23:11:00.000-07:00

There are many advantages to using LEDs for your indoor and outdoor lighting, including grow lights:

LED Advantages on Daily Facts says:

Light Emitting Diodes (LED's) have many advantages compared to incandescent lamps. They are much more rugged mechanically, because light is produced by a solid state chip that usually is encapsulated in solid epoxy. There is no filament to break or burn out. LED's typically last about 30 times longer than incandescent lamps of similar size and brightness. They are very energy efficient and typically require only 10 to 20 percent of the power required by incandescent lamps of similar brightness. They produce very little heat, because of their high efficiency. LED's can be physically smaller than incandescent lamps with similar brightness. They emit light much faster after power is applied and they stop emitting light much sooner after power is interrupted, which is especially important in some applications.

Advantages of LED Lighting at Lighting Design Lab says:

The other benefits of LEDs include:
• Lights instantly
• Can be easily dimmed
• Silent operation
• Low-voltage power supply (increased safety)

Construction of the FlowerForcer™ LED Grow Light

2008-06-29T23:06:00.000-07:00

FlowerForcer™ LED grow lights are very large lights, approximately 22 x 25 inches, and are composed of 900 5mm superbright LEDs.

The FlowerForcer™ LED grow lights come pre-wired for 120-220 volts with a 3 foot bare cord and no plug. The FlowerForcer™ LED grow lights can be wall mounted or ceiling mounted for a completely surrounded lighting effect.

According to NASA, LED grow lights like the FlowerForcer™ will last throughout a trip to Mars...and back!

The FlowerForcer™ LED Grow Lights are NOT encased in glass. They are mounted openly for ventilation, and to increase the lifespan. All parts can be easily replaced in only a few minutes apiece if need should arise i.e. 20 years of continuous operation, damage from accidents, and device failure.

The FlowerForcer™ LED grow lights are based on a 21 and 3/4 inch by 17 and 3/4 inch wide PCB (Printed Circuit Board). We use the highest quality LEDs and resistors. Our LED Power Supply is made exclusively for LEDs, with total control of output. There is no danger of overvoltage ever!

Our LED grow lights are UL approved with a Protection Rating of IP 20.

PCB 1

PCB 2

900 LED Power Supply 100 watts

NASA research into LED grow lights

2008-06-29T22:52:00.000-07:00

NASA image: growing potatoes with red LED flower forcers

This article on Space.com discusses the NASA research into growing vegetables with LED grow lights like the FlowerForcer™:

Lettuce and LEDs: Shedding New Light On Space Farming
By Todd Halvorson

In recent years, dramatic improvements in lighting technology have provided NASA and its support contractors with new means to develop low-power space-farming systems that will last the life of a building -- or a greenhouse on the surface of Mars.

Working in plant growth chambers the size of walk-in refrigerators, Goins and other plant physiologists here are experimenting with blue and red Light Emitting Diodes, or LEDs, to grow salad plants such as lettuce and radishes.

Similar to devices now used to manufacture advanced traffic lights, the LEDs enable researchers to eliminate other wavelengths found within normal white light, thus reducing the amount of energy required to power the plant growth lamps.

The LEDs generate less heat, and while leaves take on a black hue due to the lack of green light to reflect, the plants grow normally and taste the same as those raised in white light.

"What we've found basically is that we are able to limit the amount of color we give to the plants and still have them grow as well as with white light," Goins said.

~ Read the rest at http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/light_farming_010926.html

The significance of green LED light to growing plants indoors

2008-06-29T22:43:00.000-07:00

Green LED light is safe to use around plants at night. The significance of green light to indoor growing operations is not entirely understood. Many people believe that green light is unnecessary to the growth of plants. You will have to decide for yourself, but here's a few quotes and links to get you started.

Plant Development vs. Spectrum by Hurley Shepherd, Agricultural Research, USDA Southern Regional Center

Light is very important to plants since that is the source of their energy. Therefore, they must maximize their use of this valuable resource. The chlorophylls are the energy trapping molecules and use light in the blue and red regions of the spectrum (the green is reflected which is why plants usually appear green).

How does a plant get the most out of the red and blue light that is available? Plants have two other pigment systems, one (called "phytochrome")which detects the amount of red light and one (called "cryptochrome")which detects the amount of blue light.

Phytochrome means "plant pigment" and was discovered based on its effects on plant development due to red light. A plant grown in the dark will be tall and spindly, cotyledons not expanded much, and no green color. In the light, it will be shorter, with bigger, green leaves. Red light controls these and other major developmental changes in plants. Some other changes under phytochrome/red light control are germination of seeds and flowering.

Green-light supplementation for enhanced lettuce growth under red- and blue-light-emitting diodes by Kim, H. H., Goins, G. D., Wheeler, R. M., Sager, J. C. of NASA Biological Sciences

The addition of 24% green light (500 to 600 nm) to red and blue LEDs (RGB treatment) enhanced plant (lettuce cv. Waldmann's Green) growth. The RGB plants produced more biomass than the plants grown under the cool-white fluorescent lamps (CWF treatment), a commonly tested light source used as a broad-spectrum control.

Growing Plants with LEDs by Mihaela Lica

Researchers found out that blue and red light is essential for plant growth and, in general, a percentage of 8% blue LEDs and 92% red LEDs, both with the same frequency and relative intensity per LED, are enough for a harmonious evolution. Blue has a smaller influence than red however a percentage between 1% and 20% of blue light can be selected, depending on the plants and their growth requirements. The NASA scientists have tried to create the most cost and energy efficient light sources possible, and this is why they have eliminated from the fixtures other colours normally found in white light. "What we've found basically is that we are able to limit the amount of colour we give to the plants and still have them grow as well as with white light." said the research scientist Greg Goins of Dynamac Corp.

LED Power Supply 50-350 Watts

2008-06-29T22:40:00.000-07:00

LED Power Supply
These Power Suppliers are for LEDs up to 350 watts. They are the best LED Power Supplies on the market. UL-CE Approved Short Circuit...Overload...Overvoltage...Protected!

Output: 12-24 Volts + - .1 volt
Voltage: 120 volts or 220 volts
These LED Power Supplies are for indoor use only.

50 watt

100 watt

150 watt

200 watt

350 watt

FlowerForcer™ Platinum General LED Lighting

2008-06-29T22:38:00.000-07:00

FlowerForcer™ Platinum General LED Lighting
900 White LEDs

FlowerForcer™ Emerald Supplemental LED Lighting

2008-06-29T22:36:00.000-07:00

FlowerForcer™ Emerald Supplemental LED Lighting
900 Green LEDs

Learn more about green LEDs for growing plants indoors

FlowerForcer™ 8% Blue Dual Spectrum LED Grow Light

2008-06-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

FlowerForcer™ 8% Blue Dual Spectrum LED Grow Light
72 Blue LEDs 828 Red LEDs

Why 8% Blue?

FlowerForcer™ Two-Tone Convertible LED Grow Light

2008-06-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

450 Red 450 Blue LEDs
Switch To Red, Blue, or Both

Why Red and Blue?

FlowerForcer™ Xtreme Blue LED Grow Lights

2008-06-29T22:32:00.000-07:00

900 Blue LEDs

Why blue?

The Original FlowerForcer™ LED Grow Light

2008-06-29T22:28:00.000-07:00

900 Red LEDs

Why red?