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Q&A

Comparison of artificial and natural light for plant growth

1:16:19

·

106 sec

Council Member Kevin Riley asks about the differences between artificial and natural light for plant productivity. Rowan Blaik explains that artificial light is not comparable to natural sunlight in terms of plant growth and health.

Artificial light doesn't penetrate plants the same way as natural sunlight
The garden uses artificial light to augment specific wavelengths, not to replace sunlight
Artificial lighting has limitations in benefiting multiple layers of plants in the conservatory

Kevin Riley

1:16:19

Is there is there a difference between I mean, I'm a professor transaction, is there a difference between the artificial line and the natural line with the productivity of the plants at the garden?

Rowan Blaik

1:16:30

There is.

Kevin Riley

1:16:31

And what is that difference?

Rowan Blaik

1:16:33

That it's not comparable.

1:16:36

It doesn't penetrate through the plants the same as natural sunlight does.

1:16:43

There there are there are 2 main types of artificial lighting.

1:16:46

There's those to extend day length and there's those to improve the quality of light that currently exists.

1:16:55

As are very much in the latter, it's to increase the wavelengths of light that we don't have at these these latitudes.

Kevin Riley

1:17:02

But it's still it's still efficient.

1:17:05

To I guess I guess to get the job done.

Rowan Blaik

1:17:09

Yeah.

1:17:10

It's to augment the the wavelengths that the equatorial plants especially would receive closer to the equator.

1:17:18

It's not to increase day length.

1:17:20

It's to maintain the plan for health of the collection.

1:17:24

Again, in the the the report that was commissioned by the developer, it notes that The lighting would have to be incredibly close to the plants, that it only benefits one layer of plants.

1:17:43

If you go into our tropical conservatory, you'll see we have a canopy layer.

1:17:47

We have a middle layer, we have a ground layer of plant material, you can't, from a predictable point of view, use a light to supplement and replace natural daylight, natural daylight.

1:18:02

Okay.

1:18:02

Sunlight.

Kevin Riley

1:18:03

Alright.

1:18:04

Can't remember.

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Current use of artificial light at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

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Discussion on shade-tolerant plants and artificial light