The Elusive Solar Spectra: Highly Sought After Results

[Fastarkid]

I revised this post with some corrections and some other fixes.

Regarding the decision as to which light spectrum a grower targets or pursues...for their plants to receive from their LED lights...it seems most growers (not all) prefer the typical, commonly found spectrum like the 1st graph below.
Researchers work hard to bring us great technologies and it has helped in getting us some great LED grow lights.

However, the common spectrum (found in LED grow lights) has the following problematic attributes (problematic compared to the sunlight/daylight...the benchmark)

1) insufficient or ZERO UVB
2) insufficient or zero UVA
3) huge blue sharp spike at around 450nm
4) sharp strong drop in cyan 480nm
5) LED's have a generally upward rising line graphed from 400nm - 700nm (i.e. visible range) (sunlight slopes downward from 450nm 800nm)
6) a massive spike in red at 655nm, towering over the whole thing
6) red sharply falls off above 670nm
7) little to no Far Red (FR) 700nm-800nm

Below is a commonly found spectra which most growers seem satisfied with.

Light brand #1:

Light brand #2

Meanwhile the graph of the sunlight spectra looks entirely different; see below

Above is the natural daylight which hits all plants on earth.
Scientists, Researchers and Doctors have exceedingly limited research methods but their knowledge is increasing by leaps and bounds...
despite major scientific breakthroughs, many more breakthroughs are in the works and yet to come.

As opposed to the common grower's LED, the sunlight/daylight has the following attributes.
1) perfect amount of UVB
2) Perfect amount of UVA
3) the sun's graph line gradually rises from below 280nm to 450nm
4) and then the sun's graph line gradually and in small increments decreases from 450nm to beyond 800nm
4) sun has no big gap around cyan (i.e. 465nm - 520nm)
5) sun has a generally DOWNWARD sloping line graphed from 450nm - 700nm (i.e. visible range)...sun is reverse of LED's
6) sun has no sharp drop off around 670nm

Our ecosystem thrives perfectly under the natural sunlight...the sun's spectra can't be improved upon by science.

It will be very helpful to me if you shared with me your opinion on LED grow lights that don't have the sunlight's perfect spectrum or a least why doesn't this grow light industry acknowledge the elephant in the room...(i.e. the Sun and the outdoor plants).
I saw something that has me convinced that soon, the sun's spectrum (as seen above) will be found to be the ultimate benchmark that all grower's will eventually start to pursue. Your thoughts please...

 

[Fastarkid]

For many decades, an entire industry of doctors across many nations were all so convinced that humans evolved to the extent that the appendix was no longer needed by the modern and evolved human body. The appendix was explained away as a left over tissue that is useless. So if it ever gets infected or inflamed, then just surgically remove that useless organ.
However, in this new millennium, the World Health Organization published, in a medical trade journal, that the actual function of the appendix has now been discovered and it is paramount to the immune system. Ooops. Ooooops is how many people felt after they found out that the medical experts had removed millions of countless millions of appendixes.
The appendix is the engine that continuously works to support the body's effort to balance the microbiome (the gut flora) the engine of the immune system.

In that same spirit, the researchers of LED grow lights have already made awesome strides with more cutting edge breakthroughs coming soon.
A summary of some highlights in the LED grow light industry

1) some growers skeptically changed to LEDs because of the heat foot print and efficiency but this first waive of pioneers thought that green is not a necessary part of the LED's spectrum
2) then they realized that green is necessary to plant health so LED's marketers stated to include a spectrum that included some green.
3) then researchers proved the need to go beyond 400nm-700nm and began to flirt with Far Red and UV light
4) most LED grow lights now include some red LED's scattered and intermingled among the white LED's
5) soon we'll see most marketers of LED grow lights include some UV chips scattered and intermingled across the footprint of the LED grow light
6) but what I saw recently is the next major breakthrough in LED grow lights. They showed me the spectrum and it is very much and in every way like the sun's graph above (not perfectly identical but super close). They would not let me take a picture of the graph but it is so close to the above graph of the sun's spectra above. I think the game is about to change again and it will be all the rage (especially after it gets tested and re-tested and tested again.

Like the appendix, we ought not assume that the spectra they sell us is the optimal one for indoor growth. After all, those were licensed medical doctors that were surgically removing millions of appendixes....some doctors are still removing them...others have learned.
I'm so excited about the next two years of new product releases in the LED grow lights.
Dan