Plant cultivation under artificial light is not new; plants need light in order to perform the photosynthesis that fuels their growth and, in nature, the plants get their energy from the light of our sun. However, there can be situations where sunlight alone might be insufficient for the cultivation process; either because of geographical location (such as trying to grow plants in Polar Regions when they are indigenous to more sunlight climes); or a town dweller trying to grow plants indoors. Artificial Light Replacing Sun Light This is not quite the same thing as using a standard incandescent light bulb to heat up an enclosed space so that hens’ eggs can hatch into chicks without the broody mother hen sitting on them; in that case, the key is heat. While most plants also require heat; many cannot tolerate too much; but they all need light. Moreover, the type of light to provide is somewhat critical. What Is Light? Light can be divided into two parts – visible light which we can see being emitted by the sun in daytime and invisible light which is beyond the capabilities of eyes and brain to process. However, it is all energy being sent out from a source (e.g. the sun) in the form of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) in “packets” known as photons which exhibit properties in both wave and particle form. The relevance of this to horticulturists is that different plants fare better under different light conditions. LED Lighting LED stands for light emitting diode; LED’s generate light from a semiconductor source. In general terms, LED lighting consumes less electricity and emits less heat than many earlier light sources and, they can be produced to emit certain types of light only. This is what makes them important...