Lighting at Growing Power or Sweet Water Organics

[Scott LeFoll]

Anyone who has done the tour or taken the workshop at Growing Power familiar with their lighting setup in the aquaponics greenhouses?

[TCLynx]

I've been on the tour through Growing Power.  Their double decker grow beds just grow watercress on the lower level and have only minimal florescent lighting for the watercress as far as I can remember.  There is quite a lot of natural sun light in the greenhouse for the upper level and a fair bit makes it down to the lower level so the lighting is just a supplement and not the total light for the plants.

[Scott LeFoll]

So the upper level has only natural sunlight?  They also grow fruiting plants in places too, don't they -  tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers ... they must use lighting to grow those in the winter?

[TCLynx]

I didn't see any major grow lights in there.  They do grow fruiting plants I believe but I don't know that they have them fruiting year round or even if they are growing them year round.  Their major sellers are the shoots and salad greens.

[Rick Remington]

some SWO flickr lighting pics:

start here and click on "<-Newer" to take a virtual tour, with a lot of lights in the frame.

Looks like a combo of fluorescents and HIDs.

[TCLynx]

Still not nearly enough light and much of it not close enough to the plants.

[RW]

I have taken both tours. Lighting was a major difference i noticed between the 2 tours. Growing power was all greenhouses with generous day light and minimal electrical lighting. Sweetwater is in old manufacturing warehouse space. No daylight in the buildings. The tour guide mentioned that electricity was a major expense. Sweetwater was expanding by building greenhouses outside.

[TCLynx]

Yea, whenever I hear people talking about growing in old warehouses and such I cringe.  Most of them have no idea how much electric light it takes to even sort of match natural sunlight.

[David Miner]

I agree from having grown indoors. I like  the idea of using a sea container. Inside for the fish, filters and such. Greenhouse on top. You could do the same with a warehouse or industrial building also.

 

TCLynx said:

Yea, whenever I hear people talking about growing in old warehouses and such I cringe.  Most of them have no idea how much electric light it takes to even sort of match natural sunlight.

[Bob Campbell]

My 480 Watt light bar for less than $100.00

[Nathan Griswold]

I was recently at Growing Power and noticed large lights above the top beds. I am not sure what type of bulbs they were using but they were certainly pointed towards the upper beds.