Customer Reviews

Gardening Indoors with H.I.D. Lights

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Book contains about 154 pages and is divided into 6 sections. The sections discuss Light, Artificial Light, HID Lamps, Reflectors, Setup, and Electricity Basics. Appendices include Radiant Energy, Requirements of Plants, Troubleshooting, Types of Lamps, Glossary, and Index.

The book is a mixed bag of great information and cluttered lists of data. The major theme of the book wanders about. Some of the discussions contradict each other. For example, Van Patten does a masterful job describing why useful light for plants should not be measured in lumens. But then he goes ahead and displays his huge listing of light readings in lumens. Why? You made your point, use PAR Watts.

In another section, Van Patten decribes every possible detail about horticultural lamps and reflector systems, but draws no summary with a specific list of brands and models. Don't get me wrong, he lists lots of data. Pages and pages of spreadsheet like lumen data for over 115 models of bulbs. Pages and pages of 54 three dimensional charts. Yah, great, you did lots of research - but I don't need to see all the raw data. Just tell me which bulb I should buy. Maybe give me a top ten list. Should I really care what the lumens are for the 97th best bulb?

Many conclusions are very vague. For example Van Patten actually writes, "we still do not know which lamp is best". Gee, that a great reason to write a book.

I'm torn as how to rate this book. The book contains many jewels of information that are well researched and finely written. Some of Van Patten's findings are exciting, extremely interesting, and even thought provolking. But in between is a littered jumble of confusing tables and charts. It's disorganized. There are lots of typographical errors throughout. He should have hired a book editor before publishing this (or hired a smarter one).

If you plan to garden indoors with HID lights, you must buy this book (you have no other choice but this book, because there are no other texts available). The book is most valuable to purchase BEFORE you select a HID system. It will save you from making a costly mistake.

PS: I use two HID lamps, a 400 watt Agrosun and a 400 watt Sunmaster Warm Deluxe. Both are installed in identical Hydrofarm Super Grow Wing Systems. I love the results - I can grow anything!

"Gardening Indoors with HID Lights" is a cross between a technical manuscript and an How To book for beginners. With a bachelors in cellular biology, this book was perfect for me. It explained how plants react to different parts of the light spectrum for different parts of their growth cycle. It steered me away from what would have been an ineffective fluorescent to maintain my citrus trees during the snowy winter. Instead the authors skillfully discuss the relationship of cost, watts, and effective indoor growth area for what is essentially artificial sunlight. As a novice, I decided not to take all their advice about an indoor lighting system, since I wasn't sure it would really work as advertised. But the practical science which is woven throughout this book would have been an equally effective guide for a much more elaborate set up. The salesperson where I ended up purchasing my HID system did not recommend this book since it was "too technical." I myself would recommend this book to anyone who studies their gardening and purchases other garden books. A high intensity discharged lighting system will cost several hundred dollars. My system had no information with it guide me in it's use. This book neatly fills the gap.

Just bought this book (Sept. 2009). Was expecting "current data." Not so! The technical data is OLD, 1997, which is far from up to date in the ever changing world of "what works." You will note that Amazon fails to provide a publication date, which is not a responsible thing to do when buyers are out looking for state of the art info. [...]