Low E Glass & Plants
 

I'm planning on enclosing a porch with glass. I will also add skylights.
Someone has told me that low E glass will stop all UV light which is
necessary for plants to live. If that is true, I'll not get the Low E
glass, but otherwise, I'd like to have it. Anyone with knowledge of this
matter?
------------------------------
John Wheeler
Washington, DC
USDA Zone 7

I'm planning on enclosing a porch with glass. I will also add skylights.
Someone has told me that low E glass will stop all UV light which is
necessary for plants to live. If that is true, I'll not get the Low E
glass, but otherwise, I'd like to have it. Anyone with knowledge of this
matter?


They'll do just fine. They may see a net energy production decrease of a
couple of percent, but unless you're right on the very fringes of what the
plant needs, it will be completely negligible. The "absorbtion maxima" of
chlorophyll (where the light does the most good) are in the blue and red
areas, and the absorbtion is falling off pretty quickly at 400nm, where the
UV area is just beginning. Here's a plot:
http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/e24/3.htm

steve

"Compostman" wrote in message
...
I'm planning on enclosing a porch with glass. I will also add skylights.
Someone has told me that low E glass will stop all UV light which is
necessary for plants to live. If that is true, I'll not get the Low E
glass, but otherwise, I'd like to have it. Anyone with knowledge of this
matter?
------------------------------
My personal experience with a low E glass bay window is that plants do not
grow as well there.
The window is great for keeping out heat in the summer and keeping it in in
the winter but it is not a good plant window.
Frank

"Compostman" wrote:

I'm planning on enclosing a porch with glass. I will also add skylights.
Someone has told me that low E glass will stop all UV light which is
necessary for plants to live. If that is true, I'll not get the Low E
glass, but otherwise, I'd like to have it. Anyone with knowledge of this
matter?

We have "Low-E glass" on all windows and the house plants do just as
well as they did before the E glass was installed a number of years ago.

http://www.floriangreenhouse.com/glass.html: "Reducing
U.V. is important for growing plants & protecting tender seedlings.
Fact: No ultraviolet light requirements have been documented for plant
growth according to Denver Botanical Garden's Horticultural Department
and published reference materials. Using MC Low-E gives plants a
tremendous advantage since it will greatly reduce the amount of cold &
warm spots in the area increasing plant growth & room comfort."
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Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA

We have "Low-E glass" on all windows

I have had Low-E glass for 13 yrs. and I have had comments from people that my
house plants are some of the most healthy and huge house plants they've ever
seen.
Sue