American Takii gets flowers ready for display with help of ‘magic lights’

Left to right: Echinaceas in the pot with the yellow tag were grown under metal-halide lights, while echinaceas in the pot with the red tag were grown under LEDs, and echinaceas in the pot with the black tag were grown under natural light; Photo courtesy of Rosa Rocha

At American Takii in Salinas, California, LEDs have been known for having a certain mystique.

Rosa Rocha, trial flower grower, says she began working with LEDs in fall 2016 as part of a lighting trial. “I was just extending the day, and I was one of the very few around this area that got a plant with enough color for the Spring Trials,” she says. “Everybody was asking me, 'How did you do it?!' Well, it was with the help of magic lights.” 

Rocha grows what she calls “show flowers” to exhibit in spring, such as at the California Spring Trials in April. American Takii has three glasshouses in Salinas that encompass 7,500 square feet, two hoop houses that total another 3,000 square feet, in addition to outdoor production space. Rocha grows American Takii plants and other crops, such as some from HilverdaKooij, from seed to finish.

American Takii installed the LEDs, from Philips Lighting, in one of the three 2,500-square-foot glasshouses, Rocha says. About 70 percent of that house is used for production. That is where Rocha runs the LEDs from 11 p.m. each day until 3 p.m. the following day — a total of 16 hours.

Working with Philips Lighting, Rocha has seen numerous improvements in various crops at different stages in their life cycles. Among the genera are echinaceas, which can finish two weeks earlier than those under natural sun, and canna lilies, which can finish 10 days earlier.

Rocha has compared the growth of echinaceas under Philips LEDs, for instance, with that of echinaceas grown under metal halide lights. With the crops grown under LEDs, she says, “The plant is totally mature, showing more blooms than the ones grown under metal halide.”

The LEDs have also showed promising results in promoting the growth of canna lilies, Rocha says. “[With] the plants grown under the LEDs, the plant grew a little bit more vigorous and the flowers were ready sooner than the ones under the metal halides and natural light,” she says.

LEDs are also a boon to plant growth in American Takii’s germination chamber, Rocha says. When a seed germinates without the aid of LEDs, the seedling can stretch, bend to one side or produce other undesirable effects. But certain spectra within the light that the LEDs provide, can generate more desirable traits.

After the germination stage, the LED technology produces more attractive foliage and earlier blooms, Rocha says. In less than ideal weather and lighting conditions, she and her colleagues might move crops under the LEDs to keep them growing strong.

After seeing such promising results from using LEDs, American Takii ended its lighting trial early, Rocha says.

Because the application of LED technology in horticulture is still being studied and there is a vast array of ornamental crops, it can be a guessing game to see how LEDs and the different spectra they provide influence the growth of different crops, Rocha says. “It is difficult to use LEDs and try every crop and make a report for every crop,” she says. “But they are magic lights.”

Rocha says she would be interested in hearing about other growers’ experiencing using LEDs for ornamental crop production. Although she still has questions about specific applications, one thing is certain: “I really like the magic lights.”