Mirrors.. no good.... Seriously ...???

lol This brings up a good point though. What would be the best material for reflectivity for plants? Mirrors? Mylar? White Paint? Chrome? Maybe some more research should be done on this. If anyone has the time and space try setting up two grow tents with the same strain, water source, soil, etc. etc. but use two different reflective materials and see which one produces best.

My guess is that mirrors would be much more costly than using mylar and probably won't produce that much more to make up the difference.

Japanfreak said:

Brick have you ever used mirrors? Not asking if you can google, if you've used mirrors.

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These are proven facts. Accept them or reject them but it would be really great if on a site for people to learn growing facts if you would stop spreading inaccurate and harmful misinformation.


Mirror Reflection: 
This occurs when the incident ray hits a smooth or glossy surface such as glass. The only time light will be reflected directly back to source is when the incident light is directly at right angles with the reflective surface. All other times the light will be returned in the opposite direction. That is called specular reflection. No matter how highly reflective the material may be it makes for a terrible reflective material for plant growing.

Diffuse Reflection: 
This occurs when light strikes rough or uneven surfaces, these types of surface cause the rays of light to be scattered in many directions. That is what you want for growing.

Japanfreak said:

Brick have you ever used mirrors? Not asking if you can google, if you've used mirrors.

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have you ever shined a little into a mirror? notice how it does spread and distribute the light evenly and it just shines in one spot? then it reflects to the next are like a magnifying glass? k thanks try again

Better yet, set up a small wooden or even cardboard box lined with mirrors, then set up another box lined with mylar. Put a light on top, turn it on, and place a light meter on the floor facing the wall and note the lumens, do this for each wall. See if you get any difference. In theory if one box is more reflective than the other then the light meter should be able to tell you if there is a difference.

Brick Top said:

These are proven facts.

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I'll take that as a no. Dude, stop talking about shit you have no experience with, I know you're the bestest googlier out there, but give it a break. what would be great on pot sites is if people actually talked about shit they knew first hand.

wannaquickee said:

have you ever shined a little into a mirror? notice how it does spread and distribute the light evenly and it just shines in one spot? then it reflects to the next are like a magnifying glass? k thanks try again

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Talk to people who use mirrors, I have and not one has ever had a heat spot burn. Not one.

Ive never said they create hot spots. i said they dont reflect/distribute light that well. one could spend less money and less work on another product with better results..

I think what Brick is trying to say is that if you take a flash light, shine it at a mirror it will either bounce directly back at you, or bounce off in an angle. Unless your whole room is made up of mirrors then the light would probably have a hard time finding its way to the plant, unless that is of course you angle the mirror and light just right to bounce that light right at the plant. It's just like when you are in the car and someones watch face gets a glimpse of sun and they blind you with it. lol

Sure they could. But if they have the mirror around throw it in. Nice thing about mirrors is that you can wash them and use them forever. Mylar gets dotted and dirty and after a few years the cost is much more than a mirror.

That's true Japanfreak, in the long run, over the years, mylar would eventually cost more than mirros, unless your mirrors break ( 7 years bad luck, lol). But I think most people who grow probably won't be growing that long to see those results.

And who wants them to reflect directly back to the light anyway?

Brick Top said:

That stand for educated parrots.

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I'm ashamed for you Brick. talking out of your ass left and right. Google Queen .

What I take from it, is that mirrors are for more "Direct" lighting, again, unless your whole room is made of mirrors.

Most people use mylar.....direct lighting.

What I mean by "direct" lighting is that with a mirror you can "Direct" the light beam anywhere you want. With Mylar it reflects light, but in a diffused manner and you can't create any "hot spots"/light beam/ or whatever, and direct it at a particular point.

noxiously said:

I think what Brick is trying to say is that if you take a flash light, shine it at a mirror it will either bounce directly back at you, or bounce off in an angle. Unless your whole room is made up of mirrors then the light would probably have a hard time finding its way to the plant, unless that is of course you angle the mirror and light just right to bounce that light right at the plant. It's just like when you are in the car and someones watch face gets a glimpse of sun and they blind you with it. lol

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That is correct. When light strikes a mirror it is reflected at the angle it hits the mirror, and that is all. A straight on beam of light will be reflected directly back to the source of light. A beam of light that strikes at a 45 degree angle will reflect at that angle, and that is all. There is no diffusion of light.

Mirrors do not spread light, it takes diffuse reflection for that and mirrors give a specular reflection.

Anyone, and I do mean anyone, regardless of how much experience they may claim to have or if they claim to have used mirrors forever and ever and tell you that mirrors are a good reflective material for growing plants either does not have the slightest clue of what they are talking about or they are lying. Period, thee end.

You want and need diffuse reflection from whatever reflective material you use. You want and need a reflective material that when light strikes it the light rays are reflected in as many different directions at as many different angles as possible. That is what diffuse reflection gives you and mirrors do not provide diffuse reflection, they provide specular reflection. It is just that simple.

noxiously said:

lol This brings up a good point though. What would be the best material for reflectivity for plants? Mirrors? Mylar? White Paint? Chrome? Maybe some more research should be done on this. If anyone has the time and space try setting up two grow tents with the same strain, water source, soil, etc. etc. but use two different reflective materials and see which one produces best.

My guess is that mirrors would be much more costly than using mylar and probably won't produce that much more to make up the difference.

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It is my understanding that high quality polished aluminum provides one of the most reflective surfaces. But this type of stuff is not available at your local hydro store.

Brick Top said:

Anyone, and I do mean anyone, regardless of how much experience they may claim to have or if they claim to have used mirrors forever and ever and tell you that mirrors are a good reflective material for growing plants either does not have the slightest clue of what they are talking about or they are lying. Period, thee end.

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Talking out of your ass. The end.

I'm not trying to say that Japanfreak is wrong either though. Japanfreak is right in that Mirrors are more "Reflective" than Mylar. That is why we can see our reflection in the mirror. Water is even more reflective than Mylar too. But, as for what Brick is saying, when growing, you want the light to surround the plant from every angle possible. With mirrors, again, unless your whole room is made of mirrors, you will not be able to create enough light to surround the entire plant without creating a spot on the plant that is much brighter than the rest.

Soft even light is what you want, not harsh spot lighting.

I've actually seen small closets totally covered in mirrors.

I still say that a clean mirror is better than dirty mylar. How dirty is your mylar?