

    Creating shelf space
    with light

    Sierra Gold Nurseries California, USA

    Find out how low-heat plant grow lights are increasing shelf space at Sierra Gold Nurseries.
     Cliff Beumel posing at Sierra Gold Nurseries lit up with energy-efficient plant grow lights by Philips

    We believe because
    the LEDs deliver

    more usable light in the grow room that the plant proliferation rates should improve due to either greater uniformity or enhanced plant growth.”

    - Cliff Beumel, Vice President, Sierra Gold Nurseries

    The nursies lab fully illuminated with Philips horticultural lighting

    Customer challenge

    Sierra Gold is a pioneering plant propagator. Based in a 200-acre nursery in California, it ships millions of tree roots annually. To meet increasing demand for trees, the company opened a 10,000-square-foot tissue culture lab. Could LED help it achieve uniform growth?
    The lab of Sierra Gold Nurseries lit up with GreenPower LEDs by Philips Lighting

    The right lighting


    For the new lab, Sierra Gold wants to make sure the light was just right. It collected information from other labs, researchers, and consultants around the world, and conducted a cost analysis of LED vs fluorescent lights. After weighing up the options, Sierra Gold was so confident in choosing LED technology that they saw no need to trial it against fluorescent lighting.


    Working with Hort Americas, Sierra Gold Nurseries installed Philips GreenPower LED production modules in Deep Red and Blue. Because of the virtually heat-free performance of the lights, the correct temperature can be maintained easily. Vice President Cliff Beumel explains: “In a tissue culture growth room the plants have to be kept at the right temperature. A temperature increase of only -15 ºC / 5 ºF can have an adverse effect on the plants.”


    Beumel says fluorescent ballast with two 40-watt bulbs sitting underneath a tissue culture shelf can raise the temperature of the shelf. If there is not enough space between the lights and the shelf, the warmer temperature can lead to problems with plant uniformity. Because there is no temperature increase with LED, Beumel can install more shelves and grow more plants, making for a more efficient setup.


    LED plant grow lights are helping Sierra Gold Nurseries to achieve better plant uniformity and produce a greater quantity of roots. In addition, the energy-efficient performance of LED creates significant savings.

    Find this grower in the world.

    the growing atmosphere

    The team

    Sierra Gold Nurseries


    Hort Americas

    Philips Horti LED partner

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